amir al-kourainy , jd , mph
Special Assistant at The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
special assistant center medicare & medicaid service
born michigan raised san diego , ca , moved california sunshine washington dc pursue career health policy . jd/mph , experience working federal government , nonprofit , health journalism academia . analytical mind , strong research , writing , communication , advocacy skill , ability influence people accomplish change .
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Special Assistant for the iQuality Improvement and Innovation Group within the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ), which focuses on improving the quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries
Woodlawn, Maryland, United States
Special Assistant
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Project Officer: Provides programmatic, financial and administrative oversight of four Department of Health and Human Services grantees. Areas of oversight include: grant compliance, outreach, education and the enrollment of consumers in the Health Insurance Marketplaces. Oversees total annual awards of $2.3 million 

Project Manager for Consumer Issue Tracking Meetings. Created new organizational framework for the discussion/resolution of issues 

Serves as policy advisor on: The Affordable Care Act, immigrants, underserved populations, exemptions, the availability of consumer subsidies and other financial assistance programs, income, employer sponsored coverage, Tricare and the Veteran’s Administration, marketplace and coverage appeals and the Summary of Benefits and Coverage.
Drafts/presents webinars, sub regulatory guidance documents and FAQ’s on above areas

Appeals: Provided technical guidance to states and issuers, evaluated their compliance with regulatory requirements, drafted sub-regulatory guidance 

SBC: Provides technical guidance to states and issuers on the Summary of Benefits & Coverage template, coverage examples and calculator

Served on 1332 Workgroup which evaluated and approved Alaska waiver to create reinsurance programs to stabilize their Health Insurance Marketplace

Convened and led an inter-agency workgroup to evaluate the definition of tobacco use for rating purposes 

Served on Program Committee to plan agenda for the 2017 CMS Assister Summit

Served as sole presenter for session on leveraging the power of data to improve outreach, enrollment and retention of consumers at the 2017 CMS Assister Conference, spoke before 250 in-person attendees/1100 online attendees

Led project to encourage navigator grantees to use a more data driven approach when designing their outreach, enrollment, hiring and retention strategies 

Implemented online system for collecting and responding to assister questions
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Health Insurance Specialist
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
https://www.linkedin.com/company/centers-for-medicare-&-medicaid-services
Working under Deputy Chief Operating Officer Karen Jackson of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 
Responsible for providing strategic vision, direction, supervision and oversight for CMS-wide  Operationalizing Value (OV) initiative, which focuses on transitioning CMS systems, workforce, and processes and increasing the agency’s internal capacity to support full incorporation of value based care arrangements, into its Medicare and Medicaid programs, and to encourage adoption by the Federally Facilitated Exchanges. Assembled and submitted recommendations for primary and secondary governing bodies required to implement OV, an OV Executive Steering Community (ESC), and an OV Community Of Practice. Drafts agendas and organizes weekly meetings for each, and provides feedback on all guidance documents for initiative. Drafted document laying out goals, roles and responsibilties of the executive steering committee. Experience collaborating with Senior Leaders across CMS 

Serve as Government Task Lead for the Value-Enablement Contract, a 6 month contract which focuses on providing a CMS Readiness assessment and Adoption Framework for CMS to transition Medicare, Medicaid, and the Exchanges to value-based care. Helps to supervise, manage, and direct contractor through Daily Check-In meetings. Also helps to run weekly planning meetings with Project Owners Arrah Tabe-Bedward and Deputy Chief Operating Officer Karen Jackson

Helps to draft Objectives and Key Results for the OV initiative. 
Drafted Options Memo for Value-Based Care Definition. Crafted new definition of value-based care that is currently serving as a CMS-wide internal definition for the project 

Scheduled and helped to run 30 OV interviews with Senior Leaders across the CMS Enterprise
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Health Insurance Specialist
U.S. Senate
https://www.linkedin.com/company/united-states-senate
Member of the health policy team working on issues of importance to the Senator, including medical identity theft, graduate medical education, funding for medical research, and tracking the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Drafts memos for approval by the Senator, meets with constituents, makes vote recommendations on pending legislation, works with tax and judiciary staff on health issues.
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Health Policy staffer
Health Information Management Systems Society
Working with HIMSS on a white paper on how increased adoption of health information technology can reduce health disparities, and how barriers to greater adoption of HIT can be addressed through policy. Paper will be used by HIMSS Congressional Policy team and form the basis of HIMSS policy development and future action on this issue.
Washington D.C. Metro Area
Graduate Student
Enroll America
https://www.linkedin.com/company/enroll-america
Research state action on health reform, track legislation related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and the Health Benefits Exchanges; write summaries of bills, submit recommendations to Enroll America’s policy team, attend Capitol Hill briefings and conferences
Washington DC
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Government Affairs Fellow
The George Washington University
https://www.linkedin.com/company/george-washington-university
Conducts research and provides assistance and support to the Alabama Health Information Exchange (Alabama HIE) under the Alabama Medicaid Agency, the Oregon Health Authority, and Wisconsin Medicaid. Duties include, but are not limited to, assisting the state with the development of required documentation for The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), assisting with quarterly reporting to ONC, attending meetings on a broad range of health reform and health information technology issues, developing knowledge of concepts, practices, and procedures related to health policy, health-IT and public health, and performing other duties as assigned by Professor MacTaggart or state officials
Washington DC
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Research Associate
Health Affairs
Review, write and edit articles for “Health Affairs” blog, the leading peer-reviewed journal on the intersection of medicine and policy, write press releases, produce biographical sketches and author correspondence, help to manage “Health Affairs” social media efforts by maintaining “Health Affairs” blog, stay informed on domestic and international health policy issues, and post content to Twitter and Facebook.
Bethesda, Maryland
Policy and Social Media Intern
DC Cancer Consortium
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dc-cancer-consortium
Serve as a liaison to members of City Council, research funding mechanisms for public health programs, compile fact sheets on demographics of cancer patients and best-practice guidelines for cancer treatment, organize grass roots effort to seek increased funding for cancer detection and treatment, analyze legislation, propose amendments, manage Consortium’s social media efforts to increase awareness of prevalence of cancer in DC.
Washington D.C. Metro Area
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Advocacy Intern
American Lung Association in California
Engaged in community outreach in support of increased funding for cancer research and smoking cessation. Sought endorsements for Proposition 29, the Cancer Research Act. Spoke before the El Cajon City Council, was successful in obtaining their endorsement. El Cajon City Council was the only one in San Diego County to endorse the proposition.
San Diego, CA
Advocacy Intern
Community Health Improvement Partners
Helped staff CHIP Public Policy meetings, assisted in targeted efforts to seek funding for prevention and wellness, worked on implementation on a broad range of health reforms
Public Policy Intern
California Advocates
As a Legislative Advocate, I monitored and evaluated legislation, wrote position papers, made policy-driven recommendations, and advocated for a diverse group of healthcare-focused clients.
Sacramento, CA
Legislative Advocate
Transition House
https://www.linkedin.com/company/transition-house
Administered daily medication regimens, supervised client outings, assisted in running morning check in and mental health/drug treatment therapy groups. Helped clients to set goals and accomplish tasks, formulated psychological progress reports, helped to oversee budget and programmatic activities, and managed situations of people in crisis.
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On-call Counselor
Family Services Agency of the Central Coast, First Step Program
https://www.linkedin.com/company/family-services-agency-of-the-central-coast-first-step-program
Trained in suicide and crisis intervention and grief support. Answered suicide hotline, promoted suicide awareness through youth prevention outreach program, raised awareness of suicide risk factors through giving community presentations, and assisted supervisors.
Suicide and crisis counselor
Master of Public Health (MPH)
Health Policy
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The George Washington University
https://www.linkedin.com/school/george-washington-university/
Doctor of Law (JD)
Public Law and Policy
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University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law
https://www.linkedin.com/school/pacific-mcgeorge/
Bachelor's degree
Graduated with honors
Psychology
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UC Santa Cruz
https://www.linkedin.com/school/ucsc/
Seema Veerma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service
CMS Honor Award for Operational Excellence
Received Outstanding Performance Award 

Received Partnership Award from the Oversight Group (OG), in recognition of the following: “Amir took the lead to organize and moderate an inter-agency workgroup  comprised of staff at FDA, CDC, ASPE, DOL, Treasury, and OHR focused on whether to develop a more evidenced-based definition of tobacco use for rating purposes. Amir has also been part of a collaborative effort between CSG and OG’s Non-Federal Governmental Plan Team to assist individual complainants and fully investigate systemic problems that affect many consumers. Amir’s assistance has been invaluable. His work with consumers and follow through to plan administrators has helped increase the efficiency of the Non-Fed Team’s enforcement work.”
CMS
Health Insurance Specialist
Administrative Law
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Client Interviewing and Counseling
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Legislative Process, Strategy and Ethics
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Legislative and Statutory Interpretation
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Mediation
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Negotiation and Settlement
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Trial Advocacy
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Fundamentals of Health Policy
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Management and Policy Approaches to Public Health
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Psychology and the Law
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Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI)
Program and Project Managers (FAC-P/PM)
SHIP National Technical Assistance Center
State Health Insurance Assistance Program Certified
Federal Acquisition Institute (FAI)
Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) Level 2
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law
Certified Mediator
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-ito-schultz-79b6ba12
Denver, CO
Kristin Ito (Schultz)
Associate Director of ILC Foundation & Patient Advocacy at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abigailrmoore
Greater Indianapolis
Abby Moore
Development Manager at American Lung Association
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwbeyer
Greater Orlando
Bryan Beyer
Chief of Staff at Seminole County Sheriff's Office - #WeAreSCSO
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/philjansson
Ottawa, ON
Phil Jansson
Communications & Community Engagement at Ottawa Public Health
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaylemauser
Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Gayle Mauser
Office of Legislation at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-martin-85b1675
Davis, CA
Nikki Martin
Lung cancer patient advocacy
https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissamajerol
Washington, DC
Melissa Majerol
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-gagen-89070639
Austin, TX
Charlie Gagen
Director Of Advocacy - TX, OK at American Lung Association
https://www.linkedin.com/in/monique-french-mph-53975a54
Greater Indianapolis
Monique French, MPH
Advisor, Patient Advocacy  & Professional Relations at Eli Lilly and Company
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fatima-scipione-1b120b2
Cambridge, MA
Fatima Scipione
Head of Oncology Patient Advocacy at Takeda Oncology
https://www.linkedin.com/in/taffy-little-562bb191
Baltimore, MD
Taffy Little
Quality Clinical Supply Manager at AstraZeneca
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-m-nettleton
Salt Lake City, UT
Mary Nettleton
Director, Security Research
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-tiffin-9947589b
Baltimore, MD
Scott Tiffin
Senior Government Relations Associate at Public Policy Partners Maryland
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fredbutlerjr
Washington DC-Baltimore Area
Fred Butler Jr MBA MPH
Senior Director, Public Sector Strategy & Solutions - Federal at DocuSign | USN & USPHS Veteran
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshwoodrealtor
Lancaster, PA
Josh Wood
Realtor at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-oschman-b1542153
Knoxville, TN
Nicholas Oschman
Project/Program Consultant
https://www.linkedin.com/in/adnan-ahmeduddin-a67622a9
Greater Philadelphia
Adnan AhmedUddin
Healthcare Professional
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-kleiman-4042bb49
Greater Boston
Gary Kleiman
Integrated Climate and Air Quality Management Planning
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abwils
Columbia, MD
Andrew Wilson
Health Insurance Specialist at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-phifer-mph-09508745
Atlanta, GA
Victoria Phifer, MPH
CSELS Health Equity Officer
Grant A. Toeppen
      
          



            
              
        
              
  

    
        Amir represents everything right with a working professional- he passionately believes in what he does and is highly competent at his job. 

For instance, during the Yes on 29 Campaign, Amir made use of various social media outlets and personally contacted friends and family throughout California to bring support for medical research funding. He did a lot of speaking to community groups and organizations as part of his community outreach on Proposition 29. He even spoke to the El Cajon City Council, who actually voted to endorse the Proposition after his presentation.He constantly brings awareness of relevant issues to the medical and political community to everyone around him. 

When I am in need of a public advocate who will never compromise his ethical and professional standards, Amir is the first person who comes to mind.
Liked by Amir Al-Kourainy, JD, MPH
https://www.linkedin.com/signup/cold-join
Since I left federal service this summer, some well-meaning folks have asked me how it’s going adapting to the hard-charging private sector.  This…
American Public Health Association (APHA)
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https://www.linkedin.com/groups/49480
Government & Civil Society
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Society of Health Policy Young Professionals
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