CMS plans hiring spree ahead of new payment models

CMS plans hiring spree ahead of new payment models 
Becker's Hospital Review; by Alan Condon; 7/22/25 
The CMS Innovation Center plans to hire a string of new employees as it plans to roll out several new payment models. The move comes four months after HHS, CMS’ parent department, cut about 5% of the agency’s workforce, Politico reported July 21. Four things to know:

1. CMS laid off about 300 employees earlier this year as part of a broad HHS restructuring. The overhaul, part of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, aimed to reduce the department’s headcount from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees.
2. The restructuring included early retirement and buyout incentives and affected employees across HHS, including the FDA, CDC, National Institutes of Health and CMS.
3. The CMS Innovation Center was not directly affected by the layoffs and is now hiring. Current and former CMS workers told Politico the center plans to fill about 100 positions, focusing on candidates with expertise in economics, clinical services and data.
4. The Innovation Center, established under the ACA in 2010, has tested about 50 payment models aimed at improving preventive care, according to the report. The hiring spree will occur in phases and aims to support the development of new payment models, including those centered on chronic disease prevention.