CGI hires former HHS doc as health care strategist

CGI Federal Inc. has hired former Health and Human Services Department official Dr. John Loonsk to lead its health care strategy.

Loonsk will be a vice president at the Fairfax, Va., systems integrator.

During his government career, Loonsk was director of the Office of Interoperability and Standards in HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. He also served as associate director of informatics and director of the Information Resources Management Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CGI has been an active player in the health care market, and officials said they see more opportunities on the horizon because of the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to expand health information exchanges, electronic health records and other projects.

CGI Federal is a subsidiary of CGI Group. The parent company ranks No. 73 on Washington Technology’s 2008 Top 100 list of the largest federal prime contractors.