Serco Inc. adds CMS vet Shields as healthcare lead

Serco Group's North American subsidiary has hired former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services executive Karen Shields as vice president of the health sector.

The three-decade health arena veteran will lead efforts to expand Serco Inc.'s consulting, business processing and operational services portfolio for healthcare programs at the federal, state and local government levels.

At CMS, her more recent role was deputy director of its Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight with responsibility for business operations and day-to-day management over work to implement Affordable Care Act reforms.

Almost 30 percent of Serco Inc.'s $944 million in revenue last year came from an eligibility processing services contract related to ACA, according to Serco Group regulatory filings.

Shields' career at CMS also included a stint as executive for operations, where she led several healthcare open enrollment periods and oversaw systems to support distribution of federal payments to health insurance plans. Other CMS roles included director of the agency's Consumer Information Insurance Systems Group and Director of the Customer Liaison and Support Services Division.

Prior to CMS, she worked at Lockheed Martin for nine years and supported programs at agencies such as the Defense and Treasury departments.