Eric Hargan, former deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will join digital health startup Amino as its price transparency adviser.
Amino, founded in 2013, matches employees at self-insured employers with providers in their network that fit their health needs and allows them to book appointments with those providers online at any time.
Hargan, along with his consulting firm The Hargan Group, will help Amino ensure it adheres to federal price transparency regulations like the No Surprises Act and the Transparency in Coverage Rule.
Amino plans to “build new data, features and tools” into its platform to comply with the regulations, the company said in a statement.
“I’m excited to partner with Amino and serve in an advisory role for a company that is making tremendous strides in healthcare innovation, a great passion of mine,” said Hargan. “Amino is focusing on measures that matter, modernizing collection of data and usability to reduce the burden on providers and improve healthcare for consumers.”
RELATED: CMS wants payers to offer price transparency. That’ll be tricky, industry experts say
Hargan also served on the board of Operation Warp Speed and oversaw the launch of the Provider Relief Fund during the pandemic. Since leaving HHS, Hargan has joined the boards of University Hospitals in Cleveland, Alio Medical, SIU Medicine, Tomorrow Health and HealthTrackRx.
During his time as deputy secretary of HHS, Hargan helped develop the Transparency in Coverage Rule, which will require insurers to share with their members the prices they’ve negotiated with providers.
The rule goes into effect Jan. 1, 2022, but the Biden administration has delayed enforcement of the rule by six months until July 1 to give insurers more time to comply.
Starting next year, Amino’s platform will be available to carriers and third-party administrators leveraging these regulations, the company said.
“We’re thrilled to have Eric and his team bring their experience and deep policy insights to the table here at Amino," said David Vivero, co-founder and CEO of Amino. "As our clients, channel partners and internal teams translate these new regulations into real-world technology and processes, The Hargan Group's valuable insights will ensure we not only comply with legal requirements but also deliver on the spirit of consumer empowerment underpinning these laws."