160 - Eric Hargan, former HHS Deputy Secretary, on running a $1.3 trillion agency while directing national pandemic response

Eric Hargan served as the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2017 to 2021.  As Deputy Secretary, he oversaw the development and approval of all HHS, CMS, and FDA regulations, as well as the day-to-day operations and management of the department – the largest in the federal government with a budget in excess of $1.3 trillion and over 80,000 employees.

Eric was instrumental in Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administration’s price transparency initiatives, as well as reforms that allowed for major telehealth expansion.  Also a veteran of the Bush HHS department, today Eric leads the Hargan Group and serves as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University.  

He shares with us his fascinating experience working at the highest levels of both the public and private healthcare sectors.