LMI was established as a private, not-for-profit, mission-based organization in a Pentagon office with fewer than a dozen staff members to address supply and logistics challenges for DoD. Today, the company employs over 1,400 consultants that bring deep expertise in advanced analytics, digital services, logistics, and management advisory services to HHS, DHA, VA, and all types of Government stakeholders.
Recently, FedHealthIT’s Executive Vice President, Susan Sharer, had the opportunity to sit down with LMI’s Whitney Owen, Director, HHS and CMS Market; and Andrew Mannetti, Director, Business Development, to discuss the company’s history, growth, and unique partnership with Government.
Can You Tell Us More about Your People?
LMI has a dynamic culture. When you interact with us, you’ll find a combination of research-oriented individuals (PhDs, JDs, and MPPs), clinicians (MDs and RNs), technologists (data and computer scientists and engineers), and business operations and implementation staff (MBAs, PMPs, and SAFe-certified agile experts). Our unique blend of talent creates the absolute best solution for the customer, which we efficiently implement, tailor, and integrate in the client’s environment.
LMI benefits from a combination of early-career and senior colleagues, and we have former senior civilian and military personnel who bring a high Government IQ and strong agency relationships. Our generous tuition reimbursement program encourages employees to enhance their knowledge and earn additional advanced degrees and certifications. It’s one of the big reasons we both came here.
What Is the LRI?
Something unique about LMI is the LMI Research Institute (LRI), where our team members can bring forward ideas to create innovative products, tools, technologies, and methods specifically designed to solve the tough challenges that our Federal Government customers face. The LRI encompasses four paths: independent research and development (IR&D), publication assistance, a distinguished speaker series with commercial and government thought leaders, and formal academic partnerships to leverage cutting-edge academic research. This internal seed funding arm enables our SMEs to explore new ways of increasing innovation, agility, and experience for our clients.
How Do You Use Applied Innovative Technology in the Health Space?
Our Advanced Analytics service line offers data engineering, data science, and product visualization. We build cloud-based analytics solutions, chat bots, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning tools. We work with large, complex, and disparate health data sets, striving to be error-free in our analytics with repeatability at scale. That requires automation to create cost savings and efficiencies while ensuring these automated solutions enable functional leads to be efficient each day. For various agencies, including HHS, DHA, and VA, we provide policy and operational support, monitoring, compliance, and oversight of large program implementations. Our focus on numerous centers and offices at CMS affords us a broad and encompassing view of the organization.
How Do You Approach Government?
LMI is purpose-built to solve broad Government challenges. From our markets to our capabilities and service lines, we generate opportunities to enhance the management of Government. For example, we use tools built and developed with LRI funds to perform workforce, skills, and competency assessments for our government clients.
A lot of what we do is relationship-driven, and we’re always having conversations with customers and partners in places where we have been for decades as well as new spaces where we’re looking to grow.
There is an overall sense of well-being in our company that is unique today. The strength of our core team is something our clients benefit from—we understand their environments.
What Changes Has the Company Made Over Time?
We have evolved over time to meet demands and remain competitive. LMI engaged in a large reorganization about 18 months ago that realigned us around our markets and service lines, better focusing our resources on our clients, our people, and our capabilities. These changes added diversity and solidified our position in the market, and they brought fresh perspectives to bolster the knowledge base and skillsets of our tenured LMIers.
How is LMI Continuing to Grow?
LMI is growing throughout HHS, applying the knowledge and expertise we have gained over more than 20 years. We are a recent HHS IAAI IDIQ and CMS CCSQ MIDS IDIQ awardee, and we are adding people with extensive skills in quality measure and instrument development to build our capabilities. We are also expanding our footprint at HRSA, ASPR, FDA, and CDC.
We have an established partner base, but we are increasing that network to assist the Government with a wider range of capabilities. We are building new services and technology partnerships with proven and bleeding-edge product companies to drive innovation that isn’t typically seen around the Beltway.
Tell Us More about Your History
From 1985 to 1997, LMI was an FFRDC and was precluded to compete with for-profit firms. As we grew through the FFRDC program, we found other Federal customers coming to LMI for additional support, but we were limited in what we could do for them. In 1997, our board of directors moved us away from the FFRDC designation, allowing us to support the public sector at large while maintaining our not-for-profit, Federally focused mission.
Our mission enables us to recruit a different kind of team member, one who is focused on more strategic Government problems and initiatives rather than on the bottom line. We invest based on our shared purpose and history with the Federal Government, which sets us apart from our competitors.
About Whitney Owen
As a leader in LMI’s Health Market, Whitney Owen is responsible for all LMI contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She leverages LMI’s healthcare, analytical, program management, and systems development capabilities to effectively implement client programs. Whitney focuses on support to CMS in three major program areas: Medicare Advantage, implementation of Federally-facilitated Marketplaces, and alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations. She oversees more than 125 healthcare professionals who work in multidisciplinary teams to execute statements of work, conduct resource planning, and ensure the delivery of high-quality work products. On every engagement, she fosters collaboration and communication with agency leaders and stakeholders to maximize contract outcomes. She also supports government clients by implementing risk management and mitigation strategies, developing stakeholder engagement strategies, and recommending how to operationalize policy.
About Andrew Mannetti
Andrew Mannetti leads growth efforts within LMI’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) submarket. His efforts focus on building a diverse set of customers and partners within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and other HHS operating divisions. Prior to joining LMI in 2018, Andrew spent nine years in the small business community focused on growth in the broader federal civilian and health markets.
About LMI
LMI is a consultancy dedicated to improving the business of government, drawing from deep expertise in advanced analytics, digital services, logistics, and management advisory services. Established as a private, not-for-profit organization in 1961, LMI is a trusted third party to federal civilian and defense agencies, free of commercial and political bias. Headquartered in Tysons, VA, LMI has 1,400 employees nationwide. Visit www.LMI.org for more information.
