The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The CMS administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Programand health insurance portability standards.

Among other things, the CMS also oversees the administrative simplification standards from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), quality standards in long-term care facilities, and clinical laboratory quality standards under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. The CMS employs about 4,100 people and has 10 regional offices throughout the US.