Dr. Thiyagu Rajakannan

Dr. Thiyagu Rajakannan is a Practice Director and Pharmaceutical Subject Matter Expert at Verve LLC with more than a decade of experience supporting complex federal healthcare programs. He brings deep expertise in pharmaceutical policy, drug coverage and payment, utilization management, and regulatory compliance across Medicare and other federal health programs. His work spans Medicare Parts C (Medicare Advantage) and D, pharmacy benefit design and oversight, and the 340B Program, with a strong focus on ensuring policy intent is accurately translated into operational and analytic practice.

Dr. Rajakannan has led and supported initiatives involving formulary policy, benefit eligibility, coverage determinations, and quality monitoring, working closely with government stakeholders, pharmacy benefit managers, and clinical partners to resolve complex coverage and access issues. His portfolio includes policy evaluation, appeals and quality reporting, integration of dual-eligible programs, and identification of fraud, waste, and abuse, each contributing to improved beneficiary outcomes, program integrity, and compliance with federal requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

Previously, Dr. Rajakannan served as a Monitoring and Evaluation Lead and Subject Matter Expert for the CMS Open Payments Analytics project, where he supported methodology design, advanced analytics, compliance oversight, and the development of high-quality data products informing prescription drug policy and oversight. His work has directly supported CMS decision-making related to drug utilization, coverage, and payment standardization.

Dr. Rajakannan has extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams on large federal contracts, overseeing budgets, timelines, and deliverables, while also contributing to business development through proposal leadership and client engagement. His prior roles include Project Director and SME for a CMS Medicare Coverage Tools initiative supporting the Medicare Plan Finder, where he helped enhance transparency and beneficiary decision-making under Parts C and D. He has also served as a Clinical SME for CMS CCIIO Marketplace operations, focusing on formulary coverage and plan certification including PBM reporting requirements; as an SME for the Medicare Part D Enhanced Medication Therapy Management Model; and as an evaluator of formulary and coverage policy for MACPAC. Earlier in his career, as a Technical Lead at the National Institutes of Health, he contributed to the modernization of ClinicalTrials.gov, supporting policy analysis and regulatory transparency initiatives. Across his career, Dr. Rajakannan has consistently focused on advancing policy-driven, data-informed solutions that improve access, quality, and value in federal health programs.