Rise

RISE National 2025 proudly welcomes the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for sessions focused on essential regulatory updates that are shaping the future of health care.

Ann Maxwell
Deputy Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Office of Inspector General (OIG)

Ann Maxwell, the Deputy Inspector General for Evaluation and Inspections in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), will share her vision for cultivating trust in Medicare Advantage. The Deputy Inspector General will demonstrate the OIG’s commitment to ensuring that the Medicare Advantage program delivers cost-effective, high-quality care for the millions of enrollees who rely on it by focusing on the future of the Medicare Advantage program and what steps plans can take now to ensure managed care lives up to its potential. The Deputy Inspector General will emphasize how plans and others can build trust and elevate integrity through compliance, including how plans can use OIG’s oversight and program integrity tools to focus on key gaps where managed care has tremendous opportunities to earn trust and reduce risk.  

Jacqualine Reid
Social Science Analyst, Office of Evaluation and Inspections
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General 

Jacqualine Reid is a Team Leader and Social Science Analyst in the Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  She has provided significant contributions to national program evaluations on a range of issues affecting HHS programs, including Medicare program integrity and Medicare Advantage encounter data.  She currently leads efforts to examine potential vulnerabilities within Medicare Advantage.  Prior to OIG, she worked at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, evaluating occupational health and patient safety practices.  She holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology, focused on health and public policy, from American University.

Carolyn Kapustij
Senior Advisor for Managed Care, Office of Audit Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General 

Carolyn Kapustij serves as a Senior Advisor for Managed Care at the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services.  At OIG, she develops and leads enterprise-wide strategies to oversee Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care programs.  She previously worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and oversaw the improper payment measures for Medicare Part C and Part D, developed program integrity activities for the Federally Facilitated Exchanges, and developed payment policy for MA and Medicare Part D plans. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Isaac M. Bledsoe
Director of Strategic Projects and Initiatives, Office of Investigations 
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General 

Isaac Bledsoe is a Special Agent with HHS-OIG and currently serves as an Operations Officer within the Investigations Branch at OIG’s Headquarters.  His duties and responsibilities include oversight into various programmatic areas including DoJ’s Strike Force Operations, Medicare Part C, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement.  His work prior to coming to OIG’s Headquarters included conducting complex investigations involving violations of criminal, civil and administrative law regarding HHS funds and beneficiaries (specifically in the areas of genetic testing, telemedicine, DME, home health, managed care and COVID-19 related pandemic frauds).  He previously served as a Special Agent with the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and was a Officer in the United States Air Force.  SA Bledsoe holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the Florida State University and a Master’s Degree in Family, Youth & Community Sciences from the University of Florida.

Christopher G. Bresette
Director of Medicare Part C Audits, Office of Audit Services  
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General 

Christopher Bresette is the Director of Medicare Part C Audits with the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General, Office of Audit Services. Bresette is responsible for the implementation and coordination of all audits of the Medicare Advantage (MA) program and, based on more than 30 years of experience, provides expert advice to other auditors about the design and execution of those audits. Bresette has a wealth of knowledge regarding other HHS programs, including traditional Medicare and Medicaid, and has conducted several audits designed to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse. He also provides training to new and experienced auditors about the MA program. Bresette graduated with honors from Rockhurst University with a BSBA in accounting and is a certified public accountant, licensed in Missouri. Bresette has received numerous exceptional achievement awards and was awarded the Inspector General’s Bronze Award for the outstanding auditor of the year.

Sarah Kessler
Senior Counsel, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General  
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General 

Edward C. Crooke
Assistant Director, Civil Division, Fraud Section 
United States Department of Justice 

Edward Crooke is an Assistant Director in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.  Mr. Crooke has represented the United States in a range of healthcare fraud matters involving Medicare Advantage plans, electronic health record vendors, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics, and physician practices.   His case work has contributed to fraud recoveries totaling over $6 billion for the federal treasury.  Mr. Crooke has received the Attorney General Award for Fraud Prevention and the John Marshall Award, the highest award presented to Justice Department attorneys.  He joined the Department in 2007 following a federal clerkship in the District of Maryland and several years in private practice.  Mr. Crooke is a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Virginia School of Law.