Berwick Given “Recess Appointment” as CMS Administrator

WASHINGTON – President Obama announced on July 7 the recess appointment of Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP, to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Berwick was among three nominees recently appointed to fill critical administration posts that have been left vacant.

“It’s unfortunate that at a time when our nation is facing enormous challenges, many in Congress have decided to delay critical nominations for political purposes,” President Obama said. “These recess appointments will allow . . . qualified candidates to get to work on behalf of the American people right away. With more than 180 nominees still pending before the Senate, it’s my hope that my colleagues in Congress will agree to put politics aside and move forward on these vitally important positions.”

Dr. Donald Berwick is president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, clinical professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy at the Harvard Medical School and professor of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also a pediatrician, adjunct staff in the Department of Medicine at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and a consultant in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital. He has served as chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and as an elected member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Dr. Berwick served on the IOM’s governing Council from 2002 to 2007. In 1997 and 1998, he was appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry. Dr. Berwick is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his work, including the 1999 Ernest A. Codman Award, the 2001 Alfred I. DuPont Award for excellence in children’s health care from Nemours, the 2002 American Hospital Association’s Award of Honor, the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for Individual Achievement from the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the 2007 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research, and the 2007 Heinz Award for Public Policy from the Heinz Family Foundation. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Berwick holds a Master in Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where he graduated cum laude.

Maureen Bisognano, IHI’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, will succeed Dr. Berwick as president and CEO of IHI.

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The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence, the Quality Improvement Organization for North and South Carolina. 9SOW-BI-COMM-10-09.

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