President Obama announced the recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), bypassing what looked like a lengthy fight to have the nominee confirmed by the Senate.
In making the appointment, the President said in a statement, “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.”
White House spokesman Dan Pfeiffer wrote that the move was necessary because, “Many Republicans in Congress have made it clear in recent weeks that they were going to stall the nomination as long as they could, solely to score political points.”
Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician who is a nationally known leader in health care quality, is supported by many health care and consumer groups, Mr. Pfeiffer noted. Dr. Berwick is president and CEO of the Cambridge, Mass.–based Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
The American Hospital Association (AHA) and others leaped to support Dr. Berwick.
“Don has dedicated his career to engaging hospitals, doctors, nurses and other health care providers to improve patient care,” AHA President Rich Umbdenstock said in a statement. “A physician and innovator in health care quality, his knowledge of the health care system makes him the right choice.”