President Obama announced the recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to be the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 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.”
The White House announced President Obama's intention to make the recess appointment on its blog. 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 said he was flattered that the president had appointed him to head the CMS, especially at this time.
“I have never felt more excited about what is possible for what we all care about—a healthier nation, a healthier system of care, and a healthier world,” he said in a statement. “In moving to CMS as a member of a strong governmental team, I will pursue those aims as hard as I can.”
A pediatrician who is a nationally known leader in health care quality, Dr. Berwick is supported by many health care and consumer groups, Mr. Pfeiffer noted. He is president and CEO of the Cambridge, Mass.–based Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
In a statement, Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that Dr. Berwick would bring much-needed leadership to the CMS, and that he would be crucial to putting into place elements of health reform that are critical to families and children. “Don Berwick believes—as many pediatricians do—that everyone deserves access to not just health care, but to quality health care,” Dr. Palfrey said in the statement. “With Dr. Berwick, we have a strong child advocate who understands the importance of the medical home for children and will help this important work move forward in a meaningful way,” she said.
The American College of Physicians also weighed in. ACP President J. Fred Ralston Jr. said, “Dr. Berwick's career and work at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement illustrates the drive to provide patient-centered care, patient safety, quality improvement, and care coordination in health care.” Dr. Ralston added that the ACP believed that “Dr. Berwick will be an able administrator and partner for change.”
Others also leaped to support Dr. Berwick.
“Don has dedicated his career to engaging hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other health care providers to improve patient care,” American Hospital Association 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.”
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) also issued a statement, chiding Republicans for their “lockstep stalling” of Dr. Berwick's nomination, and praising him for his assistance in overhauling the Massachusetts health care system.
“He's first rate all the way, and throughout Massachusetts's landmark health reform, Don was there, helping lead our state to the highest rate of health care coverage in the nation,” according to Sen. Kerry.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), however, was scathing in his reaction to the appointment, calling Dr. Berwick “one of the most prominent advocates of rationed health care.”
“Democrats haven't scheduled so much as a committee hearing for Donald Berwick but the mere possibility of allowing the American people the opportunity to hear what he intends to do with their health care is evidently reason enough for this administration to sneak him through without public scrutiny,” Sen. McConnell said in a statement.
Under the Constitution, the president nominates individuals to serve in high-level government positions; those individuals must then be confirmed by the Senate. However, the Constitution also allows the president to make such appointments without Senate confirmation if Congress is in recess, as it was July 7 when the appointment was made.
While the purpose of a recess appointment is to ensure the continuity of the government, over the years, such appointments have been used to evade political battles.
Until Dr. Berwick's appointment, CMS had been without a permanent administrator since 2006.
Pediatrician Donald Berwick is supported by many for his work on health care quality.
Source Courtesy Institute for Healthcare Improvement