WASHINGTON, D.C. - Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander M. Levin (D-MI) joined Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA) to release the following statements on President Obama’s nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick as commissioner of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):
“Dr. Berwick has been a visionary leader in the field of health care delivery improvement, working to make our health system more efficient and patient-centered," said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander M. Levin (D-MI). “I appreciated his insight in developing legislation to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge medical research and health care delivery best practices into bedside care, a form of which was included in the new health care reform law. The Committee looks forward to working with him in a new role as head of CMS."
“I welcome Dr. Don Berwick's nomination as CMS Administrator," said Health Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stark (D-CA). "Dr. Berwick has worked at the national level for years to strengthen the quality of health care in America. As head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he has brought together providers and policymakers to advance ideas that improve the delivery of health care.
Chairman Stark continued, "I look forward to continuing to work with Dr. Berwick in his new role, and I urge the Senate to act quickly to confirm him. His leadership and expertise are needed now as the agency implements critical Medicare reforms and other health reform initiatives at CMS."
Dr. Berwick is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. He is a 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. Dr. Berwick is also a pediatrician, an Associate in Pediatrics at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, and a Consultant in Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital.
