WASHINGTON – Healthcare IT leaders are hailing President Obama's nomination of Donald Berwick, MD, to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a signal of the administration's commitment to quality.

Berwick currently serves as president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and he is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.

"The American Hospital Association applauds President Obama's choice of Donald Berwick, MD, as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services," said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association in a statement Monday.  "Don is a true leader in healthcare quality improvement and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to CMS."

Susan DeVore, president and CEO of the Premier healthcare alliance, said Berwick's nomination sends a strong signal of the White House's commitment to implementing reforms in a way that will greatly improve healthcare quality.

Premier is made up of 2,300 U.S. hospitals and more than 66,000 other healthcare sites. The alliance works on technology, patient safety, quality of care and cost containment issues.

"While with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Dr. Berwick earned respect and admiration from all sectors of healthcare for his ability to understand what drives errors and inefficiencies, challenge the status quo and overcome barriers to achieve continuous quality improvements," DeVore said.

In its statement, the Medical Group Management Association, which represents 21,500 members, also focused on quality, safety and cost.

"As healthcare organizations and professionals shape a reformed healthcare delivery system, his knowledge and proven leadership will be critical to success," the MGMA said. "His knowledge of quality improvement also offers great opportunities for improving the efficiency of CMS' internal operations – a critical factor in reducing administrative costs."

CMS has been without a permanent chief since the departure of Mark McClellan, MD, in 2006. Under McClellan and during the tenure of Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who served in the Bush administration, CMS undertook several healthcare IT projects aimed at improving care and cutting costs.

In announcing Berwick's nomination on Monday, Obama, too, focused on healthcare quality and cost.

"Dr. Berwick has dedicated his career to improving outcomes for patients and providing better care at lower cost," Obama said. "That's one of the core missions facing our next CMS administrator, and I'm confident that Don will be an outstanding leader for the agency and the millions of Americans it serves."

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, (D-MT) said in a statement Monday he hoped for "an expeditious review" of Berwick's nomination in the Finance Committee. But Washington observers note that Berwick may face a tough confirmation fight in the Senate, which is still divided over the new healthcare reform law.

Pediatrics and policy

At Harvard, Berwick teaches pediatrics and healthcare policy at the medical school, and he is also 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 chairman of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and as an elected member of the Institute of Medicine.

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.
 
A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, Berwick holds a master's degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, where he graduated cum laude.