White House Taps Tavenner As CMS Chief, Berwick Steps Down

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he plans to announce a new head for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) following months of Republican outcry over appointed head Donald Berwick, who plans to step down Friday, Dec. 2.

Obama sidestepped the traditional nomination process in July 2010 to make a recess appointment of Berwick after failing three times to get him confirmed through the Senate. Additionally, 42 Republican senators signed a letter to the White House in March requesting that President Obama withdraw Berwick’s nomination.  Berwick’s departure should be expected considering his recess appointment limited his tenure atop CMS to the year’s end. 

“Our work has been challenging, and the journey is not complete, but we are now well on our way to achieving a whole new level of security and quality for health care in America, helping not just the millions of Americans affected directly by our programs, but truly health care as a whole in our nation,” Berwick said in a letter to colleagues at CMS.

Marilyn B. Tavenner will now serve as interim administrator while she awaits Senate confirmation, a process that is expected to go unscathed. 

Tavenner has served as principal deputy adminstrator for CMS since February 2010 and briefly served as the acting administrator from February to July 2010. 

“Before entering government service,” the administration said in a statement announcing her nomination, “Ms. Tavenner spent nearly 35 years working with healthcare providers in significantly increasing levels of responsibility, including almost 20 years in nursing, 3 years as a hospital CEO and 10 years in various senior executive level positions for Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).”

Medicare Administrator Defends Recess Appointment

Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Donald Berwick defended his decision to accept President Barack Obama’s recess appointment after it was criticized by a Republican Senator.

“The president of the United States asked me serve and help the country. It was a privilege to do it,” Berwick said during a hearing Wednesday with the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) described the appointment as “very, very controversial.”

“[It] clearly wasn’t an open and transparent process,” Bunning said. “The healthcare reform debate was far from open and transparent. Republicans got locked out of any negotiations.”

Bunning added that Republican leadership in the House will ensure that the administration is more transparent in the future.