Berwick Could Be ‘Very Good for Home Care’

WASHINGTON — If Donald M. Berwick, MD, ends up taking the
reins at CMS, his personal experience and patient-centric
philosophy could bode well for the home care industry, according to
HME association officials.

While there is scant information about his views on specific HME
issues, Michael Reinemer pointed out that the professor of
pediatrics and health care policy at Harvard has at least seen home
care up close. “Berwick personally witnessed problems related to
the delay of appropriate durable medical equipment and care when
his own father (also a physician) was recovering from a fall more
than a dozen years ago,” noted Reinemer, vice president of
communications and policy for the American Association for
Homecare. “He knows about the role of home care in more than an
academic sense.”

Nominated by President Obama earlier this week for the post of
CMS administrator, Berwick is a physician, unlike previous
administrator Mark McClellan. Since McClellan left the agency in
2006, the top job
has been vacant with both Kerry N. Weems, and now Charlene
Frizzera, serving as acting administrators.

Reinemer characterized Berwick as an ardent advocate for quality
patient care who appreciates the inherent dangers of allowing
Medicare patients to slip through cracks in the system.

Wayne Stanfield called Berwick a true “policy person” who earned
a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy
School of Government, in addition to a medical degree.

“I believe he will be good for home care and DME, and that he is
committed to care that is safe, effective, patient-centered,
timely, efficient, and equitable,” said Stanfield, president and
CEO of the National Association of Independent Medical Equipment
Suppliers. “He is committed to prevention, which will favor the
home care model.”

Stanfield believes Berwick will likely have to run the
proverbial gauntlet during grueling Senate confirmation hearings
that could see him attacked for positions on cost containment.

“Assuming he is confirmed, he will then have to tackle the
deeply entrenched bureaucrats within CMS driving current policy,”
added Stanfield. “He does have the grit necessary to make changes
at CMS. I believe he will be good for Medicare, but it will remain
to be seen if he will change the path of the two critical issues
for DME — competitive bidding and the oxygen cap. If he looks
at patient care, as he has in the past rather than GAO scores, he
could be very good for home care.”

In a prepared statement, Obama said: “Dr. Berwick has dedicated
his career to improving outcomes for patients and providing better
care at lower cost. 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.”

In addition to his Harvard posts, Berwick is president and CEO
of  the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, serves as a
pediatrician on the adjunct staff in the Department of Medicine at
Boston’s Children’s Hospital and is a consultant in pediatrics at
Massachusetts General Hospital. According to White House officials,
Berwick also worked 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 (IOM).

For more on Berwick’s background, see Obama to Nominate
Berwick as CMS Chief, March 29.