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.
