Berwick to Lead CMS

The White House announced July 7 that Donald Berwick, MD, a leading advocate of patient safety and quality improvement in healthcare, became the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Berwick is president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit group that has helped hospitals and physicians improve patient care, save lives, and eliminate waste in the process. His experience has prepared him for implementing many of the provisions of healthcare reform legislation passed earlier this year.

Oncology nurses and their patients will begin to experience changes in the healthcare delivery system from the recently signed Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act.  Key components of reform will be efforts to control costs, improve quality and outcomes, and reform the Insurance Industry to assure that everyone has affordable coverage for what they need, when they need. Many of the reform measures will focus on Medicare. As the majority of patients with cancer are over 65 years of age, these components of reform are important for oncology nurses to follow.  For example, housed within Medicare will be a new Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMI). This center will be responsible for development, testing, and implementation of payment and delivery arrangements to improve quality and reduce costs for services provided to Medicare.

ONS will continue to advocate for oncology nurses and our patients as the new law is implemented.