Monday, March 7, 2011

The Berwick Boondogle

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This post is highly opinionated and biased, the opinions are solely those of the author.

In a letter today to President Obama, 42 Republican Senators requested the withdrawal of Don Berwick’s renomination to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Dr. Berwick, a respected academic pediatrician from Harvard and the President of the well known Institute of Medicine was appointed by President Barak Obama hastily without congressional confirmation hearings. Berwick, who undoubtedly is a smart physician, but naïve about politics,and one who has misread his national colleagues opinions on health care hails from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where all intelligent  life exists only within the confines of route 128 (the Boston Beltway). Those who live inside Route 128 knows what is best for all of medicine, and health in the United States. Harvard, the beacon of light in medicine and science seeds the country, and universities with professors, teachers and sends leaders in academic medicine and many other disciplines  throughout the United States and the rest of the world.

Dr. Berwick fell on his sword with the following speech given at the NHS last year, just prior to his appointment by Obama.

Don Berwick MD speaks at the NHS

So it was a big surprise (to Obama) when Berwick  received little support from the grass roots of medicine, who  care for the electorate.

There was a rather humorous incident the other day at a National Journal event with Don Berwick, the man who President Obama hailed as being at the forefront of introducing “innovative technologies” into health care reform.

“Withdrawing Dr. Berwick’s nomination would be a positive first step in rebuilding the trust of the American people. The occupant of this important position, which affects the health care of so many Americans on a daily basis, requires an individual with the appropriate experience and management ability. Our seniors and those who rely on Medicaid deserve no less,” the Senators write.

While Dr. Berwick has been renominated for the position, as Head of CMS, for which he was a recess appointee last year, no hearings have been scheduled yet regarding his nomination.

 
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