Thank you Don for trying, it's too bad politicians never understood the value you bring to the administrator position at CMS. It's remarkable how a few comments over an entire career can be misinterpreted by people who never go to the gemba to find out the truth.
Thanks for your sacrifice leaving IHI and your family to spend many of your days with government lawyers and accountants but staying optimistic and focused on doing the right thing. On the other hand, look what you accomplished. A new division of medicare focused on running the right experiments in payment and transparency to change the industry. A new set of insurance exchanges. A big improvement in the original regulations regarding ACOs and primary care payments. There are many other things too.Maybe the biggest of which is helping to change the culture of CMS to one of improvement. It's too early to tell whether it will stick but it's the right idea and we will need to achieve savings soon.
We wish you the best in the future.
Don and I chatted for a few minutes at the IHI forum, I'm happy to report he looked relaxed and satisfied. He should be.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/medicare-administrator-donald-berwick-resigns-in-the-face-of-republican-opposition/2011/11/23/gIQA5S7mpN_story.html
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