Donald Berwick Gains Recess Appointment at CMS – Clock Ticks Down Until January 2011

President Obama chose to make Donald Berwick, MD a recess appointment as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, bi-passing senate confirmation.  It is an unusual move in that Senate is still waiting on answers to questions from Dr. Berwick in order to schedule a confirmation hearing.   Also the senate is only on recess for less than two weeks and there is nothing the Republicans can do to stop the nomination from going through which makes it hard to imagine why the President is making such a move. 

As a recess appointment, his position will only be good for a little over six months until the new congress is sworn in next January.   It is highly unlikely that Dr. Berwick will confirmed, the Senate hates it when you bypass the rules.

Dr. Berwick is very controversial and a believer in single payer system with calls to “blow up” the healthcare system all over the internet.  

Though he has had a distinguished career it will be interesting to see what he can actually get done in six months.  It is disconcerting that the president has waited until now to make the appointment; if he wanted real change he should have appointed Dr. Berwick in the recess last Fourth of July.  In the mean time there is not much that can be done in six months at such a large agency.