President Barack Obama has nominated Dr. Donald Berwick to serve as administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS.)

Dr. Berwick, a pediatrician and professor at both the Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, is best known for his advocacy for improved quality in health care.  As president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, he launched the 100,000 Lives Campaign, an effort to challenge doctors and hospitals to reduce medical errors.

He has served as Chair of the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and served on the governing council of the Institute of Medicine from 2002 to 2007. 

The top post at CMS has been essentially vacant since the departure of Dr. Mark McClellan in late 2006, with interim directors filling the position.

“Dr. Berwick has dedicated his career to improving outcomes for patients and providing better care at lower cost,” President Obama said in a statement announcing the nomination.  “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.”

Currently, 60 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid, with another 45 million covered by Medicare.

If confirmed, Dr. Berwick will head CMS during an expansion in the number of Americans covered under programs overseen by the agency.  The recently passed health care reform legislation will result in an estimated 16 million additional persons covered by Medicaid.  Medicare roles will also see substantial growth due to aging of the baby boomer population.