CQ HealthBeat (7/13, Reichard, subscription required) reports, "Donald M. Berwick was sworn in as administrator of" CMS on "Monday afternoon in Boston by Health and Human Services Regional Director Chris Hager, a CMS spokesman said." Notably, "Berwick will make his first public appearance at a press briefing Tuesday in Washington, D.C., to help unveil the final version of regulations spelling out how doctors and hospitals must use health information technology to qualify for higher Medicare and Medicaid payments."
The Boston Globe's (7/13, Vallejo) Political Intelligence blog quotes Peter Ashkenaz, CMS spokesman, as saying that Berwick "will be getting to work right away." This "job gives him broad authority over the giant Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs, which are central to the Obama Administration's healthcare overhaul efforts."