Washington, DC – The American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) CEO, Jack Lewin, M.D., today released the following statement after President Obama named Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s CEO Donald Berwick, M.D., the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator:

“President Obama has made an excellent choice in naming Don Berwick CMS Administrator.

“Both Medicare and Medicaid will be undergoing significant changes as part of the health reform law signed by President Obama last week, and Don Berwick is more than capable of leading this important agency forward and spearheading quality initiatives that increase efficiency and improve patient care.

“As CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Don worked alongside the ACC on our Hospital to Home campaign, an initiative that is reducing unnecessary and costly hospital readmissions and improving care transitions for cardiovascular patients. With Don’s help, we’re on our way to meeting our goal of reducing all-cause readmission rates among patients discharged with heart failure or acute myocardial infarction by 20 percent by December 2012.

“I’m confident that Don’s knowledge and experience in quality improvement and medical efficiency will be assets to him at CMS as he seeks to implement the President’s health care reform and more specifically, the President’s incentives to increase quality health care measures.

“We look forward to working with my good friend Don and on behalf of America’s cardiologists, I wish him the best in his new position.”

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About the ACC:
The American College of Cardiology is leading the way to optimal cardiovascular care and disease prevention. The College is a 37,000-member nonprofit medical society and bestows the credential Fellow of the American College of Cardiology upon physicians who meet its stringent qualifications. The College is a leader in the formulation of health policy, standards and guidelines, and is a staunch supporter of cardiovascular research. The ACC provides professional education and operates national registries for the measurement and improvement of quality care. More information about the association is available online atwww.acc.org .