People In Brief
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
CMS payment group: Jeffrey B. Rich, M.D., will be the new director of CMS' Center for Medicare Management starting Feb. 18. CMM is charged with establishing and overseeing the agency's payment policies and is primarily responsible for implementing ongoing reforms including durable medical equipment competitive bidding and pay-for-performance. Rich is a practicing cardiothoracic surgeon and director-at-large for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He has been involved in pay-for-performance initiatives through his work with the National Quality Forum, the Hospital Quality Alliance and the AQA (formerly known as the Ambulatory Care Quality Alliance). CMM has not had a permanent director since Herb Kuhn moved up in ranks to deputy administrator of CMS in late 2006 (1"The Gray Sheet" March 5, 2007, p. 7). Current CMM Acting Director Liz Richter will become the group's permanent deputy