Jill Burcum: Mayo takes center stage
The Mayo Clinic appears poised to put its stamp on the historic and much-needed overhaul of the U.S. health care system looming under the Obama administration.
Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, who has served on the Mayo Board of Trustees, is poised to become the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services -- if tax problems don't derail his nomination. Now, Mayo CEO Dr. Denis Cortese may be under consideration to lead the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Not coincidentally, both men favor a federal health care board to take health care reform out of the hands of Congress.
The RPM Report blog puts Cortese at the top of the list of heavyweight policy hitters in the running for the CMS job. Others under consideration include three men from Harvard, former Avalere executive Jon Blum, the Urban Institute's Robert Berenson and Institute for Health Care Improvement's Dr. Donald Berwick.
Cortese has been a tough and vocal critic of the nation's sprawling federal health care programs. Much of his ire is merited. Medicare's costs in particular are out-of-control. And, its quantity-vs.-quality approach to provider reimbursement essentially punishes those who provide good and efficient care (such as Mayo), while rewarding those who do just the opposite.
Cortese has barnstormed the country delivering fiery if slightly impenetrable speeches on the issue. In an interview published last spring in the Star Tribune editorial pages he called for a moonshot-type push to overhaul the medical system to put the patient at the center. He stopped short of calling for a single-payer system, instead lauding "public-private" cooperation.
For the record, Mayo spokeswoman Jane Jacobs said Monday that Cortese "has not been offered a position."
Would Cortese do well as CMS head? His outsider's perspective, his expertise and passion would all serve him well. Going from the well-oiled and wealthy private operation that is Mayo Clinic would be an adjustment. Another challenge: dealing with Congress, a group that Cortese has berated in the past for its management of federal health programs. Still, if the Obama administration is serious about reform, a Cortese appointment would ensure significant progress in a critical agency at a critical time. The potential synergies with Daschle are also intriguing, potentially expediting reform that is so sorely needed.
JILL BURCUM
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