CMS has its first permanent Administrator in seven years. The Senate confirmed former nurse and hospital executive Marilyn Tavenner in a 91-to-7 vote.
Physician advocacy groups praised the announcement and had positive things to say about Tavenner’s work thus far with the agency. “As acting administrator, she has demonstrated her ability to be a capable and effective leader,” said AMA President Jeremy Lazarus, MD in a May 15 statement. “We look forward to continuing to work with the administrator to strengthen the Medicare system to improve health outcomes for patients and the practice environment for physicians.”