President Bush has nominated Department of Health and Human Services official Kerry Weems to be permanent administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Currently Leslie Norwalk is acting administrator, but she declined to be considered for the permanent position, according to press reports.
Weems has held a variety of top management positions within HHS, including deputy chief of staff, according to a CMS release. If the nomination is approved, he will succeed Mark McClellan, who resigned from the position last fall.
Some observers were surprised to see the nomination go to a government agency veteran with largely financial and budget experience, rather than an outside political personality like former CMS Administrator Tom Scully and former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson.
Next up: The Senate must now review the president's nomination.