BUSH NOMINATES WEEMS TO HEAD CMS

Kerry N. Weems may be taking the helm at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). For the past 2 years, he has been serving as deputy chief of staff to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt.

If his nomination by President George W. Bush gets Senate confirmation, Weems would succeed Mark McClellan, MD, PhD. Dr. McClellan resigned from the post in October 2006 after serving 2 1/2years. During the search for a new CMS chief, Leslie Norwalk has been serving as acting CMS administrator. Commenting on the announcement, Norwalk said, “When the search for a new CMS administrator began, I indicated to Secretary Leavitt I did not want to be included in the process. However, I promised to stay on once a new administrator was named and through a transition period.”