Wednesday, August 06, 2014
Don Berwick for Governor
Don Berwick is running for governor in Massachusetts.
Healthcare people will recognize Don as the founding and
long-time executive head of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the
organization that more than any other was responsible for igniting the quality
movement in health care. He is a
pediatrician who previously had been the chief quality officer for the Harvard
Community Health Plan.
Don left IHI to become head of the federal Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid during the planning period of Obamacare. Republicans in the Senate were not about to
approve the appointment of a liberal like him and so his tenure there was
limited to the 17 months allowed for a temporary appointment.
After leaving his federal duties, Don decided to run for
governor in his home state and has been actively engaged in that effort.
I’ve known Don since the early 1990’s when he played a role
in getting the quality effort under way at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit,
where I was working at the time. Being a
longtime admirer of him, I’ve been somewhat active in his current political
effort. The next step in his campaign is
the Democratic primary which takes place early next month. He is running against two established
politicians who have the advantage of established political organizations and better
name recognition. However, Don has been
able to match and exceed them in fund raising.
Readers who don’t vote in Massachusetts will note this as a
matter of passing interest. For
Massachusetts voters, I recommend voting for Don in the upcoming primary.
Those interested in donating to Don’s campaign or learning
more about it can go to www.berwickforgovernor.com.
