25-April-2014

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the third high-level departure in as many months with the resignation of principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Jonathan Blum. Blum was the first appointee assigned to the CMS by the white house in 2009 and served as the director of the Center for Medicare until 2013. Over the past year, Blum served as deputy administrator, concentrating his efforts on payment reform and cost reduction plans at the agency.

Nick Manetto, director at FaegreBD Consulting, and a former congressional press secretary, was quoted in HealthLeaders Media noting that the departures at HHS present both opportunities and risks for the agency. "Like in most situations, too much change at once can be destabilizing and presents a certain amount of risk, particularly given the complexity of ACA implementation and related issues," Manetto said. "While there can also be some opportunity in new blood, new approaches and new thinking, I think the risks could be significant, particularly given the number of challenges that still very much exist and lay ahead with the ACA."

Manetto also said that people shouldn't read too much into the HHS turnover. "Transitions of this kind at this point in time in any administration are certainly not uncommon," he said. "Blum and Sebelius in particular were in their very demanding positions for quite lengthy periods of time, so it is not surprising to me that they are looking to transition, and I would think we will only see more changes of this kind as the administration moves into its final two years."

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