Don Berwick
Former Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Founding CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
is more possible now than ever.
Don Berwick is the United States' leading advocate for high-quality healthcare. In December, he stepped down as the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. For 22 years prior to that, he was the founding CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a nonprofit dedicated to improving healthcare around the world. A pediatrician by background, he has also served on the faculties of the Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Don sees tremendous unrealized potential in American medicine. Despite our outstanding knowledge base, expert practitioners, and world-class equipment, too many Americans do not have access to safe, high-quality care. Dr. Berwick presents a vision of how, through continual improvement, innovations in healthcare delivery, stronger leadership, and smarter policy, America can forge a system that satisfies our patients, achieves better outcomes, respects our limited resources, and honors our moral imperative to care for the disadvantaged. His focus on improving quality has gained him a reputation as a powerful motivator who can encourage institutions and individuals to do their work better.
For his important role in helping to redesign and improve Britain's healthcare system, Dr. Berwick was appointed by Queen Elizabeth as Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He is the recipient of many awards, including the Ernest A. Codman Award, the American Hospital Association's Award of Honor, the Heinz award for Public Policy and the Institute of Medicine's Gustav O. Lienhard Award. He has been named as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practice. His over 160 articles have appeared in professional journals on such topics as healthcare policy and healthcare quality management. His books include Curing Health Care and New Rules: Regulation, Markets and the Quality of American Health Care.