Outgoing CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner's tenure was marked by the complex pursuits of nudging the healthcare industry toward more and better use of information technology and the pending switch to ICD-10 procedure and diagnostic codes. Her departure leaves major issues for a successor to face with the meaningful-use program and ICD-10 conversion.
The coming years for Tavenner's replacement are going to be “a bumpy ride,” predicted Dr. William Bria, head of the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems, a professional association for physician informaticists. “I'm significantly saddened to see her go.”
“It's probably been one of the most challenging times in that role in a generation or maybe two. Balancing all of the challenges to make America's healthcare (system) work was on her shoulders. She brought intelligence and compassion to that role,” Bria said.
Russell Branzell, CEO of the College of Health Information Management Executives, an association of hospital chief information officers, said, “Anybody can lead in easy times. She took her shots.”
Tavenner, though, also was embarrassed last year by Congress when, soon after delivering a speech at a health IT trade show affirming that the CMS would not postpone the compliance deadline for the rollout of ICD-10 codes, legislators intervened. Congress enacted a delay of at least a year, which the president signed off on.
The CMS subsequently reset the ICD-10 start date for Oct. 1, 2015, but even that now is being challenged. It faces strong opposition from the Texas Medical Association and the American Medical Association.
“The person who comes behind (Tavenner) is still left with a plate that's very full and needs to understand they still have significant work to do,” Branzell said.
