I hope you felt that the CMS "political leadership team" and I represented CMS well and helped advance the work, all while helping the agency grow with and adapt to the times. With these patients and consumers in mind, there was nothing, as Acting Administrator, I wouldn't do, no one I wouldn't speak up to, no fight I wouldn't enter. Never forget that for millions of Americans, you are what stands between them and access to better care to security and between them and freedom from injuries, sickness, and mental illness. Simply said: my days have been filled with meaning every day at CMS. I've been fortunate to learn from you and work with you. I can't think of a better job and a better place to be of service. I remember standing on this stage two years ago and telling you that these would be the most important and meaningful years of my career. The country needs a visible approachable government they can feel confident in, and the health care system needs an approachable and open CMS to partner with them. You showed me we could do all of these things and I believe that one of the keys to our success has been and will be our culture. Being self-critical instead of defensive. Measuring ourselves not by our own standards, but by the standards of the outside world. Listening to all the voices impacted by our work. Closer to where Americans get their care. Opening up and exposing ourselves transparently so we could get closer to the action. Not being afraid to take on challenges and do our best work. Working together in new ways across our silos. You also listened to my opinions when we talked together about what we could become and what we could achieve: I was most impressed with stories of why you have chosen to be here. As I did this, I got to see the impact and vitality of the work up close. I asked what could be done to make your work here better and you told me what mattered to you. You welcomed me into your offices when I visited the regions. I know I didn't succeed in everything I tried to take on, but the team here at CMS was generous and patient. I promised myself that even though I could never match the decades so many of you have contributed here at CMS, my aim would be to try to have the impact of 20 years in the two I had ahead of me by figuring out where I could help the most and then giving it everything I had. You had all dedicated a great deal of your lives as public servants and I was just beginning. I recognized how much I had to prove in joining this family. I will never forget how you made me feel part of the team. And it began almost instantly as everyone generously welcomed me in as if I had been here forever. What I didn't see coming was how much CMS would also begin to feel like home. We believed this would allow me to focus on work, without the distraction of home life during the week. I've been away from home, living in an apartment, away from my wife and kids. But, I want to start by talking about how CMS has affected me.ĬMS has been my family these last 2 years. My thoughts today come full circle to my goals and aspirations for CMS and for you - from where we started to where we are now. I remember about 2 years ago coming here for the first time, sitting down with Aaron Albright at our first all-staff chat. Slavitt lauded the agency's accomplishments over the last two years as he served, including the implementation of ICD-10, the evolution of MACRA and its beginning, and a commitment to the transition to value-based care.īelow is the full text of his remarks before a CMS All-Staff Meeting on January 17, 2017: The now former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt formally said goodbye to his colleagues Tuesday, encouraging them to be adaptable and accepting as the agency moves forward in working with new staff in the Trump Administration, including the nominee for Administrator Seema Verma.
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