CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum to resign

UPDATE: Sean Cavanaugh, most recently deputy director of the CMS Innovation Center, has been named to replace Blum.

Jonathan Blum, principal deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will be stepping down from his post effective May 16, according to preliminary news media reports.

Blum has been with the agency for more than five years. From 2009 to 2013, he served as the director of the Center for Medicare at CMS, overseeing the regulation and payment of Medicare fee-for-service providers, privately administered Medicare health plans and the Medicare prescription drug program.

According to his bio on CMS’ website, Blum led the implementation of many significant Medicare reforms, including the Medicare Shared Savings Program (accountable care organizations), the Medicare Advantage Quality Bonus Program, competitive bidding for durable medical supplies, new bundled payment initiatives and the Medicare prescription drug discount program.

Blum also helped lead the charge behind pricing transparency, overseeing the release of Medicare payment data for more than 880,000 distinct healthcare providers earlier this month.

Long-Term Living will keep you updated on this breaking story as more information becomes available.