Nurse Named CMS Principal Deputy Administrator

Marilyn Tavenner, a registered nurse, has been named Principal Deputy Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, reporting to the CMS Administrator. CMS is the nation’s largest payor of health care services.

Tavenner rose to the rank of CEO of Johnston-Willis and Chippenham hospitals in Virginia and was named that state's secretary of Health and Human Resources in 2006. Tavenner also served as the chairman of the Virginia Hospital Association and was an AHA board member.