Barring any unforseen, unpaid tax situations, Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas will likely be the next Secretary of HHS. Her appointment was announced by the President along with Nancy-Ann DeParle as Director, White House Health Reform Office. As we accelerate towards a Nationwide Health Information Network, strong performance from these key leadership roles will be a key towards achieving quality, cost-effective health care delivery in the U.S.

Sebelius has been a widely popular governor, but has disagreed with Kansans on a number of key issues, namely her support of abortion rights, tax increases, and same-sex marriage.

DeParle is a former director of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), the predecessor to CMS. DeParle is on the board of directors at Cerner, a Commissioner on the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), a trustee at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and a director of the National Quality Forum, Accredo Health Inc., Triad Hospitals, Guidant Corporation and DaVita Corporation.