Sen Barrasso, Dr Santore and Dr Price in 2010

(l. to r.) Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) poses with Dr. Rick Santore and Congressman Tom Price (R-Ga.) at the 2010 AAHKS Annual Meeting. Photo courtesy of Dr. Rick Santore

Congressman, Tom Price, MD, was confirmed as the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) early Friday. Dr. Price’s experience as an orthopaedic surgeon gives him a critically important perspective on the real-world impact of health policy including the importance of access, coverage, the doctor-patient relationship, clinical decision making and challenges of navigating a complex health care environment. “We have confidence that as a fellow physician and AAHKS member, he will seek to put patients first in his role as HHS Secretary,” said William A. Jiranek, AAHKS President.

Working with Dr. Price in his role as a Congressional leader, we found him always willing to listen and to express concern about the impact of government programs on patients. We look forward to continuing our work with the HHS agencies, especially the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now under the leadership of Dr. Price. Read the AAHKS news release.