Thompson's farewell to HHS urges continued focus on global health

Washington -- Enhancing U.S. "medical diplomacy" abroad and remaining vigilant against the threat of an influenza pandemic are two tasks the next Dept. of Health and Human Services secretary must tackle, said outgoing HHS chief Tommy Thompson in announcing his departure.

"We are missing out on a great opportunity to use medical diplomacy to break down the barriers around the world and to improve the quality of health of the people of the world," he said. He cited America's growing commitment to the global AIDS crisis as one way in which the nation has shown some promise in this area.

Thompson also identified a relatively new avian flu strain as a threat that has not received enough attention at the highest levels of government. "This is a really huge bomb out there that could adversely impact the health care of the world," he said.

Thompson said the department had made great strides in other areas during his four years, most notably shepherding through Congress the Medicare reform legislation that created an outpatient drug benefit. Adjustments to the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act's privacy regulations and modernization of several Medicare payment systems are two ways in which HHS made advances that expressly benefited health professionals, he said.

The secretary's role in tackling obesity and smoking-related illnesses, as well as in promoting federal regulatory reform for physicians, were some of the highlights of a distinguished term in office, said American Medical Association President John C. Nelson, MD, MPH. "From increasing preparedness for a bioterrorism attack to playing a hands-on role in the reorganization of Medicare, Secretary Thompson has played a principal role in shaping the nation's current health care policy," Dr. Nelson said.

At press time, the White House had not tapped a replacement for Thompson, who will leave office on Feb. 4, 2005, or earlier if a successor is confirmed by then. The outgoing HHS chief said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, was one of the names on the short list.

Thompson said Dr. McClellan was extremely qualified and said his move to the nation's top health office would not hurt CMS' ability to roll out the Medicare drug benefit in time.

Thompson declined to say where he would go next but said it likely would be to the private sector. The former Wisconsin governor has been in public service for nearly 40 years.