Close up image of a caretaker helping older woman walk

A top deputy at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been named interim administrator. The appointment of Leslie Norwalk as interim chief is a good thing, according to long-term care leaders.

Previously CMS deputy administrator under outgoing CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, Norwalk also has been mentioned as a candidate to take over the job full-time. McClellan announced his resignation Sept. 5, effective Oct. 15.

“Leslie Norwalk has been deeply involved with CMS’s pioneering and successful Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), and we predict she will be a strong, active participant in helping maintain momentum on the many government and profession-wide quality initiatives now underway,” said American Health Care Association President and CEO Bruce Yarwood.

Norwalk, an attorney who also has been CMS’s COO, and Herb Kuhn, director of CMS’s Center for Medicare Management, have been mentioned as top candidates for the agency’s administrator post. McClellan held CMS’ top job for more than two years and said he was looking forward to working in the private sector and spending more time with his family after nearly a decade of governmental service overall.