Thomas A. Scully and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Interview by Kevin C. Park and Wanda Bishop

Thomas A. Scully became the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS; previously the Health Care Financing Administration) in 2001. Before that, he was the president and chief executive officer of the Federation of American Hospitals, the trade association representing the nation's 1,700 privately owned and managed community hospitals and health systems. Before joining the federation, Mr. Scully was a partner in the Washington, DC, law firm of Patton Boggs, LLP, where his practice focused on regulatory and legislative work in healthcare. Before joining the law firm, Mr. Scully worked at the White House as deputy assistant to the President and counselor to the director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and as associate director of OMB for Human Resources, Veterans and Labor. In these positions, he oversaw the fiscal policy and regulatory review of the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. He also advised former President Bush on healthcare policy and Medicare and Medicaid payment reform. Mr. Scully has served on the board of directors of Oxford Health Plans and of DaVita Corporation, two of the nation's largest healthcare service providers. Mr. Scully holds a Juris Doctor from Catholic University of America and a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia.