Obama chooses director for Medicare and Medicaid

President Barack Obama will nominate Dr. Donald M. Berwick as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the Associated Press.

Berwick is the president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Mass., and if elected by the Senate, will help carry out the responsibilities associated with the new health care reforms, according to the New York Times.

Berwick is known for his challenges to doctors and hospitals to provide better medical care and at lower costs, according to the New York Times.

Dr. Elliott S. Fisher, director of the Center for Health Policy Research at Dartmouth Medical School, said Dr. Berwick was "a visionary leader who can motivate people to change," according to the New York Times.