Dennis Smith, the former director of the CMS Center for Medicaid and State
Operations, replaced outgoing CMS Administrator Tom Scully today. A CMS release
this morning named Smith as the interim replacement for Scully, who stepped down
Tuesday following an announcement of his departure on Dec. 3.
Smith oversaw the Virginia Medicaid program before joining CMS in July 2001. He
has been involved in carrying out HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson's campaign to
make CMS more flexible in dealings with state Medicaid programs, allowing states
waivers from federal requirements to develop their own programs. At CMS, Smith
also oversaw the State Children's Health Insurance Program