News from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553

HERSETH SANDLIN CONGRATULATES DR. TOM DEAN ON APPOINTMENT TO MedPAC

Wessington Springs Doctor Receives Prestigious Position

May 21, 2007, Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin congratulated Dr. Tom Dean of Wessington Springs on his appointment to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), a 17 member independent federal body established to advise Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.

Dr. Dean is a board-certified physician and a former president of the National Rural Healthcare Association. He currently serves as chief of staff at Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center in Wessington Springs, and serves on the board of Avera Health Plan, the Bush Foundation Medical Fellowship, and the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians. In 1994, Dr. Dean received the Dr. Robert Hayes Memorial Award for outstanding rural health provider. He has served the Wessington Springs community for the past 28 years.

MedPAC’s 17 members are appointed to three-year terms. MedPAC’s statutory mandate is quite broad: In addition to advising the Congress on payments to private health plans participating in Medicare and providers in Medicare's traditional fee-for-service program, MedPAC is also tasked with analyzing access to care, quality of care, and other issues affecting Medicare.

Earlier this year, Rep. Herseth Sandlin proudly recommended Dr. Dean for this prestigious appointment. The full text of her recommendation letter is below:

March 30, 2007

The Honorable David M. Walker
Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G St., NW
Washington, DC 20548

Dear Comptroller General Walker:

I am writing to strongly support consideration of my constituent, Thomas Dean, MD, of Wessington Springs, South Dakota, for appointment as a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Dr. Dean would bring to MedPAC a unique understanding of the Medicare program in the context of rural America, both with respect to the experience of beneficiaries and providers.

Dr. Dean has practiced for thirty years in rural settings as a family medicine specialist. He grew up in a rural community and has served in the National Health Service Corps. Since 1978, he has practiced as a staff physician at the Jerauld County Clinic, a Community Health Center that is part of the Horizon Health network. A significant proportion of his patients are Medicare beneficiaries. The clinic is located next to Avera’s Weskota Memorial Medical Center, a small rural hospital. Dr. Dean is a member of the Board of Directors of the medical center. He is also a board member of the South Dakota Academy of Family Physicians, and has served in a variety of positions at the National Rural Health Association, including as president and member of its board of directors. His publications cover a range of topics in rural medicine, including quality of care, obstetrical care, the role of state government, small rural hospitals, and community oriented primary care.

In order to maintain and strengthen the Medicare program and enhance delivery of quality care to rural beneficiaries in coming years, it is essential that MedPAC have members with the requisite expertise in rural health care issues. I have joined with more than 45 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives in supporting the MedPAC Rural Representation Act, legislation requiring proportional representation of the interests of rural areas on MedPAC. I believe that Dr. Dean’s decades of experience with the Medicare program’s operation in a rural state like South Dakota is the kind of background, which, when added to his leadership experience and involvement with policymaking at the national level through the National Rural Health Association, would greatly benefit MedPAC in its deliberations and advice to Congress regarding the Medicare program.

I appreciate this opportunity to write on behalf of Dr. Dean, and urge his full and fair consideration for appointment to MedPAC. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Josh Albert on my staff at 202-225-2801.

Sincerely,

 

Stephanie Herseth
Member of Congress

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Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Resources. In the 110th Congress, Herseth Sandlin was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.