Cosgrove withdraws his name from consideration for top job at the VA

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Jun 9 2014

Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove said that, though he seriously considered the position, he did not feel he could step away from his commitments at the clinic.

The New York Times: Cleveland Clinic Chief Out Of Running For V.A.
Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, the chief executive of the Cleveland Clinic, said Saturday he had been considered by President Obama for the job of secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, but had withdrawn his name and would stay at the clinic (Pear, 6/7).

The Wall Street Journal: Cosgrove Takes His Name Out Of Contention For Top VA Job
A person familiar with the situation said Dr. Cosgrove was moved by the White House's pursuit of him for the job and seriously considered it. But he decided not to take it in part because he didn't feel he could walk away from his commitments at the Cleveland Clinic, including the opening of a new facility in Abu Dhabi that he personally saw through (Armour, 6/7).

In related news -

The Hill: CEO Says No To VA Post
This is the second time this week a VA contender has withdrawn. On Friday, Obama's top nominee for undersecretary of health at the agency, Jeffrey Murawsky, withdrew his name because he feared his confirmation could spiral into a long political fight. Murawsky oversaw a VA hospital that has been linked to the scandal caused by officials using secret lists to hide long waits for appointments (Al-Faruque, 6/7).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.