IHI supremo Don Berwick has been Presidentially appointed (read 'given the job by Barack Obama in the teeth of Republican senatorial opposition') to run the Medicare and Medicaid federal healthcare programmes in the USA.

This is very good news for the US healthcare system. Berwick is a very smart man.

Assuming he has not Tom Daschle-type tax 'issues', Berwick will make a huge difference. He's been a supportive critical friend of the NHS, and knows about the pitfalls of sundry things we've tried here.

That is one seriously good choice. 'Tea Party' gimps will hate him.

And as if that weren't good enough news, we also have fresh Maynard Doctrine.