Dr. Don Berwick and union leader Gerald Shea to talk health care

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

Dr. Don Berwick is no longer at the helm of a federal health agency, but he has plenty of ideas for changing how the nation’s health care industry works. Berwick will share some of them during a radio show hosted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, which he led before his 17-month tenure as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Berwick left the agency in December, when it became clear that Republican senators would block his confirmation. He will join host Madge Kaplan of the institute and Gerald Shea, assistant to the president for governmental affairs at the AFL-CIO, for a discussion on Feb. 9. at 2 p.m. Register on the institute’s website to listen live.

Berwick said by phone this morning that he and Shea share a sense of urgency that action must be taken to curb health care costs “in a way that will help instead of hurt patients.”

“Gerry and I are both of the opinion that that can be done through improvements of care,” he said.

Berwick said he has been working on projects with the institute but has not committed to any new job there or elsewhere. He said he likely won’t decide for several months what his next role will be.