“Welcome to the healthcare capital.”

Yvette Doran, FACMPE, chief operating officer for Saint Thomas Medical Partners and a member of the Medical Group Management Association’s Board of Directors was excited to welcome her colleagues to her hometown of Nashville for the national organization’s annual meeting last month.

“I think it’s more than just the dollars that it contributes,” she continued of the appeal the local industry held for MGMA. “I think it’s really the fact that the majority of the major players in the healthcare industry are headquartered in and around Nashville.”

Evidently, MGMA members agreed. The annual meeting broke an all-time attendance record with more than 5,000 at the conference, a 29 percent increase in attendance from last year.

“Interestingly, the national trend on conferences is down,” said Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, MMM, FAAP, CMPE, president and CEO of MGMA. “Most of our peers in the big association space are experiencing a 5 or 6 percent decrease in attendance. We’re having a 30 percent increase … I think that says a lot.”

She added exhibit booths and hotel blocks both sold out. “These are good problems that we’ve never had with the MGMA conference. I think it really speaks to not just that we’ve done a better conference – which I think we have – but also, it really speaks to the need nationally for some leadership within what to do with medical group practice – how to be successful, how to do more than survive … how to thrive in this changing environment. We’re committed to being leaders in that arena.”

Doran agreed, noting, “It’s no coincidence this year, being in the healthcare capital, attendance is up.”

She cited the value of seeing industry leaders walking the halls and the opportunity for enhanced peer networking as a strong draw. With 400 providers in 18 different specialties across 89 locations that service 65 counties in Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky, Doran has operational oversight for a medical practice larger and more far-reaching than many community hospitals. She noted an increased number of other large organizational members were also onsite and that more physicians were participating in an era when ‘business as usual’ has flown out the door.

“At the same time that we’re moving to value-based (payments), that we’re converting to ICD-10, there’s this evolution for the administrator-physician dyad in leadership,” she said. “I think that brings a whole new realm and additional layer to those who need to be business-minded and administrative savvy.”

Fischer-Wright noted, “MGMA had traditionally been though of as the small practice organization. Well, that’s actually not statistically who we are. We’re getting – to Yvette’s point – quite a few more large organizational members. The other thing is we’re seeing a rise in physician members, as well.”

There was no lack of ideas for content to address the needs of all attendees with numerous hot button topics ranging from the regulatory climate and ICD-10 transition to shifting practice demographics and integrated care across the continuum.

With the large audience in attendance, Fischer-Wright said the conference also marked a debut for the nearly 90-year-old organization. “From our standpoint, this is our coming out party for ‘new MGMA,’” she said. “We’ve been a quiet organization. I mean we’ve done great work – our surveys, our comp data are second to none … and our advocacy efforts. That’s really what the industry knows us for. But what we are going to be is a leader in the field of medical group practice. We want to be the voice that is the unifying voice and the go-to place.”

She added the organization had to change to meet the changing industry. In addition to revamping educational offerings, the staff also looked at how they provide value. Fischer-Wright said that while continuing to offer member-specific value, it was also important to move into the broader industry arena.

“That’s really where we think we can be a key player in the healthcare conversation. I think you’re going to be hearing a lot more about us as an organization and a lot more about what we’re doing to lead what medical group practices need to be successful in the future,” Fischer-Wright concluded.

For more information about meeting highlights, go online to mgma.com or search Twitter for #mgma15. And mark your calendar for next year’s event in San Francisco, Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2016.

Click on image to see slide show from the MGMA event in Nashville.