In the midst of a contentious presidential primary season, a delegation of more than 100 Nashville emerging healthcare leaders visited our nation’s capital to get an inside look at the state of healthcare policy.
On March 14 and 15, the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care (LHC) initiative made its 14th annual trip to Washington, D.C., to hear from top officials about the latest healthcare developments “inside the Beltway” and around the country that will impact Nashville’s $73 billion healthcare industry. The delegation featured discussions with members of Congress, administration officials and national thought leaders about key healthcare policy issues, federal healthcare spending priorities and healthcare reform implementation.
On the first day of sessions, Darin Gordon, director of TennCare, discussed Medicaid policy issues with Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, and a panel of healthcare technology experts discussed the state of interoperability. During the keynote dinner hosted by the Nashville Health Care Council, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Republican pollster and author of “The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are Leading America,” gave delegates an expert perspective on the 2016 presidential election.
“The 2016 delegation provided our city’s emerging healthcare leaders with new insight into what’s happening – and what’s next – in healthcare policy,” said Hayley Hovious, Council president. “This year, the upcoming presidential election and its possible implications for national healthcare policy made for an enlightening and impactful experience.”
The annual delegation to Washington is a signature LHC program. This year’s agenda also included:
- U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
- U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
- U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN)
- U.S. Representative John Yarmuth (D-KY)
- Jitin Asnaani, Executive Director, CommonWell Health Alliance
- Jeff Cohen, Executive Vice President, Public Affairs, Federation of American Hospitals
- Richard G. Cowart, Esq., Chair, Health Law and Public Policy Department, Baker Donelson
- Will Howorth, Director of Development and Special Assets, HCA
- Kerry McDermott, Vice President, Public Policy and Communications, Center for Medical Interoperability
- Janet Marchibroda, Director of Health Innovation, Bipartisan Policy Center
- Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, Director, Office of Health Reform, Department of Health and Human Services
- Jake Sherman, Congressional Reporter, Politico
- Kate Spaziani, Vice President, Grants and Federal Relations, New York – Presbyterian Hospital
- Cathy Taylor, DrPH, Dean, Gordon E. Inman College of Health Sciences and Nursing
- Vindell Washington, MD, Principal Deputy National Coordinator, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Seshamani headlined the delegation’s second day of sessions, updating delegates on the state of implementation for various healthcare reform initiatives.
“The Washington, D.C., delegation always delivers new insights and information that LHC members can take home and use to enhance their business strategies,” said Benson Sloan, LHC chairman and director of Corporate Development for MEDHOST. “This event provides Nashville’s emerging healthcare leaders with speakers and networking opportunities that are unparalleled in quality.”
Participants in this year’s delegation represented diverse sectors of Nashville’s healthcare industry, including hospital management, health insurance and healthcare IT, as well as professional services such as finance, law, communications and accounting. Delegation scholarships were awarded to Adam Harthcock, COO, Utilize Health, and Bryan Harris, chief Fellow, Infectious Diseases, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
PwC served as presenting sponsor for this year’s LHC Delegation to Washington D.C. Supporting sponsors were BDO USA, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Change Healthcare, GE Healthcare and Kraft Healthcare. Lovell Communications served as communications sponsor.
An initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council to nurture the talents of future leaders, LHC provides members with unique educational programs and networking opportunities. With membership of more than 900 up-and-coming healthcare industry leaders from 350 companies, LHC is the foremost organization for emerging industry leaders in the field.
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