This year’s event, held on March 13 and 14, provided delegates with an inside look at the state of health care policy under the new Administration and predictions about what developments may unfold to impact Nashville’s $78 billion health care industry. The delegation featured discussions with members of Congress, Administration officials and national thought leaders about key health care policy issues, the state of investor-owned community hospitals, health care information technology and much more.
New this year, delegates who arrived early to our nation’s capital had the opportunity to participate in a pre-conference session with Politico reporter Eliana Johnson, who discussed media in the age of President Trump.
“The change and uncertainty surrounding health care policy under the new Administration created a rich environment for this year’s delegation,” said Hayley Hovious, president, Nashville Health Care Council. “Nashville’s emerging health care leaders benefitted from the up-close look into what’s happening ‘inside the beltway.’”
The annual delegation to Washington is a signature LHC program. This year’s agenda also included:
- U.S. Representative Diane Black (R-TN)
- Andy Bressler, CFA, managing director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research
- Thomas Cassels, partner, consulting and management, The Advisory Board Company
- Patrick Conway, M.D., deputy administrator for innovation and quality, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, chief medical officer, CMS
- U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
- Senator William Frist, M.D., former U.S. Senate majority leader and chairman of the executive board, Cressey & Company
- Bill Hoagland, senior vice president, Bipartisan Policy Center
- Jay Perron, vice president, America’s Health Insurance Plans
- Karen Summar, M.D., health policy director, Sen. Chuck Grassley
- Dave Windley, managing director, Jefferies LLC
Dr. Conway headlined the delegation’s second day of sessions. Interviewed by Sen. Frist, Conway discussed the ongoing work at the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
“Each year the LHC Delegation to Washington, D.C., provides Nashville’s emerging health care leaders with timely information and insights they can take home and apply to their business strategies,” said Will Howorth, LHC Chairman and vice president, strategic business growth, for HCA Urgent Care. “As always, the first-hand exposure to Washington’s health care leaders delivered exceptional education and networking opportunities.”
This year’s delegation included delegates from across Nashville’s diverse health care industry sectors, including hospital management, health insurance and health care IT, as well as professional services such as finance, law, communications and accounting. The delegation was presented by BDO and GE Healthcare Equipment Finance. Supporting sponsors were Bradley, Cerner and Suntrust Bank. Associate sponsor was naviHealth and communications sponsor was Lovell Communications.
