Nashville’s health care industry is in a unique and powerful position to shape the future delivery system within the framework of the health reform law, top Washington officials told 100 visiting health care leaders recently.
On the anniversary of health reform’s passage, the Nashville Health Care Council’s Leadership Health Care (LHC) initiative heard from lawmakers, Administration officials and professional Capitol Hill staff instrumental in initiating, passing and implementing health care reform during LHC’s annual Delegation to Washington, D.C.
Delegation speakers also included representatives from industry and trade associations and health care think tanks.
The trip occurred as the Obama Administration released its highly-anticipated Accountable Care Organization (ACO) regulations, providing delegates with the opportunity to hear first-hand information on implementing the law. The ACO provision creates a new structure for the delivery of Medicare services.
“This visit exposes Nashville’s dynamic set of emerging industry leaders to the best and brightest in the policy field,” said LHC Director Judith Byrd.
“The delegation gives attendees unique information that enhances their knowledge to the benefit of the health care companies they serve,” said LHC Chairwoman and LifePoint Hospitals Senior Director of Hospital Strategic Planning Melissa Waddey. “LHC truly shapes the next generation of Nashville’s unparalleled health care industry expertise.”
The Delegation to Washington is a signature LHC program. In its ninth year, the 2011 agenda included:
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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
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Andrea Harris, Health Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
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U.S. Representative Diane Black (R-TN)
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Carmella Bocchino, Executive Vice President, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
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Ceci Connolly, Senior Advisor, McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform
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U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (D-TN)
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U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-TN)
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Thomas Ensign, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
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Keith Flanagan, Health Council, Senate HELP Committee
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Nancy Foster, Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety, American Hospital Association
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Michael Hash, Director, Office of Health Reform, HHS
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Neil Kirschner, Acting Director, Regulatory and Insurer Affairs, American College of Physicians
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Diana Meredith, Health Care Analyst, House Budget Committee
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Farzad Mostashari, M.D., Deputy National Coordinator for Programs and Policy, Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
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Kavita Patel, Fellow and Managing Director of Delivery System Reform and Clinical Transformation, Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, Brookings Institution
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Mary Ella Payne, Vice President, System Legislative Leadership, Ascension
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Kate Spaziani, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND)
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Rodney Whitlock, Health Policy Advisor, Office of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
The Delegation included a dinner hosted by the Nashville Health Care Council featuring Dr. Larry Sabato, political analyst, author and Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, as the keynote speaker.
“This trip introduces the next generation of Nashville health care leaders to the health care policy environment,” said Nashville Health Care Council President Caroline Young. “Bringing our emerging talent to Washington furthers LHC’s mission to cultivate future industry leaders.”
Attendees represented diverse sectors of Nashville’s health care industry, including hospital management, outpatient care, managed care, disease management and health care IT as well as professional services such as law, finance and accounting.
A delegation scholarship was awarded to Brooks Daverman, associate with the State of Tennessee’s Insurance Exchange Planning Initiative. LHC awards one scholarship per delegation, including the biennial Delegation to Wall Street, which is scheduled for September 2011.
Related News:
Claire Cowart-Haltom, “Health Care Delegation Focuses on Reform” (April 5, The Tennessean)
About LHC:
LHC is an initiative of the Nashville Health Care Council that fosters the next generation of health care leaders by providing educational and networking opportunities for more than 550 individual members.
For more information on LHC, click HERE.
To join LHC, Please click HERE.
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Photo credit: (c) 2011 Bill Burke/Page One