Nashville Health Care Council Announces 2018 Fellows Class

Today, officials with the Nashville Health Care Council, including former U.S. Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, M.D., and health care economist Larry Van Horn, announced the 2018 class of the Nashville Health Care Council Fellows. The class includes 31 senior executives from across the country representing a diverse array of sectors within health care who will discuss and address the challenges facing the industry.

“Every year, the Fellows class brings together a remarkable collection of health care’s brightest minds for a unique opportunity to positively transform our nation’s health care system,” said Frist. “The collaboration and relationships that result from this annual program strengthen not only today’s health care community, but also the future of our field. As health care continues to undergo constant change, I eagerly anticipate the conversations and tangible contributions that will stem from this class.”

This is the sixth class to be named for the annual initiative. The members of the 2018 Fellows class are:

• Gene Boerger, COO, Preverity, Inc.
• Devin Carty, COO, Martin Ventures
• Ravi Chari, M.D., Senior Vice President, Clinical Excellence, HCA
• James Corbett, J.D., M.Div., Senior Vice President, Community Health Improvement and Values Integration, Centura Health
• Jonathan Dhillon, Enterprise Securities and Corporate Governance Counsel, Envision Healthcare Corporation
• Mary S. Flipse, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer, Tivity Health, Inc.
• Charles Girard, Director, Government Relations, HCA
• Chris Harber, Vice President, Health Plan Operations, Availity
• Jim Jamieson, COO, EvidenceCare
• Bryan Kaegi, Senior Vice President, Government Relations, Acadia Healthcare
• Kevin Klauer, DO, EJD, CMO–Emergency Medicine and Chief Risk Officer, TeamHealth
• Shaheed Koury, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Quorum Health Corporation
• Ryan Kreinbring, Vice President and General Manager, Cerner Corporation
• Dusty Lieb, Partner, Echo Health Ventures
• Veronica Mallett, M.D., MMM, Senior Vice President of Health Affairs and Dean School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College
• Gregory C. Marotta, President and CEO, CleanSlate Centers
• Karen D. McKeown, State Health Officer and Administrator, Division of Public Health, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
• Jameson Norton, CEO at Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Lisa Piercey, M.D., Executive Vice President, West Tennessee Healthcare
• Justin Pitt, Senior Vice President and Chief Litigation Counsel, Community Health Systems
• Christopher Rehm, M.D., Chief Medical Informatics Officer, LifePoint Health
• Stephani J. Ryan, Director, Long Term Services and Support, BlueCare Tennessee
• Kevon Saber, CEO, GoCheck Kids
• Puneet Singh, Chief Development Officer, Aspire Health
• Elizabeth Ann Stringer, Chief Science Officer, axialHealthcare
• Emily Tyson, Vice President, Product, naviHealth, Inc.
• Kyle Wailes, Chief Financial Officer, Intermedix
• Michael D. Warren, M.D., MPH, Deputy Commissioner for Population Health, Tennessee Department of Health
• Sam Weinstein, M.D., CEO, SpecialtyCare, Inc.
• Edna Willingham, President, Amerigroup Tennessee
• Michael Wood, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Technology, Change Healthcare

The Fellows Initiative
Launched by the Nashville Health Care Council amid unprecedented industry change in 2013, the Fellows initiative is aimed at improving the way health care executives meet their most critical challenges.

The course kicks off with a two-day orientation retreat, followed by eight full-day sessions over four months, where class members investigate and evaluate new ideas to address the hurdles facing the U.S. health care system.

“As the global center for health care collaboration, Nashville is proud to welcome this group of esteemed leaders and influencers to hold the conversations that will lead the industry forward,” said Hayley Hovious, Council president. “The Fellows program represents the Council’s commitment to fostering collaboration and developing leadership among executives from top health care organizations across the country, of all sizes and sectors. There has never been a better time to participate in this one-of-a-kind leadership experience.”

Led by a faculty of internationally known experts and thought leaders, the program’s curriculum will address topics such as new care delivery models, the ongoing evolution of reimbursement models and value-based care, disruptive innovation, population health management and globalization.

“The key to the Fellows program lies in challenging these executives to think differently about how they approach even the most basic decisions in health care, ultimately arming them with the knowledge to transform the way they operate,” said Van Horn, a leading expert in health care management and economics, and professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. “Throughout our time together, a sense of trust and openness develops among participants that is both rare and refreshing, but also critical to fostering the meaningful dialogue this program depends on. I am excited for this year’s class to leave its mark on the Fellows program.”

Fellows has an enduring impact on its graduates, and the alumni program ensures that members continue collaboration long after their graduation. Each graduating class joins a distinguished group of alumni already applying their Fellows experience in the field.

“Participating in Fellows has proven to be one of the more thought-provoking and rewarding experiences of my professional career,” said Marc Watkins, CMO at The Little Clinic (Fellows Class of 2016). “The conversations in the classroom, as well as the relationships which now extend far beyond those walls, have all proven extremely valuable to me. I would strongly recommend the program to any leader looking to think more strategically about health care’s future.”

This fall, the Council held its inaugural Fellows Summit event for alumni, reuniting approximately 100 attendees, who heard from leaders including former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), Andy Slavitt, and Thomas Insel, M.D., the former director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

The Council Fellows program is presented in partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Community Health Systems, HCA, LifePoint Health, Tivity Health and Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

Visit www.healthcarecouncilfellows.com for more information.