2023 Tennessee State of Reform Health Policy Conference

Tennessee healthcare leaders continue to work to improve maternal health equity outcomes. As the state’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee collects maternal health data and develops recommended strategies for improving maternal health, it’s important for the health sector to keep exploring collaborative solutions to bridge equity gaps in maternal health, particularly related to race. This expert panel will dive into this top-of-mind topic.

Kate Condliffe: Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Diana Health

Michael Poku, MD: Chief Clinical Officer, Equality Health

Danielle Tate, MD: Maternal Medical Director, Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care

Tennessee has taken significant steps in recent years to implement alternative payment models, with the goal of lowering costs while also improving the quality of care patients receive. Where does the state’s APM landscape currently stand, what are some of the main obstacles that need to be addressed, and what are next steps? This panel of subject matter experts will conduct a robust discussion about all things APM in Tennessee.

Karly Campbell: Chief Quality Officer, Division of TennCare

Brooks Daverman: Medicaid Expert Consultant, McKinsey & Company

Enam Haque: Senior Vice President, Strategy & Growth, Episode Solutions

Carl Mueller: Senior Consultant, Health Management Associates (moderator)

The healthcare workforce crisis is an issue that touches every other area in state healthcare. Leaders across the Tennessee healthcare landscape have been pursuing creative strategies to support the healthcare workforce, but the state is still seeing concerningly high rates of turnover due to factors like burnout and violence. This panel will evaluate recent work to support the workforce and explore future collaborative solutions to the ongoing workforce crisis.

Ray Coe: President, Tennessee Nurses Association

Jim Lancaster, MD: Chief Medical Officer, Southeast, Main Street Health

Simone Stewart, M. Ed., CCSP, GCDF-I: Provider Workforce Development Director, Amerigroup Tennessee

A critical aspect of addressing health-related social needs is the collection and sharing of robust health data, as the ability to share data helps providers understand utilization patterns and healthcare costs. This panel will help attendees understand the connection between health data and HRSNs, and discuss strategies for strengthening the interoperability of this critical health data.

Julia Jones: Vice President of Network Development, findhelp

Raul Marrero: Health Information Technology Manager, Tennessee Primary Care Association

Pam Matthews: Chief Executive Officer, East Tennessee Health Information Network

Shannon Swafford: Co-Founder, Enterprise Social Record

Tennessee began Medicaid eligibility redeterminations in April, as the state increased communication efforts to inform members about the process and minimize gaps in coverage. How has this process looked in Tennessee compared to other states? What challenges have been or need to be overcome to ensure residents retain their health coverage? Check out this panel to hear the latest news on the process and where Tennessee might go from here.

Amanda Newell: Vice President, Financial Policy, Tennessee Hospital Association

Judy Roitman: Executive Director, Tennessee Health Care Campaign

Drew Staniewski: Deputy Director, TennCare

Andrea Maresca: Senior Director, Federal Insights, Health Management Associates (moderator)

High-quality integrated healthcare requires a significant degree of collaboration and communication among leaders. How are Tennessee’s Medicare and Medicaid leaders using data to help deliver whole-person care to dual-eligible residents? Our panel of experts will discuss the best practices for finding success in this arena.

Patti Killingsworth: Chief Strategy Officer, CareBridge

Michelle Morse Jernigan: Executive Director, LTSS, UnitedHealthcare Community & State

Kathy Shinkle Sakpibal: Director, LTSS, Amerigroup Tennessee

The Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force recently released a report to provide recommendations on improving health access and outcomes for rural residents. The task force put forward several strategies, which center on workforce development, access to care, and social drivers of health. Find out what else can be done to improve access in rural areas during this informative panel.

Thomas Kidd: Chief Executive Officer, Macon Community Hospital

Ruby Kirby: Chief Executive Officer, West Tennessee Healthcare Critical Access Hospitals

Jacy Warrell: Chief Executive Officer, Rural Health Association of Tennessee

Following the national opioid settlements between states and national pharmaceutical companies, Tennessee stakeholders are keenly interested in how funds will be used in their state to address opioid use—both statewide and at the local level. This panel will discuss the current plans for distribution and the most promising ways to use these funds going forward to support Tennesseans struggling with opioid use disorder.

Mary Linden Salter: Executive Director, Tennessee Association of Alcohol, Drug & other Addiction Services

Kat McDavitt: President, Innsena

Amanda Myatt Bracht: Senior Vice President, Clinical Services, Mental Health Collaborative

Mary Shelton: Executive Director, Opioid Abatement Council

Constance Payne: Associate Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Supporting the existing healthcare workforce is one piece of the puzzle, but equally as important is strengthening the workforce pipeline to increase the number of professionals entering the healthcare workforce. We’ve developed this expert-led panel for a conversation about the best strategies for achieving a strong workforce pipeline so Tennessee can procure the needed level of healthcare staffing.

Andrew Burnett: Vice President, Workforce Strategies & Rural Health, Tennessee Hospital Association

John Cunningham: Director, Healthcare Partnerships, Center for Workforce Development & Continuing Education, Nashville State Community College

Julie Griffin: Vice President, Government Affairs, Tennessee Medical Association

Amy Richardson: Chief Community Health Officer, Siloam Health

Tennessee health officials are laser-focused on improving the behavioral health of their residents. Nashville’s Metro Public Health Department recently expanded its mental health services to include clinical practitioners stationed at each of its city clinics to improve access, and Gov. Bill Lee called for a special legislative session to address mental health and public safety in August. Experts will discuss additional behavioral health efforts during this panel.

Lee Dilworth: Chief Executive Officer, ReVIDA Recovery Centers

Wendy Farmer: RVP National Crisis Center of Excellence, Carelon Behavioral Health

Alysia Smith Knight: Executive Director, Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations

Jessica Youngblom: Director of Strategic Initiatives, Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services

Ensuring patients are supported in navigating the care continuum and are able to smoothly transition among different areas of care is a critical priority for Tennessee’s health sector. To hear about some of the outstanding challenges in strengthening care coordination and patient engagement, grab a seat at this expert-led panel.

Scott Bowers: Chief Executive Officer, Spiras Health

Rajesh Sharma: VP & GM for Systems Integration, Data Analytics & Interoperability, Gainwell Technologies

Karen Thompson: Assistant Vice President, HCA Healthcare

Mike Sandwith: Managing Principal, Health Management Associates (moderator)

Come join a moderated discussion with some of Tennessee’s most prominent healthcare leaders, Natalie Cooper, plan president of Amerigroup Tennessee, and Apryl Childs-Potter, president of the Nashville Health Care Council. In this conversation, these experts will break down how some of healthcare’s biggest issues affect every sector and what solutions are necessary to instill meaningful change in Tennessee.

Apryl Childs-Potter: President, Nashville Health Care Council

Natalie Cooper: Plan President, Amerigroup Tennessee