“Two national health-care conferences coming to Nashville”

The Tennessean, by Bill Lewis, October 16, 2003

Two national conferences coming to Nashville next month are giving the city an opportunity to promote itself as a health-care center.
 
The Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress and the Consumer Directed Health Care Conference and Expo are scheduled to take place at the same time at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center Nov. 10-12.

They share speakers including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and JP Morgan Senior Adviser Nancy-Ann DeParle, who ran the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs for three years and was human services commissioner for Tennessee Gov. Ned McWherter.

Advance registration is $1,275 for the three full days of the Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress and $1,225 for the Consumer Directed Health Care Conference and Expo. Registration is less for other attendance levels. Both are expected to draw high-level executives.

"This is a national and international conference," said Laura Campbell, president and chief executive officer of Laura Campbell & Associates.

Nashville Health Care Council President Matt Gallivan, who, with Campbell, is a co-chairman of the Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress, said the conferences are an opportunity for Nashville to showcase itself to executives who make relocation decisions for businesses.

"They are likely to draw a large crowd of health-care leaders from outside Nashville," Gallivan said. "It's a great opportunity to raise Nashville's profile further. It's also a chance to market Nashville in an economic development sense, since we have so many visiting executives."

Gov. Phil Bredesen is hosting a dinner Nov. 10 along with Thomas Cigarran, chairman of the Nashville Health Care Council and chairman of American Healthways Dr. Thomas Frist Jr., chairman emeritus of HCA Inc. and Dr. Harry Jacobson, vice chancellor for medical affairs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress will examine issues confronting health-care providers, such as reducing medical errors and maximizing revenue.