Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee's administration has formed a task force of industry stakeholders to work together to address the state's healthcare issues.
The administration announced the task force Oct. 8, saying that Bill Carpenter, former chairman and CEO of Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Health, will co-chair the group with Tennessee Finance and Administration Commissioner Stuart McWhorter.
"Working together, with patients, providers and payers, we can establish Tennessee as a world-class healthcare market for our people," Mr. Lee said. "I would like to thank Commissioner McWhorter and Bill Carpenter for agreeing to lead this effort that will help move Tennessee toward better health outcomes and toward being a leader in the nation on healthcare."
The Lee administration said task force discussions will focus on issues brought up over the summer during a listening tour where Mr. McWhorter and other state officials heard from healthcare leaders and Tennesseans. Potential topics for the task force to discuss include transportation, technology and telehealth, rural health, social determinants of health and transparency.
In addition to Mr. Carpenter and Mr. McWhorter, task force members are:
- Tennessee Sens. Ferrell Haile, Bo Watson, Paul Bailey and Raumesh Akbari
- Tennessee Reps. Pat Marsh, Robin Smith, Ron Travis and John DeBerry Jr.
- Mike Carrigan, MD, chief administrator of Premier Medical Group
- James Bailey, MD, professor and director at the Center for Health System Improvement and Robert S. Pearce endowed chair in internal medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn.
- Brian DeBusk, PhD, first vice-chairman, board of trustees, Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn.
- James E.K. Hildreth, PhD, MD, president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn.
- Melanie Keller, RN, BSN, CEO of Meritan
- Mary Kiger, executive director of TN Charitable Care Network
- Kathie Krause, MSN, RN, CNO of Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville
- Shantelle Leatherwood, CEO of Christ Community Health Services
- Alan Levine, executive chairman, president and CEO of Johnson City, Tenn.-based Ballad Health
- Jim King, MD, family physician
- Kim Parker, director of inpatient and crisis services at Pathways Behavioral Health Services
- Jeff Tibbals, Scott County Mayor
- Michael Ugwueke, DHA, president and CEO of Memphis-based Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
- Andrea Willis, MD, CMO of Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tennessee
- Randy Wykoff, MD, dean and professor, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn.
More articles on leadership and management:
Buttigieg unveils drug pricing plan: 3 quick highlights
Sanders discharged from Desert Springs Hospital after heart attack
Michigan hospital restructures board about a month after CEO's firing