NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Following a four-month span of rigorous coursework, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D., charged the 2013 Nashville Health Care Council Fellows class with carrying forward the city’s legacy of health care entrepreneurship. Applying knowledge gained through intensive, collaborative discussion, the Fellows are relentlessly pursuing the industry’s work of creating a sustainable system of excellent patient care.

Tonight, Frist and the Nashville Health Care Council celebrate the commencement of the inaugural class of the Nashville Health Care Council Fellows, reinforcing that call to action on behalf of the nation’s patients and industry.

“In my years in health care on the clinical, policy and business side, I have never witnessed such a unique and engaged discussion among the men and women who will propel this industry forward,” said Frist, who served as co-chair of the initiative. “I firmly believe that a realistic vision for a more sustainable future for health care can take shape, and that the collaboration we will need to create meaningful change is starting with the Council Fellows initiative.”

Through eight, daylong sessions held between March and June of this year, 33 Fellows from every corner of the industry completed a rigorous curriculum that featured nationally renowned speakers in leadership, health care, economics and business strategies. The class format leveraged the power of discussion and the exchange of ideas, as well as industry immersion activities and small-group leadership training and development. Topics included:

State and federal health care policy reform

Fiscal challenges

Fundamental shifts in reimbursement systems

Disruptive innovation in technology

Clinical advancements in genomics and personalized medicine

Consumerism

Integrated delivery networks

Population health management

Health care analytics

Care delivery and financial modeling

“This experience stands out as the single best investment I have made in myself throughout my professional career,” said Laura Beth Brown, who is a member of the inaugural class and serves as vice president of Vanderbilt Health Services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “What we are witnessing is bipartisan dialogue, exposure to world-known individuals, new methods of learning, strategies and tactics I can put to use, and a consistent and engaging forum for dialogue.”

Recruiting the 2014 Class of Fellows

With the inaugural class’s commencement comes the next step of forming the 2014 Fellows class. With this next class, the Fellows initiative will continue its mission to engage industry leaders in clearly defining health care’s greatest challenges, exploring techniques to better implement business strategies, and creating value that drives industry growth and effects change.

“The Fellows in the 2014 class will be empowered to change the future: The economic realities have never been more challenging or immediate,” said Larry Van Horn, co-chair of the Fellows, and associate professor of management and executive director of health affairs at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. “The winners will be those who create the greatest value in a new economic climate. I expect those winners will be from the Fellows initiative.”

Recruitment will begin Sept. 2, 2013, with applications closing on Oct. 28, 2013. All applications will require information and statements of interest by the applicants, as well as letters of recommendation from each applicant’s superior. The 2014 class will be selected by the Council Fellows Advisory Committee and announced in early December 2013.

“The Council is proud to support a strong future and exceptional leadership by further developing those who are leading today and whose role in innovative thinking in their organization will only increase,” said Caroline Young, president of the Council.

For more information, visit www.healthcarecouncilfellows.com.

The Fellows initiative is presented in partnership with: BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Community Health Systems, HCA, Healthways, LifePoint Hospitals and Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.

About the Nashville Health Care Council

The Nashville Health Care Council, founded in 1995 as an initiative of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, is an association of health care industry leaders working together to further establish Nashville’s position as the nation’s health care industry capital. Worldwide, Nashville’s health care industry generates more than $70 billion in revenue and over 400,000 jobs, and is Nashville’s largest and fastest growing employer. For more information on the Council, please visit www.healthcarecouncil.com.