Three weeks ago, on Jan. 7, Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC) announced 27 members of its 2025 Council Fellows Class, in keeping with its goal of "Connecting the Brightest Minds in US Healthcare."

Most who read this article will have no need for another recapitulation of the scientific, technological, political, criminal, economic, regulatory and legislative trends and events that have to varying degrees rocked the nation.

Those circumstances are reason enough to put the spotlight on the convening of the 2025 Council Fellows Class, which could prove as influential as any local group that has come before it.

We were ultimately prompted to provide this report by a coincidence that brought the pivotal role of NHCC Council Fellows back into focus for us.

Joseph Betancourt MD

Not long ago, on Jan. 13, Joseph R. Betancourt MD MPH, president the 106-year-old Commonwealth Fund, provided his view on challenges confronting the Fund and others who seek to achieve meaningful success in "envisioning and building an equitable health system that works for everyone."

Betancourt emphasized several themes that had been honed in the past year, and explained, "A common thread among these themes is the need for courage -- courage to implement commonsense and well-known solutions to pressing and longstanding problems; courage to challenge the deeply entrenched interests that preference the status quo to change; and courage to hold ourselves accountable to produce better health outcomes."

He said key actors in U.S. healthcare arena are "increasingly prioritizing revenue and profits over patients -- and people are angry," and mourned the fact that U.S. healthcare expenditures are far more than in other developed nations, "but somehow we have the least to show for it." Betancourt's sober commentary is here.

VNC realized that Betancourt's powerfully candid observations, made earlier this month, were strikingly congruent with a year-old commentary published in 2024 in behalf of Council Fellows of the Nashville Health Care Council (NHCC).

The NHCC Council Fellows commentary of Jan. 24, 2024, begins by declaring, "Public perception of U.S. healthcare has mostly stayed the same since the 1990s. For 30 years, most Americans have described the system as in a 'state of crisis' or facing 'major problems.' That sentiment remains the same today. Recent surveys find 80% of Americans are concerned about access to quality care, and nearly half give the healthcare system a failing grade."

That same document ends: "Challenges aren't limited to any one sector of the healthcare industry. It will take all entities working together to improve access to care while containing costs across the healthcare ecosystem. The Nashville Health Care Council's role is to facilitate global collaboration and serve as a catalyst for change. By building bridges among the varied healthcare interests, the Council serves to drive innovation in the industry, bring value to members and meet the needs of our healthcare community..."

The abovementioned January 2024 Council Fellows statement (with embedded links to background material) is currently on the NHCC website.

We inquired of NHCC staff earlier today as to whether their might be another Council Fellows update forthcoming. This story will be updated, as warranted.

Either way, there's much to process for the latest Council Fellows cohort.

Members of the 2025 Council Fellows class include:

• Salman Ali, MBA, Chief Executive Office, Kouper Health
• Tobi Amosun, MD, FAAP, Deputy Commissioner for Population Health, Tennessee Department of Health
• Andre Juan ("A.J.") Bahou, JD, CPA, MBA Partner, Chair AI Practice, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
• Katina Beard, MPH, Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Walker Comprehensive Health Center, Inc.
• Eric Bohannon, Vice President, Regional President Medicare Operations, Humana
• Courtney Bolton, PhD, MA, APA, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Imagine Pediatrics
• Patrick Brown, MBA, FACHE, Senior Vice President, Surgery Partners,
• Jonas de Souza, MD, MBA, Vice President Strategy & Innovation, HCA Healthcare
• Dan Farrell, MBA, Strategy & Innovation, Chief Revenue Officer, SpecialtyCare Associates
• John Fryer, MS, Chief Growth and Development Officer, President, Lumeris
• Anika Gardenhire, RN, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Ardent Health Services
• Alex Jahangir, MD, MMHC, Senior Vice President, Physician Network Development & ACMO; Vice-Chair and Professor Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Rachel Kern, Senior Vice President, First Trust Capital Partners
• Nicholas Lanzi, Vice President - Healthcare Delivery, CVS Health
• Jessica Le Roy Moore, MBA, Vice President of Enterprise Strategy, The Cigna Group
• Henry Leventis, JD, Healthcare Regulatory & Enforcement Partner, Holland & Knight
• Drew Mason, MBA, President Region 1, Community Health Systems
• Meghan McManama, DNP, Vice President, Product, Premise Health
• Jeremy Mercer, LPC, MHSP Vice President, Public Sector Growth, Optum
• Kevin O'Hara, JD, Senior Vice President, Platform Solutions and Product Strategy, HealthStream, Inc.
• Elmer Polite, President - Eastern Division, Lifepoint Health
• Emily Rash, MBA, Chief Value-Based Care Officer, US Heart & Vascular
• Safwan Shabab, MBA, MPP, Principal, TPG Capital
• Timothy Sides, Senior Vice President - Operations Finance, Acadia Healthcare
• Whitney Staub-Juergens, DNP-HIS, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Vice President, Care Transformation and Innovation Clinical Operations and Integration, Healthcare Corporation of America
• Michelle Steele, D., Associate Vice President of External Affairs and Chair of Applied Education, Meharry Medical College
• Stan Thompson, MD, MHA, FACEP, Chief Clinical Officer, TeamHealth Lifepoint Group, and Chief Diversity Officer, TeamHealth

Though decisions are months away, it's not too early to express interest in competing for a chair in the 2026 Fellows Cohort, via a form available via this page.

According to the Council Fellows website today, current Council Fellows Advisory Board members include: Rob Allen, Michael Burcham DHA, David Dill, Former U.S. Sen. William "Bill" Frist MD, James Hildreth Phd MD, Tony Iton MD PHD MPH, Bradford "Ford" Koles, Todd Park, and Reed Tuckson MD FACP.

The Council Fellows program was formed in 2013 with impetus from the abovementioned Senator Bill Frist.

Apryl Childs-Potter

Always influential, the CEO over NHCC and its programs is Apryl Childs-Potter, who in fewer than three years in the job has proven to many observers her strengths as leader, executor, analyst and convener. Childs-Potter is also an ex officio member of the NHCC board of directors.

Inaugurated in 1995 under the umbrella of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, the NHCC, itself, "strengthens and elevates Nashville as The Healthcare City" while serving as "a catalyst for collaboration and innovation for leaders at every level, strengthens the healthcare industry by growing and attracting businesses, building a strong talent pipeline, and fostering a thriving business climate..." NHCC board members are listed here.

The Council Fellows program's FAQ is here. The Council Fellows program is administered by Lydie Marc, who is NHCC senior director for Fellows and for content strategy. VNC

.last edited 30 January 2025 0636