More than half of Tennessee’s population live in rural areas where access to health care is limited and higher rates of poverty and poor health outcomes are the norm. Last week, College of Health Sciences faculty and Doctor of Nursing Practice students Samuel Lewis and Ashlyn Upshaw attended a Nashville Health Care Council event to learn more about this growing national problem.
“Solving the Rural Health Care Puzzle: National, State and Provider Perspectives” featured an expert panel moderated by Bill Frist, MD, former US Senate majority leader, and included Alan Levine, executive chairman, president and CEO of Ballad Health; Sarah Chouinard, MD, chief medical officer for Community Care of West Virginia; and Stuart C. McWhorter, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.
Panelists addressed rural health challenges including health disparities, workforce shortages, the need for systems innovation and the move to reimbursement for value over volume-based care.
