Next health care evolution to test durability, role of Nashville’s powerhouse industry

Perspective: The coming era of change in health care could put Nashville on track for an awakening about the role and durability of its powerhouse industry even as HCA Healthcare projects the company is in “a bit of a safe zone.”

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Greater Nashville sees median wage jump in new Census data, yet costs still dominate the region’s affordability conversation

New U.S. Census Bureau data signaled a tight labor market and competition are pushing up some Nashville-area wages, but affordability remains a regional challenge.
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Reporter’s Notebook: Peek into challenges, trends and ideas mental health marketing

The Mental Health Marketing conference, in its third year, puts the spotlight on how companies can more effectively reach the people who need such treatment.

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Blockchain, journalism and the tension between search and quality

How people use the internet — particularly search — fundamentally upended the ways journalism travels to readers. New ideas, courage and patience are needed.
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Nashville imports Seattle tech training model to ease tight labor market

Programs that expand the size of the workforce will be critical to sustain Nashville’s growth, particularly as the health care sector tries to establish itself as a health tech leader. 

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Tennessee poised to get new ACA health insurers for 2019

Tennessee’s individual health insurance market is poised for new entrants and territory expansions from existing insurers in 2019 — a sharp reversal of the diminishing options that many shoppers faced in recent years. 

Bright Health and Celtic/Ambetter plan to offer insurance that complies with the Affordable Care Act, per filings with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. 

>Read more: Competition shakes up Tennessee ACA exchange: Highlights urban-rural divide, ups interest in cost impact

Meanwhile, Cigna and Oscar plan to expand their footprint, according to the TDCI. 

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will continue to offer individual insurance around the state with the exception of the greater Memphis and Nashville areas. 

The Tennessee insurance market has been beset by defections as insurers grappled with high claims cost and losses in the early years of the federal marketplace.

However, filings from BCBST and Cigna this time last year indicated a better understanding of how people used the plans. But the premiums for 2018 were higher due to volatility from federal policy uncertainty.

Insurers had to file their intentions by June 20. Rate filings, or the request for premiums, will be due on July 11. 

Where insurers intend to sell:

  • BCBST: Everywhere but greater Memphis and Nashville
  • Bright Health: New entrant. Greater Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville
  • Ambetter by Celtic: New Entrant. Greater Chattanooga and Memphis
  • Cigna: Expanding into Knoxville while keeping its Nashville, Memphis and Tri-Cities presence
  • Oscar: Expanding into Memphis while maintaining its Nashville presence

Note: This article will be updated.

Virtual reality will, probably, come to a clinician near you—raising questions about its uses and ‘how to be human with it’

I’m no gamer, but I was giddy about my VR experience. There’s a growing group of VR evangelists trying to bring the headsets into mainstream medicine.

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State officials, looking for ways to develop a workforce that can ‘bob, weave, and adjust,’ push to forge apprenticeship network

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development presented its findings from a listening tour about what businesses, education and workers need from apprenticeships.

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Haslam: finding a sustainable journalism model ‘vital to the future’

Tennessee’s shrinking journalism industry concerns Gov. Bill Haslam because fewer people get news from local sources and it is scary how little people know, he told a national commission tasked with trying to forge a sustainable media model. Continue reading “Haslam: finding a sustainable journalism model ‘vital to the future’”

LifePoint: ‘Cast of thousands’ needed to tackle problems facing health, hospitals

The number of hospitals trying to treat an older, sicker population with a smaller clinical staff is set to decline, leading hospitals and health systems to spearhead the building of community partnerships to prepare for that era, health care executives said. Continue reading “LifePoint: ‘Cast of thousands’ needed to tackle problems facing health, hospitals”