Press Room

Seventh Health Care Trade Mission Establishes High-Level Dialogue and Showcases Nashville Health Care Expertise

Posted on September 12, 2008

The Nashville Health Care Council and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce recently organized a seventh health care trade mission that visited Stockholm, Sweden and Berlin, Germany on September 7-12. Thirty-three executives participated in the delegation, which was led by HCA Chairman & CEO Jack O. Bovender, Jr.

"Our briefings in Stockholm and Berlin offered mission delegates the unique opportunity to meet with senior government and industry officials to share potential solutions to common health care challenges, and to broadly showcase Nashville’s deep health care expertise on a global level," Bovender said.

The Nashville Health Care Trade Mission featured a number of meetings with senior government officials and industry leaders in both Sweden and Germany. Among the policymakers and key business executives the group met with were:

U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Michael Wood and U.S. Ambassador to Germany William R. Timken, Jr. Ambassador Timken hosted the delegation in the recently-opened U.S. Embassy in Berlin. The delegation was the first group of American visitors to be hosted at the new embassy;

Dr. Lars Gatenbeck, former CEO of Sweden's renowned Karolinska Institute welcomed the group at the opening dinner and provided an overview of health care challenges and opportunities in Sweden;

Sweden's Minister of Health Goran Hagglund and Deputy Toivo Heinsoo shared key health care reform priorities for the Ministry;

Germany's Health Ministry Director General Franz Knieps provided the group with an update on recent and upcoming reform measures in the German health care system; and

Former U.S. Ambassador to Germany John Kornblum shared his insights on current U.S. diplomacy efforts and the impact of the upcoming Presidential elections during the final delegation dinner in Berlin. Ambassador Kornblum penned President Ronald Reagan's famous "Tear Down this Wall" speech.

The mission program included several additional panel discussions featuring government and industry leaders and U.S. Embassy officials, including:

Panel discussions with private sector innovators in both Sweden and Germany, along with leaders from statutory health insurance organizations.

Panel discussion on European Dealmaking Trends with financial executives from Deutsche Bank, Allianz Capital, Baigo Capital and GE Healthcare Finance.

"The visit to Sweden and Germany underscored the unique role that Nashville plays as an entrepreneurial center for solutions and services that improve the delivery of health care not only in our own nation, but also on a global basis," added Tom Cigarran, Council chairman and chairman of Healthways, Inc.

A special thanks those organizations that served as sponsors for key activities during the trade mission. These include: Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, HCA Inc., Interior Design Services, Inc., Jack Daniel's, The Pasta Shoppe, RoundTable Healthcare Partners, and V. Alexander.

UPCOMING TRADE MISSION NEWS

The Council will partner with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Nashville Technology Council to host a trade mission to India in February 2009. For further information on the mission to India, please contact the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.