UT’s Baker Center to Sponsor Nursing Summit in Nashville

KNOXVILLE — How can nurses help meet the challenges associated with federal 
health care reform in the delivery of primary care services to improve the 
health of Tennesseans?

That question will be at the heart of a one-day Primary Care Nursing Summit to 
be held tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 4), at the Belmont University Curb Center in 
Nashville. The summit is being sponsored by the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for 
Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The Baker Center was 
assisted in planning the summit by faculty from the colleges of nursing at UT 
Knoxville and UT Health Sciences Center, the College of Medicine at the UT 
Health Sciences Center and Belmont University.

The keynote speaker at the summit will be Susan Hassmiller of the Robert Wood 
Johnson Foundation, who is involved on the Initiative on the Future of Nursing 
at the Institute of Medicine. The Institute recently released a report entitled 
“The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”

Other speakers will include Dr. Paul Erwin, director of UT Knoxville’s Center for 
Public Health, who will outline the specific health care challenges that 
Tennessee faces, and Peter Buerhaus of the Center for Interdisciplinary Health 
Workforce Studies at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who will look at cost 
and utilization data for advanced practice nurses treating Medicare 
beneficiaries.

Following the morning presentations, small groups will be convened to discuss 
how to maximize the contributions of nurses in the delivery of primary health 
care services to improve the health of Tennesseans. The goal is to develop 
Tennessee-specific actionable recommendations.

“Although opportunities abound, Tennessee and other states are faced with 
deep-rooted challenges related to our ability to respond to the reforms 
associated with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” said 
summit chairwoman, Carole Myers, an assistant professor in UT’s College of 
Nursing and the Baker Center’s fellow for health policy. “Those challenges 
include inadequate infrastructure and scarce resources and competing 
priorities.

“Additionally, we struggle with a shortage of primary care providers, and this 
gap will be severely exacerbated when an estimated 30 million Americans, 
including 650,000 Tennesseans, will acquire health care coverage in 2014 under 
the new health care reform law. It is imperative that we be forward-thinking in 
Tennessee in determining priorities for addressing these challenges to assure 
the health of all Tennesseans and subsequently the vitality of the state.”

About 80 health care professionals, educators and care providers are expected 
to attend the summit.  A live webcast of key note addresses will be available 
via the Baker Center web page.

The event is also available via webcast at http://tinyurl.com/2ag7t8t


Agenda

7:30-8:30 am	Continental breakfast—Vince Gill Room

8:30-8:45	Welcome—Vince Gill Room
Jack Williams, Belmont University
Carl Pierce, Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, University of 
Tennessee (UT), Knoxville
Carole Myers, UT College of Nursing, Knoxville

8:45-9:30	The State of the State: Health Challenges in Tennessee
Dr. Paul Erwin, University of Tennessee, Knoxville Department of Public Health

9:30-9:45	Break

9:45-10:30	Challenges and Opportunities for Nurses: A Visionary Model
Dr. Susan Hassmiller, Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative 
on the Future of Nursing

10:30-11:15	What Do we Know about Services Provided by APNs to 
Medicare Beneficiaries? Context, Preliminary Data and  Policy Implications
Dr. Peter Buerhaus, Vanderbilt University College of Nursing

11:15-11:45	Panel Discussion- Drs. Buerhaus, Erwin, and Hassmiller
Moderator:  Rita Geier, Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy, University 
of Tennessee, Knoxville

11:45 -12:00	Morning wrap-up, Cheryl Stegbauer, University of Tennessee 
Health Sciences Center, College of  Nursing

12:00-1:15 PM	Lunch—move to Massey Boardroom

1:30-1:45	Overview for Small Group Breakouts—Vince Gill Room
Carole Myers, UT College of Nursing, Knoxville

1:45-3:45	

Small Group Breakouts - Building the Framework for Action:  What Must be 
Done to Achieve the Maximum Contribution of Nursing to Improved Health in 
Tennessee in the Delivery of Primary Care Services?

Workforce Development and Education – Beaman A—Bill Jolley, facilitator
Payment Models – Vince Gill Room - Carol Lockhart, facilitator
Models of Care – Beaman B—Irma Jordan, facilitator
Regulation – Beaman Student Life Conference Room - Darlene Byrd, facilitator

3:45-4:00	Break

4:00-4:30	Reports from Small Groups—Vince Gill Room

4:30-5:00	Next Steps and Adjourn