In 1950, WSM announcer David Cobb first used the term “Music City U.S.A." on air. By then, Nashville was already home to blues, R&B, gospel, jazz, country western music and more. Tennesseans are proud of the fact that Nashville writes and produces the music that speaks to many beating hearts.
This month, another industry which has a long, rich history in the Mid-South, has been grabbing headlines. They, too, are interested in hearts.
The Nashville Health Care Council recently published its annual report showing the Nashville health care industry contributes nearly $40 billion and more than 250,000 jobs to our local economy every year. This industry is one of our fastest-growing employers, with an increase of over 10 percent since 2010.
These statistics are not the result of happenstance.
For many years, health care in our area has been blessed to have local, national and international leaders. Recently, Modern Healthcare published the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare for 2015. Several of the individuals listed have mid-south connections and some call the Nashville area home. Many make the 100 Most Influential People year after year. With this kind of leadership, it is no wonder our area is becoming the nation’s health care industry capital.
These leaders recognize that we are in a transformative period in health care history. With the explosion of health information technology (HIT) - including mobile medical apps - all aspects of health care are changing. Wearable fitness trackers empower people to make improvements in their health without a visit to the doctor. One mobile app allows researchers to enroll tens of thousands of research participants in one day. Remote technology improves access to limited specialists in rural as well as urban locations.
Read the full story online HERE.
