Tennessee Hospital Association

04/07/2026

Gerald Smith felt healthy and stayed active, but when something didn’t seem right, he chose to act. That decision led to timely care and a team at Covenant Health Roane ready to guide him through treatment and recovery.

Today, he is back to the life he loves and sharing a simple message with others: do not wait.

Tennessee hospitals are here for every warning sign.

📖 Read more: https://hereforevery.org/here-for-every-warning-sign/

04/02/2026

Tennessee hospitals are here for every patient and for every decision that impacts their care.

But growing health insurance red tape is getting in the way. Delays, denials, and payment reductions create uncertainty for patients and strain hospitals working to keep care on track, especially in rural communities.

In a recent Tennessean op-ed, THA highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability from health insurers, as lawmakers consider two key bills to bring clearer standards and fairer practices to the system.

Patients deserve clear answers. Hospitals deserve clear standards.

🔗 Read more (subscription may be required):

Tennessee hospitals face growing health insurance red tape, delaying patient care. New bills aim for insurer transparency and accountability.

03/25/2026

Tennessee hospitals are here for every patient and every moment where care can’t be a waiting game.

For too many Tennesseans, insurance red tape is getting in the way. Delays in approvals, claim denials, and payment reductions create uncertainty for patients and add strain on hospitals—especially in rural communities.

Patients deserve clarity in their coverage. Hospitals deserve fair treatment.

Legislative action is needed to ensure fair, timely, and predictable interactions between payers and providers.

📢 As Tennessee lawmakers consider key payer reform legislation, now is the time to act. Contact your legislator and encourage support for insurance payer reform.

🔗 Find your legislator and learn more: https://tha.com/payer-reform/

03/04/2026

Tennessee hospitals are here for every patient. That means being here for every challenge that affects their care. To do that, hospitals deserve clear standards — and patients deserve clear answers.

Right now, Tennessee lawmakers are considering measures that will bring greater transparency and clearer standards to how insurance companies operate.

Learn more at THA.com/payer-reform

03/03/2026

Organ donation is an act of profound generosity. In this case, it brought two families together and gave one father the opportunity to keep writing his story.

Stories like this are possible because of skilled transplant teams and selfless decisions made in difficult moments.

Tennessee hospitals are here for every second chance.

📖 Read Scot's story here: https://hereforevery.org/here-for-every-second-chance/

02/25/2026

Are you a leader in the healthcare, education, or workforce development field? Join us on April 17 at the Mend the Gap: Healthcare Workforce Summit.

This event will offer practical and innovative solutions to workforce challenges, proven strategies in clinical recruitment and retainment, and actionable insights on leveraging data and AI to build a stronger workforce.

Let's mend the gap together.
Register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/2659e075-e8fb-43f7-baa9-6c570af26e2a/websitePage:5270b9ae-a865-4281-a719-9cea0b72654d?environment=P2

02/20/2026

190+ hospital leaders.
88 hospitals represented.
One shared purpose.

This week, THA members gathered in Nashville for Day on the Hill to advocate for policies that keep hospital doors open 24/7 and strengthen the communities they serve.

Because strong hospitals mean strong communities.

02/16/2026

Tennessee hospitals are working to develop the healthcare workforce of the future, and at some hospitals that influence begins even earlier than you think.

East Tennessee Children's Hospital's decade-long work with Project SEARCH reflects a broader understanding of who can make up that workforce. By opening doors to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and integrating them into the daily life of the hospital, ETCH is widening the path into healthcare careers.

📖Read more here: https://hereforevery.org/here-for-every-career-path/

02/04/2026

⚠️Four physician specialties face the largest shortages in Tennessee

A new physician workforce study commissioned by the Tennessee Hospital Association projects that Tennessee will face a shortage of nearly 3,900 physicians by 2035, driven by population growth, an aging workforce, and increasing demand for care.

The study finds the most significant shortages will occur in:

- Emergency Medicine
- Family Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry

Understanding where these gaps are emerging is essential to planning for Tennessee’s future healthcare needs.

📖Read the complete study here:https://secure.tha.com/files/board/2025/12/tn-physician-landscape-report-1.pdf

📈And explore the data here:
https://veritashealthsolutions.org/tn_physicians_landscape/

02/03/2026

Luca spent nearly half his life in and out of the hospital. Those early years were made up of leukemia treatments, weeks away from his siblings, and a toddlerhood shaped by IVs and chemo rounds.

But inside the walls of TriStar Centennial Children's Hospital, he also found something else: a care team that never let go of hope.

After six rounds of chemo and months away from home, Luca walked out of the hospital cancer-free. The hallway echoed with cheers as his siblings and parents welcomed his return home.

Tennessee hospitals are here for the hard days, the healing days, and the homecomings that feel like everything.

📖 Read Luca's story here: https://hereforevery.org/here-for-every-homecoming/

01/28/2026

As snow and ice continue to bring Tennessee to a standstill, hospital care has not stopped.

Across the state, hospital workers are still navigating dangerous roads, staying overnight, and doing whatever it takes to be there for their patients.

We are grateful for Tennessee's hospital teams who continue showing up for their communities through this winter storm. 💙❄️

01/28/2026

📊 A growing gap in residency training is putting Tennessee’s physician workforce at risk

A new physician workforce study commissioned by the Tennessee Hospital Association shows a widening gap between medical school graduates and available residency training positions.

Today, Tennessee has slightly fewer residency slots than graduating medical students. That gap is expected to grow substantially over the next decade, with graduates outnumbering available in-state residency slots by more than 2:1.

“While many institutions in Tennessee have made significant investments in medical education, we must address the growing gap between medical school graduates and available residency positions.” – Dr. Wendy Long, THA President and CEO.

📖Read the complete study here:https://secure.tha.com/files/board/2025/12/tn-physician-landscape-report-1.pdf

📈And explore the data here: https://veritashealthsolutions.org/tn_physicians_landscape/