MERGER ANNOUNCEMENT

HealthCare21 Business Coalition and Memphis Business Group on Health

Merge to Create Tennessee’s Only Statewide Non-profit Employer Healthcare Organization

MEMPHIS,TN/KNOXVILLE, TN – January 4, 2023 – Officials from Knoxville, TN-based HealthCare 21 Business Coalition (HC21) and the Memphis Business Group on Health (MBGH) today announce the two groups are merging to create HealthCareTN, the state’s only employer-led, non-profit organization dedicated to our employer members as they work to ensuring high-quality, affordable healthcare and health benefits

In a joint announcement by co-CEOs, Gaye Fortner and Cristie Upshaw Travis, formerly of HC21 and MBGH, respectively, HealthCareTN will harness the rich legacy and strength of both previous organizations to drive meaningful, quality results across a broader statewide footprint

“The employer market is changing,” said Fortner. “We joined together to create a positive force for change by providing employers with opportunities to collaborate and advance innovative solutions they can use to drive meaningful change in healthcare value for their employees.”

Travis said. “By joining together we have more impact with over 600,000 covered lives in Tennessee; more focus on the most critical issues impacting employers; and bring together more leading employers across the state to network, share best practices, and offer different perspectives to address challenges.” 

The merger is a natural evolution of the collaborative relationship HC21 and MBGH have had on behalf of Tennessee employers. They have partnered on significant statewide health and healthcare-related initiatives, including the Leapfrog Group’s Annual Hospital and Ambulatory Surgery Center Surveys, Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade, The National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalition’s Path Forward for Mental Health & Substance Use, the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, and the Tennessee Employer Consortium on Health, to name a few.

“We are the leading, collective voice for employers, when it comes to health and healthcare,” said Fortner. “There’s no other organization like ours in Tennessee dedicated to helping employers drive change in healthcare.”

According to Travis, “Over the coming months, we will be working alongside the state’s foremost employers to address health benefit challenges. We’re excited about our new and expanded opportunities and look forward to others joining us in this work.”

For more information about HealthCareTN, visit www.HCTNonevoice.org

About HealthCareTN

Launched in 2023 as a result of the merger between the HealthCare 21 Business Coalition (HC21), founded in 1997, and the Memphis Business Group on Health (MBGH), founded in 1985, HealthCareTN is the only non-profit organization in Tennessee that unites leading employers to drive meaningful change in healthcare value for employees, families and communities. HealthCareTN maintains office and staff in Knoxville and Memphis.

www.HCTNonevoice.org