Chicago has one of the largest assemblages of health care entities in the country, from global pharmaceutical producers and nationally renowned hospitals to health insurance head offices, professional associations and consultants and other service providers. What it didn't have is a forum where they all come together to advance their collective interests.
A new organization is here to fill that gap. The Health Care Council of Chicago, a not-for-profit, has 15 founding members so far. They include Walgreens, Aon, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Oak Street Health, UnitedHealthcare and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. The group hopes to get to 50 members by the end of the year.
The council will launch its inaugural event on Nov. 7, to discuss the political implications of the next day's election for Chicago hospitals, health care institutions and related industries. Speakers will be former Tennessee Sen. Bill Frist, a surgeon, and former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, both Republicans.
The health care council is a co-creation of Matter, an incubator for health care technology startups adjacent to the 1871 tech incubator in the Merchandise Mart, and Leavitt Partners, a consulting firm founded by Mike Leavitt, three-time governor of Utah and secretary of Health and Human Services in the George W. Bush administration.
“The biggest challenge that the Chicago-area health care community has is a lack of connectivity,” Matter CEO Steven Collens said in an interview. “A lot of the work we do at Matter is bringing health care executives and leaders and entrepreneurs and others who are passionate about innovation together, because that's how you create better ideas. That's how you foster innovation.”
Chicago, Collens pointed out, has “world-leading companies in every part of health care.” They include the American Medical Association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Health Care Service Corp., world-class medical schools and top hospitals. “There are more doctors in Chicago per capita than anywhere else. We have everything here.”
David Smith, Chicago-based chief development officer for Leavitt Partners, said: “We want to focus on the unique aspects of the Chicago health care business community. We'd like to improve the climate for these businesses to grow and expend, raise the economic profile of Chicago in the health care industry.” The group should be able to aid in capital formation, talent management and value-based delivery systems, he said.
The Chicago council is modeled after the Nashville Health Care Council, formed in 1995 to promote that city's self-declared position as the “nation's health care industry capital.” Its members include venture capital firms, recruiting, technology firms and provider organizations. That group works to foster a supportive environment for new, existing and relocating health care businesses.
“Chicago is such a diffuse ecosystem,” Smith said. “There is no reason for all the health care innovation and human capital in Chicago to not come together in a common platform. We want to be part of the club, and we want the club to exist. We could have a major influence on the national health care scene.”
"Chicago has a new 800-pound gorilla in health care" initially appeared on the website of Crain's Chicago Business.
