Connections February 2024 - 10

Advocates for healthcare
The work of
Dartmouth Health's
Government
Relations team
Every year, more than 1,000 bills are
introduced during the legislative session in
New Hampshire.
And that's how many bills Dartmouth Health's
Above: Matthew Houde,
JD, MHCDS, system vice
president for Government
Relations, and Courtney
Tanner, JD, MSW, senior
director of Government
Relations.
Government Relations team reviews to find the
ones relating to healthcare. They do the same in
Montpelier for Vermont's legislative session, and
in Washington, DC, for federal legislation. The twoperson
team overseeing all of this is Matthew
Houde, JD, MHCDS, system vice president
for Government Relations, and Courtney Tanner, JD, MSW, senior director of
Government Relations.
Houde says, " Courtney and I will review legislation, get the input of subject matter
experts, and then work with stakeholders to build coalitions where necessary to
impact the course of that legislation. At the most basic level, Government Relations
advocates for policies that are beneficial to our patients, providers and the system,
and against policies that would be disadvantageous for them. We do this in both
the legislative and administrative arenas. "
Last year in New Hampshire, for instance, the
team was part of a successful advocacy effort to
reauthorize Medicaid expansion. This year, Tanner
says, some of the important issues will be digital
health equity, workplace violence, LGBTQ+ healthcare
issues, and access to reproductive healthcare. " We're
always trying to make sure that the infrastructure is in
place to ensure people have access to the healthcare
they want and need, " she says.
The 4 Rs of
Government Relations:
Where the team is focused
Reimbursement: Both private
insurers and public payers like
Medicare and Medicaid
Reform: Laws that affect healthcare
delivery
Regulations: Those that affect the
practice of healthcare, such as
licensure
Research: Support for the efforts
of researchers and clinicians
In general, the focus of their legislative work is what Houde calls " the 4 Rs " :
reimbursement, reform, regulations and research (see sidebar). But he adds that
there is an educational component as well. An important aspect of that is a program
called Project ECHO Political Determinants of Health, where a policy expert gives a
talk, both in person and on video, about issues currently in the legislative arena. The
talk is followed by a discussion among stakeholders. (Register for the 2024 Political
Determinants of Health ECHO here.)
Tanner, who leads the program, says, " Because so much happens in legislative
sessions, and it happens so quickly, it's a good way for people who are interested in
healthcare policy to be plugged in to what is happening in Concord. "
Among the stakeholders with whom Tanner and Houde coordinate is the American
Hospital Association, where Joanne Conroy, Dartmouth Health CEO and president,
currently provides leadership as chair of the board of trustees. Says Houde, " We, as
members of that organization, work to align messaging where we can. "
There's also close coordination across the Dartmouth Health system. " Whenever
we have the opportunity, we share the work we're doing, " Tanner says. " We very much
want to be a resource for the whole system. "
https://www.dartmouth-health.org/about/health-policy
Connections February 2024

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