Peter Schorsch
When good and deserved things happen to great people, we can all readily celebrate for them.
We have one of those moments now, for one of the best-ever people in Florida’s political process – but it means he’ll be leaving the world of full-time Florida politics to head up to the national level.
Long-time HCA executive and native Floridian Bryan Anderson has been elevated to the role of Corporate Vice President of Government Relations for the nation’s largest hospital system, where he’ll be responsible for public affairs activities in the 25 states where HCA operates.
Anderson will relocate from his home in Tallahassee to Nashville, where HCA is headquartered.
Anderson has been part of HCA’s government relations team for 22 years, the last 15 directing the corporation’s team of lobbyists in Florida, clearly its most significant market. He was working in a different position in Nashville dealing with several states when the Florida position was created for him after the 2003 medical malpractice crisis, which required him to be here almost non-stop. He observed that the company recognized how the complexity of Florida’s issues combined with the revolving door imposed by term limits made it essential for HCA to establish a consistent presence here – and he was to lead it.
Regardless of which side of Florida’s many omnipresent hospital issues you come down on — from Medicaid to LIP to CON to surgery centers — there’s no denying Anderson has been both well-liked and a force to be reckoned with.
On his watch, membership in HCA’s employee advocacy program, the Good Government Group, has more than quadrupled to 22,000 members in Florida, and HCA has established itself as an indispensable player in any discussion of the biggest and most significant health care issues.
Through his leadership, the company has established similar effective approaches in other states, including Georgia and South Carolina.
Anderson has been no stranger to the pages of Florida Politics, in part thanks to his frequent service in appointed positions: Gov. Rick Scott named him to the Florida Film and Entertainment Advisory Council; he has served as a CFO appointee to the board of the Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) through three CFOs; and he has served on the board of directors of the Florida and Georgia Chambers of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida, Florida TaxWatch, and the Step Up for Students scholarship program, among others.
As the highly respected Anderson moves up to the national stage, his Florida role will be filled by Ryan Anderson (no relation), who has been a key leader on Bryan’s Florida team for six years.
We wish Bryan all the best in Nashville. And we know his Florida roots and the process will compel his hoped-for frequent visits to the Sunshine State.
