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Michael Rosen (left) and Chris Redhage (right) are the co-founders of Provider Trust, which capitalizes on new regulations in the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

In the GOP race for president, “repeal Obamacare” has become a well-worn applause line. But there’s at least one group of card-carrying Republicans abstaining from the cheers – those in Nashville’s health care industry who are finding reform is good for business.

The health care sector drives the local economy. It employs more than 200,000 people. They represent wide-ranging political views. But it’s an industry that has tended to align with the GOP, a party that uses “Obamacare” like a curse word.

“On one side I’m saying hey, we don’t need more rules and regulations,” says entrepreneur Chris Redhage. “But at the same time, if these are rules and regulations, I’m figuring out a way to ease the burden.”

In other words, if there are regulations, Redhage says he’s going to find a way to make money off of them.

“Isn’t that what entrepreneurs are all about?” he asks.

As part of the 900-page Affordable Care Act, new rules increase penalties if techs, nurses or even doctors see patients while their license is flagged in another state. Could be they committed Medicare fraud in Maine or just stopped paying student loans in Louisiana. Redhage’s IT startup – called Provider Trust – offers what amounts to a non-stop background check, and business is booming.

“Regulatory Tailwinds”

“We call it regulatory tailwinds that are really driving the growth of our company,” Redhage says.

Provider Trust’s customers include Brentwood-based LifePoint Hospitals and Nashville’s Dialysis Clinics Inc.

At one of DCI’s facilities in North Nashville, techs go from bed to bed, hooking patients up to the life-saving dialysis machines.

“She’s ready to go,” says tech Mina Motus. “Three hours and 45 minutes.”

With 5,000 employees spread across 27 states, DCI has somewhat reluctantly purchased Provider Trust’s service, but compliance officer Peggy Williams calls it a lifesaver. One tech slipping through the cracks could now cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“We’re not going to fight it,” she says. “We’re going to figure out how to do it.”

While Republican candidates are promising repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Williams doesn’t see that happening, and she’d rather it not.

The health care overhaul will provide near-universal insurance coverage, which could be good for any company that currently treats patients who can’t pay. Nashville-based hospital chains are some of the biggest potential winners.

Upside for Uninsured Care

“Frankly, in our circles, nobody talks about wanting to repeal Obamacare,” says Craig Becker, executive director of the Tennessee Hospital Association. “They want to see individual coverage. That’s really been our Achilles heel.”

So-called “charity care” has cut into profits for the nation’s largest investor-owned hospitals. HCA alone wrote off $1.3 billion in care last year, mostly indigent patients showing up in emergency rooms.

While hospital chain executives are often big Republican donors, Becker says they recognize the potential benefits of the much-derided reform.

“Probably you have personal feelings and you have your professional feelings,” he says.

And whether health care CEO’s feel warm and fuzzy about “Obamacare” or they’re just holding their nose, industry strategist Molly Cate says they’re not asking for repeal.

“There will always be moaners,” she says. “But I think the majority of people have accepted it as a fact of being in the health care business.”

Cate regularly surveys health care insiders. Her most recent poll shows they think the health care overhaul is “unstoppable,” no matter who is president.