NASHVILLE, TN - HEALTHCARE UPDATE NEWS SERVICE(TM) - OCTOBER 24, 2003: At the Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress, Financial Analysts, Technology Pioneers, Health Care Providers, in conjunction with Government Officials highlight new initiatives, research, cost containment, critical issues and plausible solutions to the growing concern of rising healthcare costs and the quality of healthcare delivery. HDSC is poised to tackle these issues and others through 6 tracks, 18 pre-conference sessions and over 40 concurrent sessions, delineated by target communities such as:

• Opening Keynote Report: Strategies for the Transformation of Healthcare- A Special Report from the CDHCC/HDSC Summit Leadership Forum
• Finding New Revenues & Maximizing Existing Revenues: A Case Study
• The Transformation of Our Health System
• The Promise of Technology & Innovation for The Future of Healthcare
• E Health Applications in Public Health
• Integrating Technology & Innovation into Your Organization
• A look at Our National Healthcare Policy
• How Do We Implement & Fund Our New Healthcare Policy?
• Business and Government Look at Consumerism
• Transforming The Healthcare Industry- Do We have the Capacity to Respond to Future Demands?
• Assess Your Workplace: Is Your Healthcare Facility Functionally Obsolete?
• Vying for Government Business: Leveling the Playing Field
• It's a Small World: From European Union Opportunities to Partnering with Business Affiliates In Your Region
• Differentiating Your Organization: Guidelines for Quality, High Performance and Financial Strength
• Cost Containment/Maximizing Productivity: A Case Study

• Mark Anderson, CEO, AC Group, Inc.
• Mark Bard, President, Manhattan Research
• Stan Bernard, MD, President, Bernard Associates
• Robert Bohlmann, Principal, Medical Group Management Association
• Joe Boughknight, Vice President Human Resource, Dan River Inc.
• Eric Brown, Senior Analyst, Forrester Research
• Chip Caldwell, President, Chip Caldwell & Associates
• Warren Callaway, President & CEO, Danville Regional Health System
• Joe Clark, CEO, Health Mark Partners Inc.
• Howard Coleman, CDO, Co-founder, Genelex
• Ira Chilson, AIA, CFP Group
• Joe Coughlin, Director, MIT Age Lab
• John Davies, VP/GM Solutions Group, Intel Corp.
• Ralph Davis, Member, Waller Lansden
• Charles Ditkoff, Managing Director & Head of the Healthcare Services, Group Banc of America Securities
• Jim Donahue, Director Professional Services, Med Aptus, Inc
• Raymond Falci, Senior Managing Director, Bear Stearns & Co., Inc.
• Jim Forbes, Managing Director, Global Healthcare Services, Merrill Lynch
• Sen. Bill Frist, MD, Majority Leader, US Senate
• Thomas Frist, MD, Chairman Emeritus, HCA Inc.
• Larry Frohman, President, University Physician Associates
• Jeffrey A. Gelfand, MD, FACP, Senior Advisor for International Medical Affairs Partners HealthCare Systems
• Newt Gingrich, Founder, Center for Healthcare Transformation
• Jeff Goldsmith, CEO Health Futures Inc.
• John Hammergren, CEO, McKesson Corporation
• Steve Heck, President, First Consulting Group
• David Holloway, Senior VP & Senior Quality Officer, Parkview Health System
• David Hooper, Vice President, Clinical Operations, Palo Alto Medical Foundation
• Frank Houser, MD, Quality & Medical Director, HCA Inc.
• Joseph C. Hutts, CEO, Surgis
• Harry R. Jacobson, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Curtis James, President & CEO, St. Vincent's Hospital
• Jim Jirjis, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
• Charles N.Kahn, III, President, FAH (Federation of American Hospitals)
• Paul Keckley, MD, President, CEO, Vanderbilt Center for Better Health
• James Kemp, Manager of Employee Benefits, Northrop Grumman
• Howard Koh, MD, Professor of Health Policy and Management, Harvard
• Joseph Kvedar, MD, Harvard; Director, Partners Telemedicine
• Jim Lackey, President & CEO, PASSPORT Health Communications
• John Larson, PhD, President, Managed Care Options
• Mark Leavitt, VP of Clinical Initiatives, GE Medical Systems
• Michael Leonard, MD, Pediatrician, Children's Hospital of Buffalo
• Bruce Lynskey, Professor, Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University
• Robert Margolis, MD, CEO, Healthcare Partners
• Ron Marston, President, HCCA International
• Kent McKelvey, MD
• David E. Morgan, President & CEO, Federal Marketing Alliance
• Frank Morgan, Managing Director, Jefferies & Co.
• Daniel Morreale, Chief Information Officer, North Bronx Healthcare Network
• Greg Nelson, Vice President, Health Care Practice Group Development Dimensions International
• Dennis Norvet, President & CEO, Centex Rodgers
• James Nuckolls, Medical Director, Carilion Medical Group
• Jim O'Connell, Boston Shelter for the Homeless
• Neal Patterson, Chairman & CEO, Cerner Corporation
• Lori Price, Healthcare Service Analyst, JPMorgan
• Steve Puckett, Founder & Chairman OrthoNeuro Corp.,
• Pamela Pure, President, McKesson Information Solutions
• Scott Ransom, DO, MPH, President, American College of Physician Executives
• Richard Reece, Pathologist & Editor
• Jack Reed, President & CEO, Pro Health Physicians
• Russ Ricci, MD, Chair e-Health Initiative
• Emad Rizk, McKesson Information Solutions
• Margaret Sabin, CEO, Sutter Health
• Michael Sachs, President & CEOSG-2, LLC
• Craig Samitt, MD, Chief Operating Officer, Fallon Clinic
• Daniel Sands, MD, Harvard Medical School
• Greg Scandlen, Director, Center for Consumer Driven Healthcare
• Paul Schyve, Senior Vice President, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
• Robert Stone, Executive Vice President, American Healthways
• Ann Sullivan, CIO, Maimonides Med Center
• Joe Ternullo, Associate Director Telemedicine, Partners HealthCare System
• Patrick Terry, Dir. Consumer Advocacy and Government Affairs Genomic Health, Inc.
• Tommy Thompson, Secretary, U S Department of Health and Human Services
• Sanford Tolchin, MD, Borgess Medical Center
• JeffreyTownsend, Senior VP, Cerner Corp
• Neil Trautwein, Director of Employment Policy, National Association of Manufacturers
• Ken Upchurch, Vice President, The Centre For Health Care Planning
• David Vandewater, President and CEO, Ardent Health
• Andrew Vaz, Partner, Deliott Consulting
• David Veilette, CEO, Indiana Heart Specialist
• Bruce Vladeck, PhD, SVP for Policy & Prof of Health Policy & Geriatrics, Mount Sinai Medical Center
• David Ward, Partner, Salik Ventures
• Colleen Conway-Welch, Dean, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing

The Emergent Group, LLC is an event management company offering a full range of management services and partnership opportunities. The company brings years of knowledge and experience to a variety of industries, including healthcare, media, travel, financial, entertainment and sports, and produces several premier industry-specific events including Consumer Directed Healthcare Conference (CDHCC), Healthcare Delivery Solutions Congress (HDSC) and The Emerging Technologies and Healthcare Innovations Congress (TETHIC). For more information, visit www.theemergentgroup.com.

For more information about HDSC, visit www.hcroi.com.

For more information please contact: Fatima Ford at 804-225-7422 or fatima@theemergentgroup.com .