MODESTO, CA -- HEALTHCARE UPDATE NEWS SERVICE(TM) -- DECEMBER 18, 2003: It was announced today that The Future Care 2004 Conference, the second annual web summit on the key trends shaping the business of health care for 2004 and beyond, will run from January 12-23, 2004.

The Future Care 2004 conference includes over 30 Faculty presentations and five live audioconferences representing organizations including; Aetna, American Enterprise Institute, Better Health Technologies, Blue Shield of California, Center for Practical Health Care Reform, Conning Research & Consulting, CPRi Communications, DeMarco and Associates, Emory University, Frank Public Relations, Health Affairs, Healthsystems Direct, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Managed Care Interface Magazine, MedVantage, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Shattuck Hammond Partners, Vanderbilt Center for Better Health and more. Many additional organizations are represented in Archived presentations from the Future Care 2003 web summit, and the presentation on Top trends for 2004 and beyond from leaders in the Industry. The detailed agenda is available at http://www.healthwebsummit.com/fcagenda.htm.

Attendees at the Future Care 2004 web summit will be able to:

• Gain an overall sense of the major trends and issues shaping the business of health care for the coming year and beyond, and predications from leading sources.
• Obtain a detailed understanding of Health Coverage Reform issues including the new Medicare Prescription Drug Act, Uninsured Coverage, the new California health coverage reform legislation and other health coverage topics.
• Understand current developments in care management components including Disease Management, Pay for Performance, Evidence based Medicine and Specialty Pharmaceutical Management.
• Receive a snapshot of the current state of the HMO industry, Disease Management industry and emerging Consumer Driven Care sector.
• Obtain reference resources for ongoing use including a Key Contacts Directory, Article Library, Key Facts presentation and Survey Results.
• Experience e-learning at the attendees' convenience, with faculty presentations and web summit resources available 24/7
• Engage in interactive learning and networking through e-inquiries with faculty, live audioconferences with questions and answer sessions, e-networking with other attendees, and video clips.

Clive Riddle, MCOL President, says "The second annual Future Care web summit allows attendees to best prepare and position for the key issues in 2004 and beyond, experience e-learning, interact with faculty and other attendees, gather data resources and more, and do it all without having to leave the home or office, or having to adjust schedules."

Registration is $39 per person, and is available on-line at http://www.healthwebsummit.com/futurecare.htm or by calling 209.577.4888. MCOL paid members receive a complimentary pass to the Future Care web summit.

This HealthcareWebSummit event is sponsored by MCOL and is co-sponsored by other leading organizations. MCOL (www.mcol.com) is focused on helping professionals position themselves for a new kind of health care in the 21st Century. For more information on Healthcare Web Summit, please visit www.healthwebsummit.com.