MANASQUAN, NJ, USA -- HEALTHCARE UPDATE NEWS SERVICE(TM) -- FEBRUARY 14, 2006: The managed care market faces a series of challenges in 2006 that may change the face of the industry and therefore impact both health providers and payors.
But what are the most challenging issues in the year ahead?
Join thought leaders in the managed care industry: Leonard Kalm, VP of Managed Care Hospital Corporation of America; Peter Kongstvedt, MD, Partner, Health/Managed Care Consulting Services, Accenture and Author of the Managed Care Handbook,The Essentials of Managed Care and Managed Care: What it Is and How it Works; and Jody Voss, Executive Director of Business Development, BlueCross BlueShield Association to hear different perspectives of the challenges ahead in the 90-minute audio conference "Forecast: What's Ahead for Managed Care In 2006." Sponsored by The Executive Report on Managed Care and the Managed Care Information Center, this executive-level program has been scheduled for Thursday, February 23, 2006 at 1:30 PM Eastern time.
http://www.healthresourcesonline.com/edu/mc2006pg.htm
They will discuss:
- The top managed care issues for the year ahead
- New and emerging developments in the payor-provider arena
- How MCO consolidation is changing the marketplace
- Managed care and changing employers strategies for health benefits
- Assessment of the market growth and popularity of consumer-driven healthcare plans
- Health plan adoption and market acceptance of Health Savings Accounts
- The convergence of healthcare services and financial services
- Best practices for pay-for-performance and other initiatives to improve quality of care
- How hospitals and physicians are supporting the adoption of standard measures
- Health IT initiatives in support of personal health records, electronic health records, and e-prescribing
- Live question and answer session
The health costs escalation issue won't go away. With costs continuing to rise there will be more demand for across the board containment. That will not be easy. Yet, the demand will touch on many of the hot buttons of 2005 including pay-for-performance and health IT.
Health plans are continuing to bring consumer driven health plan products to market; the federal government cleared the way for health savings accounts; and plans are 'partnering' with financial institutions to market HSAs. MCOs are waving bonuses at providers to increase quality and patient satisfaction. Medicare's prescription drug plan was officially launched with so much across the board confusion from beneficiaries to providers that it is shaping up to be a political minefield come November. Finally, all of these developments are unfolding as the move toward electronic health technology is shaping the provider-patient-payor dynamic.
Pick your favorite issue and there are more questions than answers. Our surveys of health and managed care executives rank the health costs issue to continue to be the top problem. Everything else may be an attempt to calm the cost beast.
That's why "Forecast: What's Ahead For Managed Care In 2006" was organized. To help bring focus and maybe some clarity to the multiple forces shaping the health and managed care industry.
HOW TO REGISTER:
To register for "Forecast: What's Ahead For Managed Care 2006," visit: www.healthresourcesonline.com/edu/mc2006pg.htm or call (800) 516-4343.
The cost of the conference is $227 per site for those who register on or before February 17 and $277 after the early-bird deadline. A CD will also be available for purchase for those who are unable to participate in the live conference. For further details and other pricing options, visit www.healthresourcesonline.com/edu/mc2006pg.htm.
