The managed care market faces a series of challenges this year that may change the face of the industry and therefore impact health providers and payors.

But what are the most challenging issues in the year ahead?

"Forecast: What's Ahead for Managed Care in 2005," a new executive-level audio-conference on CD-ROM, sponsored by The Executive Report on Managed Care and the Managed Care Information Center, brings focus to the trends shaping the healthcare and managed care industries this year.

The health costs escalation issue won't go away. Health plans are bringing 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 be able to market HSAs. Physicians, fed-up, are suing the major payors for equitable reimbursement; meanwhile the MCOs are waving bonuses at providers to increase quality and patient satisfaction. 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 as 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 2005" was organized. To help bring focus and clarity to the multiple forces shaping the health and managed care industry as we enter the mid-point in this first decade of the century.

Program Agenda

Your expert panelists provide you with information on:

• The top managed care issues for this year;
• Purchaser reaction to escalating premium costs;
• Implications for payors, providers and employers;
• 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 potential of the emerging provider pay for performance trend; and
• The savings, benefits and anticipated adoption of electronic payor-patient-provider electronic health applications.

Speaker Panel:

• Michael Thompson, ESA, MAAA, Principal, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Center
• Jack Bruner, National Practice Leader, Hewitt Associates

Who Will Benefit From The Audio Conference:

CEOs, COOs, CIOs, hospital and managed care executives, government officials, vice president of operations, vice president of finance, business development, strategic and implementation consultants, medical directors, sales executives and marketers, network services, public relations executives, Health plans and providers, pharmaceutical and disease management companies, medical device manufacturers, healthcare technology companies, PBMs, compliance officers, operations executives, executive directors, team leaders, planners, product managers, knowledge managers, department heads, pharmacists, human resource benefit managers, employer health plan decision makers, network development and provider services directors, strategic planners, utilization management, MCO plans, healthcare management, TPAs, network managers, physician practice management, company executives, medical management directors, PHO and IPA leadership, analysts, implementer consultants, account services and administration executives and ancillary products managers.