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 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 was held on February 23, 2006. Leonard Kalm, VP Managed Care, Hospital Corporation of America; Peter R. Kongstvedt, M.D., F.A.C.P. Health/Managed Care Consulting Services at Accenture and Author of: The Managed Health Care Handbook; The Essentials of Managed Health Care; and Managed Care: What it Is and How it Works; Jody Voss Executive Director of Business Development at the BlueCross BlueShield Association; and William P. Whitely, Chief Marketing Officer, Ingenix are the presenters for this conference.

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. Finally, all of these developments are unfolding as the move toward electronic health technology is shaping the provider-patient-payor dynamic.

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.

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.

Agenda:

• 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
• Question and answer session

  Who Will Benefit From This 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.

  What Participants in the “Live” Audio Conference Had to Say:

  “I liked the diversity of the presentations and speakers.”

  “The breadth of perspectives was excellent.”

  “This was very pertinent information to my every day work.”

  “Content flowed well and speakers were well-prepared.”

  “Good foundation for understanding the managed care environment.”

  “The perspectives from the payor and provider were ones that I had not previously heard.”