Meeting the Demands of Healthcare Transparency in Pricing and Quality, a September 14, 2005 audio conference on CD-ROM, examines how organizations are achieving transparency in healthcare costs and quality.

Healthcare consumers and purchasers are increasingly demanding transparency in healthcare costs and quality to control costs and improve clinical outcomes. In this age of consumer-driven healthcare and health savings accounts, consumers need information about quality and pricing since the quality of care can vary tremendously from one facility to another and wide variations in care can occur even within the same practice setting. At the same time, while the level and quality of service may be comparable, huge differences in price can occur depending upon the provider performing the procedure.

During this 90-minute audio conference on CD-ROM, your expert panel of speakers, Dr. Lou Diamond, medical director with Medstat and Paul F. Thompson, product marketing manager with Cigna, provide you with the latest news and strategies about healthcare cost and quality transparency. You will get details on:

• Challenges of achieving transparency of healthcare quality and cost information;
• External drivers for the transparency movement;
• Quality performance metrics being used;
• Efforts to create transparency; and
• IT infrastructure needed to support these programs.

You can "attend" this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings – no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It’s so convenient! Invite your staff members to listen in.

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS AUDIO CONFERENCE?

Health plans and providers, CEOs, CFOs, employers, human resource benefit managers, medical directors, sales and marketing executives, employer health plan decision makers, network development and provider services directors, strategic planners, utilization management, MCO plan healthcare management, brokers, TPAs, network managers, physician practice management company executives, medical management directors, PHO and IPA leadership, analysts, consultants, account services and administration executives and ancillary products managers.

ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Louis H. Diamond

Louis H. Diamond, M.B.Ch.B., is vice president and medical director of Medstat. Medstat is a healthcare information company that provides market intelligence and benchmark databases, decision support solutions, and research services for managing the cost and quality of healthcare.

Dr. Diamond’s expertise includes the use of healthcare information, technologies, and methodologies for quality and clinical performance measurement and improvement. His focus includes the use of knowledge management, business intelligence, and workflow process improvement techniques to drive quality improvement and cost reduction in our nation’s healthcare system. He is also involved in the development of public policy through projects focused on patient safety, health system financing, physician payment reform, and quality measurement and reporting.

Dr. Diamond is a graduate of the Medical School of the University of Capetown, South Africa; and a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He was previously chairman of the Georgetown Department of Medicine at D.C. General Hospital and professor of medicine and associate dean for medical affairs at Georgetown School of Medicine.

Dr. Diamond currently serves as chair, Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement, Planning Advisory Committee, American Medical Association; chair, eHealth and Medical Informatics Forum and vice president, American College of Medical Quality; president of the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 5; delegate for the Renal Physicians Association (RPA) for the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates.

Paul Thompson

Paul Thompson is the product director responsible for the development, implementation, and marketing of the CIGNA Care Network - CIGNA's performance network based on specialist quality and efficency transparency. The CIGNA Care Network profiles 21 medical specialists in 16 markets. A critcial underlying component is the unique three-tier, incentive-based benefit design that rewards members for selecting designated providers while maintaining broad access to all contracted specialists.

Prior to joining the product organization, Thompson was a regional director of Underwriting for CIGNA HealthCare's commercial products. In addition, he brings 14 years of experience in a variety of roles from another major healthcare insurer.

Thompson holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut and a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University in Connecticut.