<0> for MDS ConsultingRoss Goldberg, 818-597-8453, x-1 </0>
With the November elections on the horizon and the future of healthcare in America continuing to be hotly debated, many of the nation’s healthcare leaders will gather in Las Vegas later this month to discuss how to best tackle the challenges facing this $2.6 billion industry.
“Not only does healthcare touch every American in a very personal way, but nearly one in every 11 citizens is employed in some way in the healthcare field,” said Phil Dalton, president and founder of MDS Consulting, which is hosting the conference. “Healthcare consumes 17 percent of our gross domestic product, and the landscape is changing rapidly. As an industry we need to develop sensible strategies that will best serve our country now and in the future.”
America’s healthcare industry includes 5,200 hospitals, more than 750,000 physicians and 3 million nurses, plus health plans, pharmaceutical companies, product and service providers, and much more. According to Dalton, the uncertainty in the evolution of healthcare reform is causing the industry’s leaders to face unprecedented challenges in charting the future direction of their organizations. “Our conference is designed to help these leaders tackle the changing dynamic of the marketplace while providing new insights that will drive higher quality and value in healthcare. We’re also going to look at what impact the November elections and healthcare reform are likely to have on the industry.”
One of the highlights of the conference will be a unique gathering of four leaders in the development and structure of Pioneer accountable care organizations, a new payment and delivery model that is designed to improve care while reducing healthcare costs. Tackling this topic will be Jonathon Gluck, senior executive and general counsel of Heritage Provider Network; Chuck Lehn, chief executive officer of Banner Health Network; Michael Murphy, president and chief executive officer of Sharp Healthcare; and Stanley Dennis, senior vice president/chief revenue officer of Texas Health Resources.
In other presentations Bill Gil, president and CEO of Facey Medical Foundation, will discuss “Improving the Performance of Medical Groups;” and Marc Bennett, president and CEO of HealthInsight, will offer his thoughts on “Surviving and Thriving in the Age of Payment and Care Delivery Reform.” Other scheduled speakers include Douglas Allen, M.D., chief medical officer of Optum Health Collaborative Care; Jeff Koury, senior vice president of operations for Tenet Healthcare’s California region; Megan North, CEO of Conifer Cap Management Systems; and healthcare attorneys Bruce Merlin Fried of SNR Denton and Jill Gordon of Nixon Peabody.
Aptly named “Navigating the Road to the Future: Transforming the Way Hospitals, Physicians & Health Plans Conduct Business,” the 7 annual MDS Consulting conference is expected to attract hospital executives; physician leaders; healthcare attorneys; and industry executives from finance, nursing and business development. Further information on the conference, which will be held Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas, may be obtained at .
MDS Consulting is a national healthcare consulting firm that helps hospitals, medical groups, health systems and other healthcare organizations achieve their goals for development, growth and profitability. The MDS team of executive-level professionals provides individualized solutions and creative insights in such areas as physician/hospital alignment, medical group management, health reform/accountable care, financial assessments, hospital/healthcare planning and implementation, and regulatory compliance. Further information may be obtained at .