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URAC Announces Agenda for 2009 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Conference

Posted on: Friday, 13 February 2009, 10:52 CST

Conference agenda and sponsorship prospectus now available at www.urac.org/bestpractices

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- URAC announced today the agenda for the 2009 Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Conference to be held, April 1-2, 2009 in Orlando, Florida. In addition to Ian Morrison's opening keynote address The Future of the Healthcare Marketplace: The Quest for Value for All Americans, and Lee Woodruff's closing keynote address In an Instant: A Health Care Consumer's Journey of Healing and Empowerment, there will be a lunchtime poster session, 15 best practice presentations and a judges' panel.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030501/URACLOGO)

Each best practice presentation session provides attendees with the opportunity to gain valuable insight into the operations of one of three award-winning programs focused on best practices in consumer decision-making and consumer health and wellness. The sessions will illustrate demonstrated and measured programs formed through collaborative partnerships and that have a potential for wide-spread implementation within the US health care system.

Representing various stakeholder perspectives, a select panel of judges from the Best Practices Awards program will discuss how consumer-focused programs impact and enable consumers to be more effective navigators and managers of their own health care, and how various segments of the health care industry can incorporate the concept of consumer empowerment and protection into their operations. The session, entitled Turning Innovative Practices into Best Practices in Consumer Empowerment and Protection, will feature:

• Connie Commander, RN, BS, Commanders Premier Consulting Corporation,
• Peter R. Kongstvedt, MD, P. R. Kongstvedt Company, LLC,
• Michael J. Thompson, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
• Deborah Unger, RN, State of Alabama Employees' Insurance Board,
• Susan Willette, Mercer,
• and be moderated by Thomas W. Wilson, Ph.D., DrPH, Trajectory HealthCare, LLC.

"The Best Practices Conference provides a unique opportunity for leaders in health care management to learn what premier companies are doing to advance consumer protection and empowerment," said Alan Spielman, URAC's president and CEO. "It is a one-of-a kind conference, designed to inspire the industry as a whole to rapidly adopt proven practices that advance patient safety and empower consumers with improved decision-making tools."

All finalists are invited to attend a black tie dinner event during the conference, at which time they will discover how they will be distinguished as award winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards, as well as those receiving Honorable Mention awards will be named at the dinner. Platinum award winners will also be announced in the two topic categories.

For complete conference details and to sponsor or register for URAC's Best Practices Conference, go to http://www.urac.org/bestpractices/ or send email to education@urac.org.

About URAC

URAC, an independent, nonprofit organization, is well-known as a leader in promoting health care quality through its accreditation and certification programs. URAC offers a wide range of quality benchmarking programs and services that keep pace with the rapid changes in the health care system, and provide a symbol of excellence for organizations to validate their commitment to quality and accountability. Through its broad-based governance structure and an inclusive standards development process, URAC ensures that all stakeholders are represented in establishing meaningful quality measures for the entire health care industry. For more information, visit www.urac.org.

SOURCE URAC

Source: PR Newswire

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