WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Disease Management Association of America (DMAA), the nation’s premier association representing all stakeholders in the disease management (DM) community, has announced the dates and location for its 7th Annual Disease Management Leadership Forum (DMLF). The conference will be held October 16-19, 2005 at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. Situated on spectacular San Diego Bay, the Sheraton is just minutes from the airport.
“The title of this year’s conference is Changing Behaviors, Changing Lives and we selected that theme very deliberately,” stated DMAA President Christobel Selecky. “As Disease Management has grown in popularity and size over the past couple of years, much of the focus has rightly been on standardization of process and measurement and demonstration of financial return on investment. While these are critically important issues, and we will continue to focus on them, we also feel it is time to increase awareness of the more humanistic aspects of what we do -- working collaboratively with individuals and their physicians to improve quality of life and quality of care.”
The 2005 DMLF commences on Saturday October 15th with two days of pre- conference workshops including the Third Annual International Summit, which brings together attendees from over 20 countries to discuss and analyze global strategies for managing chronic illness. The Opening reception will officially “kick-off” the conference on Sunday evening. The next two days will be filled with concurrent educational sessions, keynote presentations, and numerous networking opportunities. Concurrent sessions will be identified by special interest track areas such as Behavior Modification, Scientific, Technology, Case Studies, and Innovations, just to name a few. Presenters will comprise the best and brightest in the disease management field.
More than 100 exhibitors are expected to showcase the latest technologies and services starting at the opening reception Sunday night and running through Tuesday afternoon.
The interest in the Poster Exhibit continues to grow each year and 2005 is expected to be no exception. Awards will be presented in scientific and general divisions.
As always, the DMAA Recognizing Excellence in Disease Management Awards Banquet is a highlight of the conference. Over 20 awards were given to programs and individuals in 2004 for their outstanding contributions to Disease Management.
This year’s conference is chaired by William Popik, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Aetna and President-elect of DMAA’s Board of Directors. “Living with a chronic condition is complex and difficult -- both for individuals with the condition, their families, and sometimes even their co-workers. Disease Management is about making a positive difference in how people feel and how well they live, and as such the human aspect of our work cannot be overstated. The educational and care monitoring services provided through Disease Management result in improved quality of life for patients and their families, increased productivity at work, and better managed medical costs. This year’s conference promises to be extremely useful for any organization facing these issues.”
DMAA’s online Call for Abstracts for the 7th Annual DMLF will be available at http://www.dmaa.org/ later this month. All interested parties are encouraged to submit an abstract via the online format.
For additional information on DMAA’s 2005 conference contact Judy Miller at 202-778-3248 or jmiller@dmaa.org.
DMAA is a nonprofit, voluntary membership organization founded in March, 1999 to represent all stakeholders of the disease management community. For more information, please visit http://www.dmaa.org/.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030114/DCTU013LOGO )
Disease Management Association of America
CONTACT: Judy Miller of the Disease Management Association of America,+1-202-778-3248, or jmiller@dmaa.org
Web site: http://www.dmaa.org/