Health Care Leaders To Gather At URAC Annual Quality Summit In Scottsdale, Ariz., Oct. 6-8

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- URAC will host its 5th Annual Quality Summit and Exhibit Oct. 6-8 at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. This year's Summit will provide attendees a forum to meet and discuss challenges at the forefront of health and managed care today, and to strategize about how best to meet them head on.

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"The URAC Quality Summit is the only forum that brings together thought leaders, experts, and professionals from URAC-accredited companies with other industry pioneers to share information, innovative practices and solutions to address health care system quality and safety," said Garry Carneal, URAC president and CEO. "This year's theme, 'Vision Quest 2004,' will empower attendees to walk away with new ideas and perspectives on health care system performance and safety in the spectacular desert setting of Scottsdale."

Through a mix of keynote, general and breakout sessions, workshops, exhibits and networking events, the URAC Quality Summit is the ideal forum to meet and interact with colleagues to address key industry issues. This year's Quality Summit will feature:

  * Keynote speakers including Mary Grealy, president, Healthcare Leadership
    Council, Peter Kongstvedt, MD, vice president, Cap Gemini Ernst and
    Young, and Jeanne Scott, JD, talking head-in-chief, Health-politics.com

  * General sessions on pressing industry issues including health
    information technology and patient safety, consumer satisfaction and
    safety, predictive modeling, and evidence-based medicine

  * Breakout sessions showcasing best practices by many URAC-accredited
    companies in medical management, information technology, and HIPAA
    compliance

  * Exhibitors with products and services geared to the needs of attendees

  * Networking events designed to provide real discussion time with
    attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and URAC Board and Committee
    Members and staff

  * Pre and post-conference URAC accreditation workshops

  * Post-conference workshop offered by the Disease Management Purchasing
    Consortium on ROI

  * URAC draft standards public comment and discussion forum

"By bringing leaders from diverse health care fields together, we can provide a unique benefit to health professionals trying to understand a very dynamic environment," said Annette Watson, URAC vice president. "The URAC Quality Summit is unique in that it is the only conference in health care to discuss all aspects of the medical management system together with health information technology, patient safety and much more."

Early-bird registration pricing ends August 31. The room block, conference and many workshops are expected to sellout. For a complete agenda, registration, hotel, and travel information visit the URAC Web site at http://www.urac.org/. Limited exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities remain. Contact Steve Gardner at (514) 524-2062 or exhibiting@urac.org for more information.

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 http://www.urac.org/.

CONTACT: Danielle Potuto of URAC, +1-202-216-9010, x8829,dpotuto@urac.org

Web site: http://www.urac.org/