It is an exciting time to be alive as the Internet revolutionizes the way business is conducted in America and throughout the world. In a time span measured in months, consumers have gained online access to just about every product and service there is. All traditional businesses from banking to publishing, auto makers, super markets, travel agencies and brokerage houses have had re-examine the way they do business. Yet, in health care we are only just beginning to understand the true potential of the Internet revolution.

While there have been many conferences designed around the theme of "Internet Healthcare," few have addressed the specific interests of physicians and hospitals. As a result, most of the existing conferences have failed to attract providers. And, for many reasons, physicians and hospitals have been slower to embrace the technology and make it a priority. But, that is rapidly changing. In a few short months, the number of physicians going online has risen dramatically. A year ago, hospital systems reported that developing an Internet strategy wasn’t even on their radar. Today, just about every hospital has a high-powered management team working on it.

The goal of the Symposium on E-Healthcare Strategies is to help physician and hospital leaders to understand how they can reinvent their core businesses to embrace the opportunities and meet the challenges of the Internet revolution.

This conference was first produced at the Phoenician Hotel in Scottsdale, AZ in February 2000. It attracted a sell-out audience of nearly 1,000 physicians, healthcare and dot com company leaders. Over 40% of the registrants were practicing physicians. That program had 11 platinum sponsors, 45 exhibitors, and 50 workshop presentations. The June session of the Symposium will be conducted in a larger venue, the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero in San Francisco. We anticipate an audience that will exceed our February attendance. We will also have capacity for 94 exhibitors and 80 workshop presenters.

The June symposium will begin with a Partnerships in Cyberspace Expo at 10:00 am on Sunday, June 25th and adjourn on Tuesday afternoon, June 27th. An optional one-day workshop on HIPAA will be held on Wednesday, June 28th.

Target Audience: Physicians, Medical Group & IPA Presidents/Directors, Health System & Hospital CEOs & COOs, Chief Information Officers, VPs for Strategic Planning, Marketing & Communications, VPs for Managed Care, MSO Administrators, Physician Directors for Electronic Medical Records, Quality Outcomes, Utilization Review, Continuum Services, and others.

The organizers of this conference have been developing successful high-level conferences for physician and health system leaders since 1992. E-Healthcare Connections is a new journal and web site, www.ehealthcareconnections.com that has been launched by John D. Cochrane and an editorial team of industry veterans. Mr. Cochrane is the editor emeritus and founder of the Integrated Healthcare Report and was the founder and architect of the popular Integrated Healthcare Symposium series. Prior to this he held high-level strategic planning and executive positions in medical groups, hospitals, health systems and hospital associations over a 25-year period. The Integrated Healthcare Symposium series produced over 25 large-scale conferences in the mid to late 90s. Health Care Conference Administrators LLC, at www.eHCCA.com, under the leadership of it's President Peter Grant, PhD, JD, offers The National Congress HealthCare Conference Series. Which has produced national events dealing with healthcare compliance, pharmaceutical issues, and the future of medical practice.

The E-Healthcare Connections Journal is the healthcare leaders' strategic guide to healthcare innovations on the Net. Keeping up with the healthcare Internet revolution is a growing challenge, as an estimated 1,500 new health-related web sites come on line each month and there are more than 20,000 sites. At the same time, the Internet promises to be a major force in reshaping the industry in the near future. The purpose of this new journal is to save busy physicians and healthcare executives time as they try to keep up with new developments on the Net.

In addition to a 20-page, full-color monthly publication, the journal has established a new web site. The plans for this site include a "Network Affiliates" program that will serve as a subscriber's resource center bringing together all the major vendors who have an interest in "connecting" with physicians, hospitals, health systems, as well as, increasing their marketplace visibility with other sectors world wide. For information contact managing editor Ronald Barkley, rbarkley@ehealthcareconnections.com or John D. Cochrane, editor, jcochrane@ehealthcareconnections.com. Be sure to check out our web site at www.ehealthcareconnections.com. This conference, along with sponsors, will be advertised on this site.

On Sunday, June 25, 2000, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the conference will feature a "Partnerships in Cyberspace" Expo that includes both workshop presentations and exhibits. A select number of companies will be allocated workshop meeting rooms to make 30 minute demonstration and product presentations. Workshop presentations and exhibiting companies will be described in the principle marketing brochure and in the on-site program guide. Where possible it is suggested that the company's president/CEO make the presentation in view of the high level audience we expect to attract. There will be no charge to companies for the opportunity to make workshop presentations. However, any companies that wish to present a 30 minute workshop will need to submit an application and be approved by the conference organizing committee. Any charges for lighting, phone, fax, computer lines, power, power strips, etc are also the responsibility of the presenting company. Companies making presentations are responsible for arranging their own AV support. This can be done through a company we will put you in touch with called Presentation Technologies. Due to the limited number of workshop rooms, priority will be given to companies in the following categories:

• Internet Consumer Health Portals - Where the portals are linked with health system, hospital and/or physician web sites.
• Internet physician practice management, hospital & transaction support companies
• Web-based electronic medical or patient records companies
• Mobile computing, wireless & palm top companies with programs for hospitals or physicians
• On-line disease management companies
• On-line physician resource companies
• Other companies with internet-related products or services that assist physicians, hospitals, and integrated delivery systems to establish and optimize their internet strategies.
• E-Healthcare Connections Web Site Network Affiliates

For additional information on workshop presentation content, contact John Cochrane at jcochrane@ehealthcareconnections.com. For information on workshop logistics contact our conference coordinator, Linda Jenkins at 760-771-5102 or by e-mail at lindaihi@aol.com.

Also offered beginning at 10:00 am on Sunday, June 25th and during the day on Monday and Tuesday will be the opportunity for up to 94 companies to exhibit. Exhibitors will be listed and recognized on signage near the main registration desk. They will also be recognized in the principle marketing brochure and on-site program guide. Exhibitors will be provided 10' x 10' Exhibit booths with custom 7"x44" signage and draping. Any other materials, including shipping and handling are the responsibility of the exhibiting companies. Any charges for lighting, phone, fax, computer lines, power strips etc are also the responsibility of the exhibiting company. Companies exhibiting at the conference will be entitled to tuition-free attendance at the conference for up to 2 representatives staffing their booths. An exhibit fee of $3,700 will be charged (includes a wine & cheese reception from 5:00pm to 7:00pm). For logistics information contact our conference coordinator, Linda Jenkins at 760-771-5102 or by e-mail at lindaihi@aol.com.

Diamond sponsors will be recognized on the front cover of the marketing brochure , which will be mailed to an estimated 100,000 potential attendees. They will also be recognized in the E-Healthcare Connections journal and on our web site. Diamond sponsorship will involve a contribution of $25,000 and include the following additional benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship recognition on cover of symposium brochure
• Promotional image before and after the opening session on the stage
• Logo/Sponsorship recognition on cover of symposium binder
• Maximum signage throughout event
• 10' x 10' exhibit booth with custom signage
• Promotion in the E-Healthcare Strategies conference brochure
• Banner hung in high traffic registration area
• Complimentary symposium passes for up to 6 attendees
• Admission for up to 5 attendees at the faculty gourmet dinner on the Bay on Monday night
• 4 Complimentary subscriptions to E-Healthcare Connections journal
• An optional free membership to the E-Healthcare Connections
• Network Affiliates program
• Invitation to the CEO to join our special private golf and cyberspace round table event on Saturday & Sunday featuring a dinner presentation and roundtable discussion moderated by Harvard Law Professor Arthur Miller.

Platinum sponsors will be recognized on the front cover of the marketing brochure. They will also be recognized on our web site. Platinum sponsorship will involve a grant of $15,000 and include the following additional benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on cover of Symposium Brochure
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on the cover of the Symposium Binder
• 10' x 10' Exhibit Booths with Custom signage
• Recognition on custom banner in registration area and on main conference screen in meeting room
• Complimentary symposium passes for up to 5 attendees
• Admission for up to 4 attendees at the faculty/sponsor gourmet dinner on the Bay on Monday night.
• 2 complimentary subscriptions to E-Healthcare Connections journal
• An optional membership in the E-Healthcare Connections Network Affiliates Program

On Wednesday, we will be presenting a special optional one-day workshop on how to prepare for HIPAA, the new privacy rules. Regulations are expected in late June and this workshop will be presenting the first look. Companies that are involved in security and privacy on the web are invited to be recognized through a special sponsorship category that involves a grant of $7,500 and includes:

• Recognition in the conference brochure
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on the cover of the Privacy Workshop Binder
• 10' x 10' Exhibit Booths with custom signage (for Wednesday only)
• Recognition on custom banner in registration area and on main conference screen in meeting room
• Complimentary symposium passes for up to 3 attendees
• Admission for up to 3 attendees at the faculty/sponsor gourmet dinner on the Bay on Monday night
• 2 complimentary subscriptions to E-Healthcare Connections

On Monday, June 26, 2000 at 6:00 pm, the symposium will have a hosted open bar reception for all sponsors, registrants, and faculty. This has been an extremely popular networking event and the sponsors of the event receives special recognition. This sponsorship involves a grant of $9,500 and the following benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on large banner at the hosted Welcome Reception
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition in the Symposium Binder
• Large Scale signage in registration area
• Recognition in Cyberspace Partnership Show Guide
• Admission for up to 3 attendees at the faculty/sponsor gourmet dinner on the Bay on Monday night
• Complimentary symposium passes for up to 3 attendees
• Complementary subscription to E-Healthcare Connections Journal

On Monday, June 26th, Tuesday, June 27th and Wednesday, June 28th there will be continental breakfasts served for all participants. There will be a limit of one sponsor for each continental breakfast. This involves a grant of $3,500 for each sponsored breakfast and include the following benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition in the Symposium Binder
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on Signage in the Breakfast Area
• 1 Tuition Pass to Symposium
• Complementary subscription to E-Healthcare Connections Journal

On each day of the symposium there will be hosted luncheons for the participants. One Monday, there will be a sit down lunch with a speaker. On Tuesday, we will furnish box lunches in the exhibit hall. Sponsors of the Tuesday lunch will have their logos printed on the box lunches. This sponsorship involves a grant of $7,500 per lunch sponsored and includes the following benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on large scale signage at the entrance to the lunch area
• Corporate logo on lunch boxes (Tuesday only)
• Recognition in Partners in CyberSpace Show Guide
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition in E-Healthcare Strategies Symposium Binder
• 1 Tuition Pass to Symposium

There will be two refreshment breaks per day M-W. Each may be sponsored for a grant of $2,500 and the sponsorship includes the following benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on large scale signage at the entrance to the break areas
• Recognition in Partners in CyberSpace Show Guide
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition in E-Healthcare Strategies Symposium Binder

A special event is planned for faculty and sponsors that includes a luxury cruise on San Francisco Bay beginning at 7:00 pm on Monday night. This sponsorship will include a grant of $8,500 and the following benefits:

• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition on large banner at the entrance to the cruise ship
• Logo/Sponsorship Recognition in the Symposium Binder
• Large Scale signage in registration area
• Recognition in Cyberspace Partnership Show Guide
• Admission for up to 4 attendees at the faculty/sponsor gourmet dinner
• Complimentary symposium passes for up to 4 attendees
• Complementary subscription to E-Healthcare Connections Journal

Other sponsorship opportunities are available for lessor fees. These can include logo recognition on tote bags, conference pads, pens, towels, tee shirts, water bottles, hotel key, etc. For information and sponsorship registration, please contact our conference coordinator, Linda Jenkins at 800-684-4549, or fax 760-771-3183, or e-mail lindaihi@aol.com.

A revolution is underway that will change the way physicians, hospitals and integrated delivery systems do business. This fundamental shift isn't driven by the threat of a President's solution to rising healthcare costs. It isn't driven by managed care or breakthrough discoveries in medicine. It is driven by consumers who are rushing onto the Internet in search of information and tools that will empower them to take charge of their own healthcare. By and large, it isn't hospitals or physicians responding to this phenomenon. It is a new breed of entrepreneurs, who are adding an estimated 1,500 new health-related Web sites per month.

Both healthy consumers and patients are taking more responsibility for their own care as a result of what they learn on the Internet. This will have a direct impact on traditional healthcare providers. According to a Louis Harris poll in March, 60 million Americans searched for healthcare information last year, and more than 90% said that they were satisfied with the information they found. That is an estimated 68% of all adults who had Internet access last year. The Louis Harris poll also found that two-thirds of those who searched the Internet talked about the information they found with their doctors.

Even more relevant is the fact that consumers who search the Net are looking for information on disorders that now account for a significant portion of total healthcare resource consumption. The top ten health conditions prompting a search, for example, were depression, allergies (or sinus conditions), cancer, bipolar disorder, arthritis/rheumatism, high blood pressure/ hypertension, migraine, anxiety, heart disease, and sleep disorders. Think of the potential power to influence quality and costs if we could harness the energy of these web surfers. But the use of the Internet by consumers is going beyond simply looking for healthcare information.

A report from Piper Jaffray predicts that healthcare will surpass on-line book retailing, which to date has been the most successful e-commerce model. The report points out that each year Americans spend four times as much per capita on prescription drugs as on books. Piper Jaffray also noted the tremendous potential for efficiency improvement in the industry. Their research indicates that one of every four dollars spent on healthcare is wasted through delivery of unnecessary care, redundant tests, and excessive administrative costs and that six percent of hospitaladmissions result in adverse drug events (most of which are preventable).

So why haven't physicians and hospitals converted many of their business and consumer communications to the "Web way of life?" Until recently, a very big factor has been physician resistance based on lack of computer-savvy, accuracy of data concerns, privacy concerns, and difficulty of incorporating a new routine.

Where are physicians as we enter the Internet age? In 1996, only 7% of physicians were using the Internet. A survey reported by Healtheon in mid-June now indicates that over 85% of physicians have gone on-line. Physicians are using e-mail (74%) and searching for medical information (60%). Physicians are doing research on-line, communicating with hospitals and labs or updating their medical training.

The shift onto the net by consumers and physicians has been very quick. In fact, it has happened so quickly that legal, financial, political and business structures have been caught off guard. Technically, for example, physicians throughout the world now have the ability to treat patients in cities, counties and countries on-line. Yet in America, physicians must be licensed in the state where care is provided.

There have been a number of reasons physicians and hospitals have lagged behind other industries. But now there is evidence that this is beginning to change. And consumers are the driving force. For example, in a recent survey, at least 64% of Americans said they would like to be able to send e-mail messages to their doctors, but only 34% of the doctors said they were interested. Given the ease of using e-mail compared to licking stamps, listening to Musak on the telephone, or sitting in a waiting room, it's only a question of time before this situation changes.

Strategic use of the Internet holds the potential for achieving the vision of a seamless, coordinated, accessible and comprehensive integrated health care system. And that's without sinking large dollars into legal forms and infrastructure. The goal of this conference is to help physicians and health systems to seize the opportunities to become connected in the new digital age.

The goals and learning objectives of the symposium are:

• To provide physician and health system leaders with a better understanding of Internet healthcare market forces and trends.
• To examine the impact of the Internet on relationships among consumers, patients, physicians, hospitals, and integrated delivery systems.
• To present lessons from actual case stud-ies of Internet-based, patient-accessible, interactive electronic medical records.
• To address the issues of patient interactivity, privacy and accuracy of health information on the Web.
• To assist physicians and hospitals in redesigning their business processes to facilitate integration, connectivity coordination, communication and patient interactions.
• To present strategies for encouraging physicians to make the Internet a vital component of their practices.
• To provide a forum for examining, comparing and contrasting Internet compa-nies that assist physicians and hospitals to realize their full "Internet potential."
• To examine the role that business to business e-commerce can play in lowering health system costs.
• To provide an unparalleled opportunity for networking.

This conference is designed for physicians, RN's, pharmacists, medical group & IPA presidents & directors, health system & hospital CEOs/COOs, CFO's, chief information officers, vice presidents for strategic planning, marketing & communications, vice presidents for managed care, MSO administrators, physician medical informatics executives, and others in the provider community who expect to be "connected" in the e-healthcare world of the 21 st century. But it is not limited to these groups. The Internet, like healthcare, is a ubiquitous subject involving a host of players. We hope to attract a diverse audience as a means for enhancing the learning process. In many ways, the Internet holds the promise of assisting hospitals and healthcare systems to achieve the goals of integrated healthcare a lot more easily than the attempts to structure legal arrangements. The goal of this conference is to point the way.

Prerequisites: None