Sixth Annual Conference
When: October 1-2, 2008
Where: Four Seasons Resort and Club
Dallas at Las Colinas
Hosted by:
Talcott Partners & The Marwood Group
Sponsored by:
CapitalSource Inc.
UBS Investment Bank
Ross & Company,Inc.
Agenda
Wednesday, October 1
12:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Registration
1:00 pm: Golf Outing, Shotgun Start
6:30 pm: Cocktails and Dinner
Thursday, October 2
6:30 am - 8:00 am: Registration & Breakfast
7:30 am - 2:30 pm: Welcome, Formal Program and Networking Lunch
6:00 pm: Informal Cocktails and Dinner
CONFERENCE TOPICS
A New Administration: How Will It Affect Healthcare?
Health care has emerged as a major issue in national debates leading up to the 2008 presidential election, with surveys finding that it ranks among the top three issues for voters. Hear several Healthcare Services Leaders perspectives on the potential impacts of a new administration:
• What are the major stakeholders and participants doing to prepare for change?
• What are the views of the major employers, labor, providers and payors with regard to potential changes?
• Comments and viewpoints on the evolving national policy debate.
• Moderated wrap-up panel discussion with all speakers.
SPEAKERS
Presentations by and extensive audience interaction with:
Randall K. Abbott, Senior Consultant and Practice Leader, Group Benefits and Health Care Practice, Watson Wyatt Worldwide
Fred R. Buenrostro, Jr., Former CEO, CalPERS
John Driscoll, President, New Markets, Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
C. Martin Harris, M.D., Chief Information Office, The Cleveland Clinic
Steve Hill, Administrator, Washington State Health Care Authority
Morton Kondracke, Co-host The Beltway Boys, Executive Editor; Columnist for Roll Call
Jeff Margolis, Chairman and CEO, The TriZetto Group, Inc.
Matt Salo, Director, Health & Human Services Committee, National Governors Association
Panels and Speakers
Randall K. Abbott, Senior Consultant and Practice Leader, Group Benefits and Health Care Practice, Watson Wyatt Worldwide.
Fred R. Buenrostro, Jr., former CEO, CalPERS
John Driscoll, President, New Markets, Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
C. Martin Harris, M.D., Chief Information Office, The Cleveland Clinic
Steve Hill, Administrator, Washington State Health Care Authority
Morton Kondracke, co-host The Beltway Boys, Executive Editor and
Columnist for Roll Call
Jeff Margolis, Chairman and CEO, The TriZetto Group, Inc.
Matt Salo, Director, Health & Human Services Committee, National Governors Association
Speaker Biographies
RANDALL K ABBOTT
Randall K. Abbott is a senior consultant and practice leader in the Group Benefits and Health Care Practice at Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a global human capital consulting organization. He has over 30 years experience in business and in the fields of employee benefits, health care and strategic workforce management. During his career, Randy has consulted to many of the nation’s largest employers including publicly traded corporations, private equity firms, partnerships and associations.
Recently, his work has concentrated on strategic health care planning, total benefits strategy, workforce health management strategies and "next generation" health care initiatives including creating a “culture of health.” He is also very involved in population health improvement and the development of onsite wellness centers. He has completed numerous engagements addressing post-retirement health care benefits including strategic redesign of retiree health plans for current and future populations. In addition, Randy has led many projects related to consumer-centric and account-based health care strategies. He was an early proponent of value-based strategies and chairs Watson Wyatt’s value-based health strategies workgroup, in addition to serving on the firm’s national onsite wellness center work group.
Randy is the author of over 130 published articles or monographs and has contributed to two benefits management textbooks. He is the author of current monographs on onsite health centers, creating a culture of health and implementing value-based health strategies. He is featured bi-monthly in The Journal of Compensation and Benefits on health care and related issues and appears in each issue of Health and Productivity Management, the journal of the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. He serves on the Policy Advisory Council of the Employers Council on Flexible Compensation (ECFC). He is a member of the Wellness Council of America and is a member of the Advisory Council to the Institute for Health and Productivity Management. His comments have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Forbes, CFO Magazine, Business Insurance, USA Today, The New York Times and many others. He has appeared on National Public Radio, CNN and CNN Financial News discussing health care matters.
Despite his extensive research, writing and consulting activities, Randy is a hands-on benefits professional who delights in working closely with his clients. He is a pragmatic strategist, a seasoned implementer and a strong negotiator. He is frequently asked to brief senior management and corporate boards on issues affecting benefits/HR. Randy has addressed many of the nation’s top CEO’s on the future of employment-based health care as a speaker at The Business Council. He speaks regularly to CFOs and financial forums and has also spoken extensively for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He is a frequent advisor or speaker to health plans and other health service providers on issues and trends affecting workforce health and productivity.
A summa cum laude graduate of Suffolk University, Boston, Randy began his career in group insurance and actuarial/underwriting services. He has been a survival school instructor, a martial arts instructor, an insurance broker, a human resource management instructor, financial officer for a privately held concern and has held a variety of leadership positions within Watson Wyatt. He has been consulting for over 25 years.
Randy can be reached at randall.abbott@watsonwyatt.com
FRED R. BUENROSTRO JR.
Chief Executive Officer, Retired
CalPERS
Fred R. Buenrostro Jr. retired as CalPERS Chief Executive Officer, June 30, 2008.
Fred R. Buenrostro Jr. was CalPERS Chief Executive Officer since December 2002, administering the nation's largest public pension fund. CalPERS provides retirement and health benefits to more than 1.4 million current and retired California public employees and their families.
As the System's seventh CEO, Mr. Buenrostro oversaw CalPERS employees, budget, and operations, spanning investments, health, and retirement benefits administration, actuarial and employer services, and other supplemental programs.
Mr. Buenrostro came to CalPERS with more than 25 years experience in public service, including more than 15 years on the CalPERS Board and 11 years on the California State Teachers' Retirement System (CalSTRS) Board. He served as the representative to the CalPERS and CalSTRS Boards for two State Controllers, three State Treasurers, and the Director of the Department of Personnel Administration.
Prior to becoming CalPERS CEO, he was the Chief Deputy Director of the Department of Personnel Administration, where he was responsible for the overall administration of the Department. He also served as the Director's top advisor on a wide range of policies and programs affecting State employees.
In addition, Mr. Buenrostro served as the First Vice President of the California Association of Public Retirement Systems (CALAPRS), an organization of more than three dozen California public pension systems. He also served as a Board Member of the United Way California Capital Region.
Mr. Buenrostro has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Pepperdine University and a law degree from McGeorge School of Law, University of the Pacific.
President, New Markets
Medco Health Solutions, Inc.
John P. Driscoll has served as President, New Markets since May 2006, and is responsible for Medco's Medicare business, consumer driven programs, insured solutions, acquisitions and alliances. He is also responsible for the development of new business and markets domestically and abroad. Mr. Driscoll joined Medco in 2003 initially serving as Senior Vice President, product and business development.
Prior to joining Medco, Mr. Driscoll worked for Oak Investment Partners as an advisor on health care investments and as Chairman of one of Oak's portfolio companies. Mr. Driscoll also held the position of Executive Vice President of Walker Digital from January 2000 to December 2001, and served in a number of senior positions at Oxford Health Plans from 1991 through 1999, including Corporate Vice President of Government Programs, where he founded a division that grew from less than $10 million to more than $1 billion in revenue.
Mr. Driscoll is co-chair of SureScripts-RxHub, a board member of the Domus Foundation, and on the Outward Bound Board of Advisors. He has published articles in Time magazine and the Los Angeles Times.
C. MARTIN HARRIS, M.D., M.B.A.
Chief Information Officer and Chairman
Information Technology Division
Cleveland Clinic Foundation
C. Martin Harris, M.D., M.B.A., is the Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Information Technology Division of Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Additionally, Dr. Harris is Executive Director of e-Cleveland Clinic, a series of e-health clinical programs offered over the Internet.
Dr. Harris' interest and expertise in the area of improving the practice of medicine through the innovative application of information technology, is reflected in his numerous appointments to national technology organizations including:
- Health & Human Services Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine
- HIMSS Board Member
- Appointed to the President's Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors
- Appointed to the Congressional Commission on Systemic Interoperability, which studies the steps required to develop a national health information network
Dr. Harris received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His residency training in general internal medicine was completed at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar fellowship in General Internal Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and holds a Masters in Business Administration in Healthcare Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Administrator
Washington State Health Care Authority
Steve Hill was appointed Administrator of the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in April 2005. A cabinet level agency, the HCA administers health-care benefits to more than 450,000 Washington residents through the Basic Health program for low-income residents, and the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) program for state government workers and retirees. Combined, the two programs administer over $1.6 billion in benefits annually. The HCA also helps expand access to health care through programs that encourage the use of evidence-based practices, promote health information technology, and help consumers make informed health care decisions.
Hill is a member of the Governor Christine Gregoire’s Health Policy team. The group is leading the State’s effort in effective uses of technology, consumer incentives, wellness promotion, and other avenues to improve access to affordable care.
Hill retired from Weyerhaeuser Co. where, as senior vice president of human resources, he led benefits, prevention, and health-care cost containment. He helped form, and served as president, of the Health Care Purchasers of Puget Sound, a group representing employers who sponsor health-care insurance. He also has served on the state’s Hospital Rate Setting Commission.
A former Regent for Washington State University, Hill received a bachelor of science degree in forest management from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969. In 1971, he received a master of business administration degree from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the first class of the American Leadership Forum Chapter for Tacoma-Pierce County, and on the board of directors for Consumers Union, the Washington Public Affairs Network (TVW), and the Puget Sound Health Alliance. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Human Resources in the Class of 2000. In 1978, he was appointed a White House Fellow and served as a staff assistant in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy.
Hill lives in Tacoma, Washington with his wife Sandy. They have two adult daughters.
MORTON KONDRACKE
Renowned Political Journalist
A journalist for more than 40 years, 35 of them in Washington, Morton Kondracke has covered nearly every phase of American politics and foreign policy, and has done so in newspapers and magazines, on television and radio. He is a regular commentator on the Fox News Channel, seen nightly as a Fox All Stars panelist on Special Report with Brit Hume and weekly as co-host of The Beltway Boys. He is the Executive Editor and Columnist for Roll Call, Capitol Hill's feisty, independent newspaper which is released four times a week. Mr. Kondracke is also a former panelist on The McLaughlin Group, an "original" and 16-year regular on the NBC/PBS public affairs show, seen on 350 stations nationwide. He is the author of Saving Milly; Love, Politics, and Parkinson’s Disease published in 2002.
In November 1994, he won the Washington Post's coveted Crystal Ball Award as the only journalist to predict the Republican Congressional landslide. In November 1996, he was first runner-up for this honor. Since November 1991, Kondracke has written Pennsylvania Avenue, a twice-weekly column on national politics, White House-Congressional relations, and domestic and foreign policy issues. It is syndicated nationally to 400 newspapers through United Features Syndicate and Newspaper Enterprise Association.
Some of Mr. Kondracke's past experiences include: Washington Bureau Chief for Newsweek; Executive Editor for The New Republic; panelist, This Week with David Brinkley; columnist, United Features Syndicate; columnist, The Wall Street Journal (monthly, December, 1984 - March, 1988); panelist, 1984 Reagan-Mondale debate on foreign policy; White House correspondent for the Chicago Sun Times; moderator, American Interests (a former PBS foreign policy series); commentator, All Things Considered and Communiqué ; talk show host, WRC-AM; and contributor, The Economist of London. Mr. Kondracke is also an occasional panelist on NBC's Meet the Press, CBS' Face the Nation, CNN's Crossfire, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Voice of America. Mr. Kondracke has several published articles in The New York Times magazine and book review, The Economist, The Washingtonian, and The Weekly Standard.
In his presentations, Kondracke focuses with humor, insight and experience on current politics, Washington controversies, and upcoming elections, and the Congressional agenda. Besides politics, he is especially expert on health care and foreign policy. He will tailor his presentation to the particular interests of his audience, researching its issues on Capitol Hill. He also addresses societal issues including censorship and cultural morality, and speaks eloquently on the politics of health care and funding for medical research.
Currently, Mr. Kondracke is a board member for Parkinson’s Action Network and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1960. He was a Nieman Fellow, Harvard University, from 1973 to 1974.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The TriZetto Group, Inc.
Widely recognized as a visionary in the application of innovative information technology to the complex and rapidly changing healthcare industry, Jeff Margolis founded The TriZetto® Group, Inc., in 1997, the first Application Services Provider (ASP) to serve the healthcare industry with pre-integrated information technology solutions. TriZetto went public in October of 1999; its shares are quoted on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol TZIX. In 2008, TriZetto entered into a $1.4B transaction to be taken private, with Mr. Margolis continuing as Chairman and CEO. From $3 million in revenue upon its founding in 1997, TriZetto has become recognized as one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the U.S., with 2007 revenue reaching $451 million and approximately 2000 employees. Today, it is the market-leading supplier of software and related services for the healthcare insurance industry. The company's software touches more than half of the insured U.S. population. The company's technology provides the foundation for many health plans offering new consumer-directed healthcare programs and managing new Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D programs.
Jeff has more than 24 years of experience architecting and managing information technology and technology-based services for some of the nation's largest and most innovative healthcare organizations. He is the former senior vice president and chief information officer of FHP International Corp., a $4 billion healthcare company that operated health plans, multi-specialty physician clinics and hospitals, serving more than 2 million members and patients. Prior to that, Jeff was Chief Information officer of TakeCare, Inc., and CompreCare, Inc. Jeff began his career in the management information systems consulting group of the organization now known as Accenture, where he helped launch the company's managed care consulting practice. Margolis was named an "up and comer" by Modern Healthcare magazine in 1994. In 2002, he was named Ernst & Young's Technology Entrepreneur of the Year for Orange County, California, Deloitte & Touche has recognized TriZetto among the fastest-growing technology companies in the U.S. and Orange County multiple times, and in 2006, TriZetto was named outstanding public technology company by the American Electronics Association.
Mr. Margolis received his B.S. in Business Administration--Management Information Systems from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with high honors. Mr. Margolis holds CPA certificates in Colorado and Illinois. He has served as an instructor in the Managed Care Systems graduate program at the University of Denver, and lectures regularly at the University of California, Irvine and the University of Illinois, where was also honored as commencement speaker for the College of Business in 2007. In addition, he has participated in and taught an extensive number of continuing professional education courses and health care industry seminars.
Director, Health and Human Services Committee
National Governors Association
Prior to joining NGA in January of 1999, where he oversees the development of the Governors' health care and human services reform agendas, Matt cut his teeth for five years working for the National Association of State Medicaid Directors. He earned his first health policy Purple Heart analyzing the Clinton Health Security Act, his second with the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, a third in designing the Medicaid reforms in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, and is now sticking his head in the line of fire with the NGA Health Care Reform Working Group.
Matt firmly believes he was personally responsible for securing the entire tobacco settlement for the states, getting $20 billion in state fiscal relief, and in modernizing the Medicaid program.
Matt taught high school for two years at T.C. Williams High in Alexandria, VA, which actually bears no resemblance to the school they profiled in the Disney movie, Remember the Titans. He holds a BA in Eastern Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, and is still trying to find ways to explain how that got him to where he is today.
Matt's proudest achievement to date is that Ed Howard of the Alliance for Health Reform thinks this is the most amusing biographical sketch he’s ever seen.