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Consumer health issues take center stage at Fifth Annual Healthcare Marketplace Conference June 13 and 14 at the Oncenter

Health care consumers will be able to find out the latest information on a variety of issues, including heart disease, diabetes, dieting, infertility and massage therapy as part of the Fifth Annual Healthcare Marketplace to be held June 13 and 14 at the OnCenter in Syracuse. In addition to 34 consumer sessions to be presented June 13, the conference offers 21 presentations geared to health care professionals and executives. Sessions each day will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. The presenting sponsor of the two-day conference is BlueCross Blue Shield of Central New York. It is co-sponsored by SUNY Upstate Medical University.

“While there are isolated health fairs and disease-specific seminars every year in Syracuse, there isn’t one comprehensive forum that takes on a wide variety of health care topics, from infertility issues to aging well; from disease prevention to consumer empowerment,” said Melanie Rich, a conference advisory board member. “We hope that by broadening the scope of this annual conference to include not just corporate health care but the health care consumer in general, that it will become a valuable resource for information and education for anyone interested in the future of health care, politically and clinically.”

Presentations during the first day of the conference, June 13, will feature issues related to e-health, hospital and health care system strategies, management and human resources and marketing.

Key presentations for the June 13 session include:

• The keynote address, “Whose Life Is It Anyway? The Desperate Consequences of Putting Off ‘Til Tomorrow,” D. W. Molloy, director of the Geriatric Research Group and Memory Clinic, Hamilton Health Sciences Corp., Ontario, Canada. 8:30 to 9:10 a.m.
• “Health Care: Critical Condition,” Gary Fitzgerald, president and CEO of Iroquois Healthcare Alliance, East Syracuse. 1:50 to 2:30 p.m.
• “Grading the Graders: Online Ratings Services for the Health Care Industry,” Kerry Hicks, chair and CEO of HealthGrades Inc., Lakewood, Colo. 1:50 to 2:30 p.m.
• “Consumer Perspectives on E-Health” by Elizabeth Machado, Harris Interactive, New York City. 3:30 to 4:10 p.m.
• “HIPPA Compliance,” Beth Sassano, Medcomp Alliance; and Stephen H. Cohen of Scolaro, Shulman, Cohen, Lawler and Burstein. 9:20 to 10 a.m.

Presentations during the second day of the conference, June 14, will highlight consumer health issues, including adult, pediatric and adolescent health, diabetes, complementary medicine, child abuse, youth violence, over-the-counter drugs, sex and aging, lung cancer, holistic nursing and assisted reproduction.

Key presentations June 14 session include:

• The keynote presentation, “Using the Internet and Telemedicine to Improve Patient Care,” Ruth Weinstock, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Joslin Diabetes Center. 8:30 to 9:10 a.m.
• “Cancer Survivorship: How to Get There,” Sarah Grethlein, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University. 9:20 to 10 a.m.
• “Exercise-related Injuries in the Over-50 Crowd,” John Cannizzaro, M.D., professor of orthopedic surgery, SUNY Upstate Medical University. 10:50 to 11:30 a.m.
• “Self-Esteem and the Adolescent,” Theresa Rohr-Kirchgraber, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University. 1 to 1:40 p.m.
• “Mindful Eating: Jumping off the Diet Treadmill,” Lisa Kaufmann, M.D., associate professor of medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University. 2:40 to 3:20 p.m.

Registration for the two-day conference is $200. Registration to attend only the June 13 session, which is geared to health care professionals, is $150. Registration to attend only the June 14 session, which is devoted to the health care consumer, is $50. Registration includes lunch and parking. To register call 1-800-836-3539 or go to www.healthcareprovider.com