Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — OPEN MINDS and NMHCC announced today that Magellan Behavioral Health will be the exclusive sponsor of the Behavioral Health Track, "Maximize Consumer Value in a Time of New Technology & Regulation", at the 2002 National Managed Health Care Congress through an unrestricted educational grant. The 14th Annual National Managed Health Care Congress will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland, April 15 – 18.

"With the introduction of managed care over the past fifteen years, behavioral health executives have led their organizations through a period of changing consumer expectations, much-reduced inpatient utilization, falling rates, and an explosion of new clinical and communications technology", explains Monica E. Oss, President of OPEN MINDS. "Managed care executives have come to learn that behavioral issues and behavioral interventions are key in developing high-quality, cost-effective health plans and the Behavioral Health Track at NMHCC is one conference where the management of behavioral health benefits and the management of managed care meet."

This year's Behavioral Health Track will be chaired by OPEN MINDS and will include the following sessions:

• State of the Sector and What You Need to Know About the Future -- Monica E. Oss, President, OPEN MINDS
• For Better or For Worse: How HIPAA Will Affect Behavioral Healthcare -- John Phillips, President, Creative Socio-Medics and Joseph Naughton-Travers, Senior Consultant, OPEN MINDS
• The Fallout from September 11: New Models and Tactics for Healing -- David Nace, MD, Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, United Behavioral Health and Jack Dolan, MPH, MA, Consultant
• Better Information Management with Better Information Systems -- Matt Dorman, President, Credible Wireless and Diane Holder, President Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic; Vice President, Behavioral Health Services, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Health Systems; Department of Psychiatry, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Dialogue on Pharmaceuticals in the Behavioral Health Arena -- Dana S. Johnson, ACSW, CISW, Chief Executive Officer, Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services and Neal Adams, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Adult Services, California Department of Mental Health; President, American College of Mental Health Administration
• Behavioral Health: The Everlasting Treatment Disconnect -- William O'Donohue, PhD, Nicholas Cummings Professor of Organized Behavioral Healthcare Delivery, Department of Psychology, University of Nevada, Reno and Jonathan Book, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Magellan Behavioral Health
• Licensure and Accreditation: Addressing New Issues Facing Behavioral Health -- Patricia Staten, Associate Director, Standards Interpretation Group, Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) and Dee Montgomery, Senior Vice President, Network Services, Magellan Behavioral Health

In addition to the Behavioral Health Track, attendees will have the opportunity to hear dynamic keynotes and debates exploring the most pressing issues of the day, including;

“What Will Washington Decide? The Impact of Pending Legislation on the Healthcare Industry”

• Congressman Thomas H. Allen, D-Maine, US House of Representatives, Co-Chairman House Prescription Drug Task Force
• Honorable Christopher S. Bond, R-Missouri, US Senate
• Congressman Pete Stark, D-California, US House of Representatives Ranking Minority Member, Health Subcommittee, Ways and Means
• Alain Enthoven (Moderator) Professor, Stanford University

"The Changing Marketplace of Aging: A Blessing in Disguise for Healthcare Providers"

• Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., president of The Dychtwald Group

For full Keynotes and program details, visit www.nmhcc.org/nmhcc

To register for FREE passes to NMHCC, visit www.magellanhealth.com/nmhcc.

OPEN MINDS is a behavioral health and social service industry research and management consulting firm. The company’s stock in trade is analyzing and disseminating information on the business, marketing, and financing aspects of behavioral health, child welfare, senior services, and human services. The firm was founded in 1987 and has three service divisions – information products, professional education, and research and management consultation services. The company commenced operations in April 1988 with the publication of the first issue of its flagship monthly publication. OPEN MINDS has developed a wide array of products and services – periodicals and books, datasets and database, education programs, research, and consultation services.

The National Managed Health Care Congress is the world’s largest and most comprehensive managed care conference and exposition. NMHCC annually attracts the leaders and decision makers from every field of the health care industry and features over 100 conference sessions, nationally recognized speakers, and over 600 exhibiting companies. To register for the Behavioral Health Track of the National Managed Health Care Congress, visit http://www.nmhcc.org/events.scroll.html.

Based in Columbia, Maryland, Magellan Behavioral Health is the country's leader in managed behavioral health and wellness services, serving individuals across the United States. The company specializes in managed mental health and substance abuse services as well as employee assistance/work-life programs and serves over 3,000 client organizations representing health plans, government agencies, unions, and corporations. For more information contact Erin Somers, Vice President of Public Relations, at 410-953-2405 or visit http://www.magellanhealth.com.

For more information about the 2002 NMHCC/OPEN MINDS Behavioral Health Track: Maximize Consumer Value in a Time of New Technology & Regulations, contact OPEN MINDS, 163 York Street, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 17325-1933, 717-334-1329, fax: 717-334-0538, e-mail: openminds@openminds.com or visit our web site.