California employers hear perspectives on health care reform

LONG BEACH, Calif., May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health industry experts and corporate executives will lead a forum on how the new national health care reform legislation will impact a company's bottom line on Friday May 17 from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Long Beach Hyatt. Sponsored by The Presidents' Partnership of MemorialCare Health System, the half-day event features leaders from the health care, insurance, not-for-profit and business sectors.

"As the major provisions of national health care reform are implemented in January 2014, businesses are searching for information on the impact on their bottom line and how to best prepare. Health care and its associated costs remain a major concern of every business executive in every industry sector," says Barry Arbuckle, Ph.D., president and CEO of MemorialCare Health System and past chair of California Hospital Association. "This forum will deliver up-to-date information on health reform and offer direction, solutions and strategies to help organizations navigate through reform and address the issues of rising health care and employee benefit costs."

Participating in the panel discussion are Debra Lambert, president of the LBL Group, an insurance and financial services company serving Southern California businesses and individuals for over 40 years; Joe Fries, CEO of Fontis Solutions, an employee-owned marketing and business communications provider; and David Kim, M.D., Medical Director at the Los Altos practice of MemorialCare Medical Group, with more than 150 physicians at 32 offices in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Moderating the discussion is Rick Reiff, host and executive producer of 'So Cal Insider' on PBS So Cal TV, and executive editor for the Orange County Business Journal.

Keynoting the forum is Pam Kehaly, president and general manager of Anthem Blue Cross, the largest health benefits company in California, with 8 million customers nationwide. 

"MemorialCare's Presidents' Partnership informs and engages employers large and small on issues they all face and seeks solutions to address the challenges and costs of health care," adds Dr. Arbuckle. "Working in collaboration, MemorialCare can help businesses identify the impact of health care reform, create a healthier workforce, stem the escalating costs of health benefits and advocate for better care for the communities they serve."

MemorialCare Health System, a not-for-profit integrated delivery system with more than 11,000 employees and 2,300 physicians, includes six top hospitals—Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach, Community Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center and Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills and San Clemente; medical groups—MemorialCare Medical Group and Greater Newport Physicians; MemorialCare HealthExpress retail clinics; ambulatory surgery centers and numerous outpatient health facilities throughout the Southland. An innovator in health care delivery, MemorialCare focuses on evidence-based, best practice medicine where physicians and health professionals study best clinical practices and implement them at MemorialCare's sites with outcomes frequently exceeding state and national averages. For more information, visit memorialcare.org.

To register for the May 17 forum, go to memorialcare.org/prespartnership or call 714-377-3009.

SOURCE MemorialCare