The U.S. healthcare system continues to struggle with costs. As costs have climbed, data needs among employers are changing swiftly. Some employers are asking their health plan providers for deeper, more telling employee health information, only to find that they aren't able to obtain it because of HIPAA and similar laws.

As employers continue to cut back on health insurance for retirees (and might even stop offering it to new employees), early retirees are stuck in an expensive conundrum. More and more this group of retirees is turning to consumer-driven solutions.

Few words have become as vilified as "outsourcing." For some Americans, it might bring to mind low-paid and poorly trained workers working at an overseas call center. As competition and cost pressures worsen and the talk of recession continues, outsourcing is becoming an increasingly attractive option for healthcare payers. When done correctly, it can be both efficient and cost-effective. Despite popular belief, outsourced work doesn't have to go overseas; in some cases, the work can go across the city, or even across the street.

George Clooney's challenges make for good TV. While the former star of "ER" struggles with fictional patients, much of the drama in today's emergency department (ED) centers around the problems of overcrowding, increased utilization and increased wait times.

The healthcare industry has yet to use evidence-based medicine (EBM) to its fullest potential, despite studies suggesting the need for it. Wide variation in medical practice and resulting clinical outcomes is indicative of the not-yet completed journey toward implementing evidence-based medicine.

Healthcare reform is on the lips of every 2008 Presidential hopeful. Take a look beyond the lip service and examine the platforms of Democratic and Republican front-runners.

The World Health Organization's latest version of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) will bring "the good, the bad, and the ugly" for nearly all who use this classification system. However, the biggest asset is that the latest version is much more detailed and organized than ICD-9.

As the abundance of cliches would indicate, incentives are a powerful force. Health incentives, however, are becoming more sophisticated, and stakeholders need to adopt programs that work.

State of the Industry 2008 Oct 1, 2007

Managed Healthcare Executive recently surveyed readers and gathered your predictions for some of managed care's biggest issues in 2008, including drug safety, technology integration and competition. Answers from the more than 500 respondents indicate that an increasing number of you are uncertain about what the next year will bring, but you remain optimistic about your opportunities and your core capabilities. Comprehensive indicators suggest that the industry is becoming more granular, that is, more customized and more focused on one-off strategies, further stratified populations and differentiation in the market. Preparing for another year of regulatory changes, political influence and industry self-governance will clearly call for greater collaboration, which is another recurring theme throughout this Special Report. We've also included in-depth analysis from an authoritative panel of experts to help you forecast the turning points for 2008.