ABILITY Magazine is an award-winning publication, distributed by Time Warner, that brings a greater understanding to the issues surrounding 56 million Americans with disabilities. From Diabetes to Spinal Cord Injury and celebrity interviews to CEO profiles, ABILITY covers the latest on Health, Assistive Technology, Employment, Travel, Universal Design, Mental Health, and much more. www.abilitymagazine.com

AIS’s Inside Consumer — Directed Care provides timely news and insightful analysis on how the trend toward consumer-directed health plans will affect utilization of medical services, insurance premiums, and your bottom line. Get reliable intelligence on what’s working and what’s not and why. 24 issues annually. For more information call AIS at 800-521-4323 or visit the web site at www.AISHealth.com.

AIS’s MANAGED CARE WEEK, hard-hitting business and financial news of the managed care industry. Includes data on HMOs, PPOs, POS plans, new managed care products and markets, and government initiatives that are changing the face of managed care. Written by insightful managed care writer/analyst Jill Brown. 45 issues annually, print copy, e-mail delivery and regular e-mail news alerts. For more information call AIS at 800-521-4323 or visit the web site at http://www.aishealth.com/Products/NewsMCW.html

The American Back Society was founded in Oakland, California in 1982 as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing an interdisciplinary forum for health care professionals and scientists interested in relieving pain and diminishing impairment through proper diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from spinal pathology. Through periodic meetings, the American Back Society invites exchange of ideas, constructive criticism, and educational opportunities to all disciplines involved. The goals of these interchanges are to assure improved expertise, and greater interchange of professional contributions, and to ensure ethical practice and economic benefits for the patients and society.

The ACR is an organization of and for physicians, health professionals, and scientists that advances rheumatology through programs of education, research, advocacy and practice support that foster excellence in the care of people with arthritis and rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

The American Journal of Managed Care is an independent, peer-reviewed forum for the publication of clinical research and opinion related to quality, value, and policy in healthcare delivery. The Journal delivers original research on patient outcomes, clinical effectiveness, cost effectiveness, quality management, and health policy to managed care decision makers. www.ajmc.com

The American Pain Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving people with pain through information, advocacy, and support. Its comprehensive consumer-focused web site (www.painfoundation.org) includes up-to-date, reliable information about pain and treatment options, how to find help and links to carefully-selected resources. PainAid, APF's online community, offers moderated message boards, chat rooms and Ask-The-Expert discussions.

The Arthritis Foundation is the only nationwide, nonprofit health organization helping people take greater control of arthritis by leading effort to prevent, control and cure arthritis and related diseases -- the nation's number one cause of disability. The foundation reaches out to millions of men, women and children with arthritis by providing community-based public health initiatives, advocating for changes in public policy and funding for nationwide research that moves us closer to a cure. For more information about arthritis or to locate the Arthritis Foundation office nearest you, call 1-800-568-4045 or visit www.arthritis.org.

The Disability Management Employer Coalition, Inc., DMEC, is a nonprofit, employer-focused professional association founded in 1992 to advance the development of integrated disability and absence management processes in all disability-related employer programs. The coalition encourages employers, health and disability providers, and the government at all levels to support the concept of disability management and benefits integration. DMEC is headquartered at: 6343 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 110, San Diego, CA 92115. Telephone: (800) 789-3632. Fax: (619) 749-7872. Web site: www.dmec.org.

This conference is supported by Managed Dental Care, a 100% independent (and therefore a 100% objective) newsletter on dental managed care and other business matters affecting every dental payor, provider, and dental practice management firm. For a free trial subscription or for more information, call toll-free 1-800-597-6300 or visit www.nhionline.net.

Pearson Assessments is a leading provider of psychological assessments for use with medical patients to help improve treatment effectiveness and outcomes. As part of Pearson plc, an international publisher and media company, Pearson Assessments also offers tests to professionals practicing in the areas of mental health counseling and treatment, education, and career counseling.

Performance Improvement Advisor is a must-have monthly tool guaranteed to help healthcare organizations like yours boost performance and enhance quality. Each month you’ll uncover real-life case studies, data gathering and analysis strategies, physician profiling and performance enhancement methods, and specific critical paths, care plans, clinical algorithms, performance benchmarks, and other QI tools that you can adapt and use in your organization immediately. Simply put, our experts provide a detailed roadmap leading you toward higher quality and a healthier balance sheet. To request a free trial, order online at www.nhionline.net/products/pia.htm or call 800-597-6300. 12 monthly issues, 12 pages each: $399

Most cases of chronic pain can be managed, minimizing suffering and debilitation; however, there is a substantial gap between what can be done for people disabled by pain, and what is actually being done. The National Pain Foundation strives to bridge this gap through education, support, and awareness.

The NPF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization created to fill the gap in the understanding and awareness of pain issues and treatment options for pain. The mission of the NPF is to be a credible and highly effective resource to empower all persons in pain, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, or economic or social status, to improve their lives through education, advocacy, communication networks, and community participation. The methods for achieving our mission are as follows: Coordination of information technologies, Community outreach, Linking people in pain to resources, Linking resources to people in pain, Education. Please visit our website www.nationalpainfoundation.org.

www.PharmCast.com is the world leading website designed specifically for pharmaceutical, clinical and biotechnology professionals. www.PharmCast.com brings up-to-date information on pharmaceutical patents, FDA, news, jobs and Buyer's Guide to its visitors. It was created and is maintained by pharmaceutical and biotechnology professionals. Visit www.PharmCast.com and discover for yourself why it is so popular among professionals.