Opportunities and issues for medical group practices.

For the second consecutive year, McManis Associates, a health care management consulting firm and subsidiary of MMI Companies Inc., held, in conjunction with the 1996 MGMA/AMA joint legislation conference, an executive forum for leaders of medical group practices for a discussion of some of the key trends and issues they are facing today. The forum included five group practice executives from a variety of organization types and situations, and was structured to encourage them to engage in a candid exchange about their own opinions and experiences. Discussion was facilitated by Gerald L. McManis, president of McManis Associates, Louis Pavia Jr., executive vice president, and F. Kenneth Ackerman Jr., FACMPE, principal associate. This article provides a summary of the forum proceedings, as well as some commentary by the authors, based on their experience in working with medical group practices around the country.