The treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease with proton-pump inhibitors and its implications on managed care--clinical overview of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Roundtable discussion.

The importance of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) to managed health care systems cannot be overestimated. It contributes significantly to the use of health care resources, including doctor's services, medication consumption, and diagnostic testing. A roundtable meeting of 13 managed care experts was convened January 23, 2001 in Dallas, to discuss the implications of GERD on the managed care system. The following proceedings are published in five sections. In the first part, Jeffrey Danzig, MD, a gastroenterologist, provides the clinical foundation for the discussion, based on the existing literature and his personal practice.