LEWISTON, Maine -- A conference on the patient-provider relationship will be held at Bates College on (Thursday) Nov. 7 from 8:30 a.m. through 5 p.m. in the Olin Arts Center.

The 1996 Maine Bioethics Network Fall Conference, "How We Can Retain the Patient-Provider Relationship in an Era of Managed Care and Cost Containment," featuring two speakers and two panels, will examine the impact of managed care upon the patient and health care providers from a variety of viewpoints.

Leon Eisenberg, the Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Social Medicine and Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, will speak at 9 a.m.

Daniel Callahan, an internationally respected thinker, speaker and writer in the field of medical ethics, and founder and president of the Hastings Center in New York, will speak at 1 p.m.

Topics to be explored during the symposium include the historical development of managed care in this country, the differences between not-for- profit and for-profit managed care organizations, and the ways in which legislatures can protect patients and providers from the burdens of managed care.

Support for the conference is provided by Bates College, the Coalition of Maine Nurses Organization, Maine Healthcare Association, Maine Medical Association, Maine Hospital Association and the Maine State Nurses Association. The conference is sponsored and accredited by Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Nurses, physicians and interested members of the public are invited to register for the conference. The fee is $55 for Maine Bioethics Network members and $75 for non-members. Checks should be made payable to Maine Bioethics Network and mailed to EMMC, Education and Training Center Registrar, 489 State St., P. O. Box 404, Bangor, Maine 04402--0404.

For additional information or reservations, call 207-973-7323.