Over the last decade or more, health systems, pharmaceutical companies, health plans, and other health related organizations have all placed more emphasis on the patient / member / consumer. Health systems and pharmaceutical companies acknowledge consumers’ desire to be more in control of their decisions and need for more information and education. Health plans, historically focused on brokers, want to engage directly with their members. This panel will discuss the multiple factors driving this shift in focus, the tradeoffs, implications and areas of controversy.