The proceedings published in the document are the outcomes from a conference to consider the role of professional nursing in relation to health maintenance organizations (HMOs) as one possible way to improve health care delivery. Emphasis is placed on strategies underlying the HMO concept and reviewing and extending understanding of factors which influence accessibility to and effective delivery of health care. Implications for nursing service and nursing education in a variety of settings are considered. Included in the document are: five presentations on these themes; participants' responses to a pretest and a posttest on concepts of HMOs; five group work reports discussing the conference themes; and several pages of questions for and answers from group work as developed by individual enrollees. Faculty, speakers, guests, and conferees are listed. (AJ)