Exhibit 10.5

                          1998 IMS HEALTH INCORPORATED
                  NON-EMPLOYEE DIRECTORS' STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN


1.   Purpose of the Plan

     The purpose of the Plan is to aid the Company in attracting,  retaining and
compensating  non-employee  directors  and to  enable  them  to  increase  their
ownership  of  Shares.  The  Plan  will be  beneficial  to the  Company  and its
stockholders since it will allow  non-employee  directors of the Board to have a
greater personal financial stake in the Company through the ownership of Shares,
in  addition  to  underscoring   their  common  interest  with  stockholders  in
increasing the value of the Shares on a long-term basis.


2.   Definitions

     The  following  capitalized  terms  used in the Plan  have  the  respective
meanings set forth in this Section:

     (a) Act: The Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor
thereto.

     (b) Award: An Option or Share of Restricted  Stock granted  pursuant to the
Plan.

     (c) Beneficial  Owner:  As such term is defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Act
(or any successor rule thereto).

     (d) Board: The Board of Directors of the Company.

     (e) Change in Control: The occurrence of any of the following events:

          (i) any Person (other than the Company, any trustee or other fiduciary
     holding  securities under an employee  benefit plan of the Company,  or any
     company owned,  directly or indirectly,  by the stockholders of the Company
     in  substantially  the same  proportions as their ownership of stock of the
     Company),   becomes  the  Beneficial  Owner,  directly  or  indirectly,  of
     securities of the Company  representing  20% or more of the combined voting
     power of the Company's then-outstanding securities;

          (ii) during any period of twenty-four months (not including any period
     prior to the  Effective  Date),  individuals  who at the  beginning of such
     period  constitute  the  Board,  and any new  director  (other  than  (A) a
     director nominated by a Person who has



                                                                               2


     entered  into an  agreement  with  the  Company  to  effect  a  transaction
     described in Sections  2(e)(i),  (iii) or (iv) of the Plan,  (B) a director
     nominated by any Person  (including the Company) who publicly  announces an
     intention to take or to consider taking actions (including, but not limited
     to, an actual or  threatened  proxy  contest)  which if  consummated  would
     constitute  a Change in Control or (C) a director  nominated  by any Person
     who is the Beneficial Owner,  directly or indirectly,  of securities of the
     Company  representing  10% or  more of the  combined  voting  power  of the
     Company's  securities)  whose  election  by the  Board  or  nomination  for
     election by the Company's stockholders was approved in advance by a vote of
     at least  two-thirds (2/3) of the directors then still in office who either
     were  directors  at the  beginning  of the  period  or  whose  election  or
     nomination for election was previously so approved, cease for any reason to
     constitute at least a majority thereof;

          (iii) the  stockholders  of the  Company  approve any  transaction  or
     series of  transactions  under which the Company is merged or  consolidated
     with any other  company,  other  than a merger or  consolidation  (A) which
     would  result  in  the  voting   securities  of  the  Company   outstanding
     immediately  prior  thereto  continuing  to represent  (either by remaining
     outstanding or by being  converted into voting  securities of the surviving
     entity)  more  than 66 2/3% of the  combined  voting  power  of the  voting
     securities of the Company or such surviving entity outstanding  immediately
     after such merger or consolidation  and (B) after which no Person holds 20%
     or more of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding  securities of
     the Company or such surviving entity; or

          (iv)  the  stockholders  of the  Company  approve  a plan of  complete
     liquidation  of the Company or an agreement for the sale or  disposition by
     the Company of all or substantially all of the Company's assets.

     (f) Code: The Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,  or any successor
thereto.

     (g) Cognizant: Cognizant Corporation, a Delaware corporation.

     (h) Committee: The Compensation and Benefits Committee of the Board.



                                                                               3


     (i) Company: IMS Health Incorporated, a Delaware corporation.

     (j) Disability:  Inability to continue to serve as a non-employee  director
of the Board due to a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which
constitutes  a permanent  and total  disability,  as determined by the Committee
(excluding  any member thereof whose own Disability is at issue in a given case)
based upon such evidence as it deems  necessary and  appropriate.  A Participant
shall not be  considered  disabled  unless he or she  furnishes  such medical or
other evidence of the existence of the Disability as the Committee,  in its sole
discretion, may require.

     (k) Effective  Date:  The date on which the Plan takes  effect,  as defined
pursuant to Section 13 of the Plan.

     (l) Fair Market Value: On a given date, the arithmetic mean of the high and
low prices of the Shares as reported on such date on the  Composite  Tape of the
principal  national  securities  exchange  on which  such  Shares  are listed or
admitted  to  trading,  or,  if no  Composite  Tape  exists  for  such  national
securities  exchange on such date,  then on the  principal  national  securities
exchange on which such  Shares are listed or  admitted  to  trading,  or, if the
Shares  are not  listed or  admitted  on a  national  securities  exchange,  the
arithmetic  mean of the per Share  closing bid price and per Share closing asked
price on such date as quoted on the National  Association of Securities  Dealers
Automated  Quotation  System (or such market in which such prices are  regularly
quoted), or, if there is no market on which the Shares are regularly quoted, the
Fair Market Value shall be the value established by the Committee in good faith.
If no sale of Shares  shall have been  reported on such  Composite  Tape or such
national securities exchange on such date or quoted on the National  Association
of  Securities  Dealers  Automated  Quotation  System  on such  date,  then  the
immediately preceding date on which sales of the Shares have been so reported or
quoted shall be used.

     (m) Option: A stock option granted pursuant to Section 6 of the Plan.

     (n) Option Price: The purchase price per Share of an Option,  as determined
pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Plan.



                                                                               4


     (o) Participant:  Any director of the Company who is not an employee of the
Company  or any  Subsidiary  of the  Company  as of the  date  that an  Award is
granted.

     (p) Person:  As such term is used for purposes of Section 13(d) or 14(d) of
the Act (or any successor section thereto).

     (q) Plan: The 1998 IMS Health  Incorporated  Non-Employee  Directors' Stock
Incentive Plan.

     (r)  Restricted  Stock:  A Share of restricted  stock  granted  pursuant to
Section 7 of the Plan.

     (s)  Retirement:  Termination  of  service  with  the  Company  after  such
Participant has attained age 70, regardless of the length of such  Participant's
service;  or, with the prior  written  consent of the Committee  (excluding  any
member thereof whose own Retirement is at issue in a given case), termination of
service at an earlier age after the  Participant has completed six or more years
of service with the Company.

     (t)  Shares:  Shares of common  stock,  par value  $0.01 per share,  of the
Company.

     (u) Spinoff Date:  The date on which the Shares that are owned by Cognizant
are distributed to the holders of record of shares of Cognizant.

     (v) Subsidiary:  A subsidiary corporation,  as defined in Section 424(f) of
the Code (or any successor section thereto).


3.   Shares Subject to the Plan

     The total  number of Shares  which may be issued  under the Plan is 80,000.
The Shares may  consist,  in whole or in part,  of  unissued  Shares or treasury
Shares.  The issuance of Awards or the payment of cash upon exercise of an Award
shall reduce the total number of Shares available under the Plan, as applicable.
Shares which are subject to Awards which terminate or lapse may be granted again
under the Plan.


4.   Administration

     The Plan shall be  administered  by the  Committee,  which may delegate its
duties and  powers in whole or in part to any  



                                                                               5


subcommittee thereof consisting solely of at least two "non-employee  directors"
within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Act (or any successor  rule thereto).
The Committee is  authorized  to interpret  the Plan,  to  establish,  amend and
rescind any rules and  regulations  relating to the Plan,  and to make any other
determinations  that it deems necessary or desirable for the  administration  of
the Plan.  The  Committee  may  correct  any  defect or supply any  omission  or
reconcile  any  inconsistency  in the Plan in the  manner  and to the extent the
Committee  deems  necessary or  desirable.  Any decision of the Committee in the
interpretation  and  administration of the Plan, as described herein,  shall lie
within  its sole and  absolute  discretion  and shall be final,  conclusive  and
binding on all parties concerned  (including,  but not limited to,  Participants
and their beneficiaries or successors).


5.   Eligibility

     All Participants shall be eligible to participate under this Plan.


6.   Terms and Conditions of Options

     Options  granted  under the Plan shall be  non-qualified  stock options for
federal income tax purposes, as evidenced by the related Option agreements,  and
shall be subject to the foregoing and the following  terms and conditions and to
such other terms and conditions,  not inconsistent  therewith,  as the Committee
shall determine:

     (a) Grants.  A Participant may receive,  on such dates as determined by the
Committee in its sole discretion, grants consisting of such number of Options as
determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

     (b) Option  Price.  The Option Price per Share shall be  determined  by the
Committee,  but  shall not be less  than  100% of the Fair  Market  Value of the
Shares on the date an Option is granted.

     (c) Exercisability.  Options granted under the Plan shall be exercisable at
such  time and upon  such  terms  and  conditions  as may be  determined  by the
Committee,  but in no event shall an Option be  exercisable  more than ten years
after the date it is granted.

     (d) Exercise of Options.  Except as otherwise  provided in the Plan or in a
related  Option  agreement,  an Option may be exercised for all, or from time to
time any part, of the Shares for which it is then  exercisable.  For purposes of
Section 6 of the Plan,  the exercise date of an Option shall be the later of 



                                                                               6


the date a notice of exercise is received by the Company and, if applicable, (A)
the date  payment is received by the Company  pursuant to clauses  (i),  (ii) or
(iii) in the following  sentence or (B) the date of sale by a broker of all or a
portion of the Shares being  purchased  pursuant to clause (iv) in the following
sentence.  The purchase  price for the Shares as to which an Option is exercised
shall be paid to the Company in full at the time of exercise at the  election of
the  Participant (i) in cash, (ii) in Shares having a Fair Market Value equal to
the aggregate  Option Price for the Shares being  purchased and satisfying  such
other requirements as may be imposed by the Committee,  (iii) partly in cash and
partly in such Shares, or (iv) through the delivery of irrevocable  instructions
to a broker to deliver  promptly to the Company an amount equal to the aggregate
Option  Price for the Shares  being  purchased.  No  Participant  shall have any
rights to  dividends  or other  rights of a  stockholder  with respect to Shares
subject to an Option until the  Participant has given written notice of exercise
of the Option,  paid in full for such Shares and, if  applicable,  has satisfied
any other conditions imposed by the Committee pursuant to the Plan.

     (e) Exercisability Upon Termination of Service by Death. If a Participant's
service  with the Company  and its  Subsidiaries  terminates  by reason of death
after the date of grant of an Option, (i) the unexercised portion of such Option
shall immediately vest in full and (ii) such portion may thereafter be exercised
during the  shorter of (A) the  remaining  stated term of the Option or (B) five
years after the date of death.

     (f) Exercisability Upon Termination of Service by Disability or Retirement.
If a Participant's  service with the Company and its Subsidiaries  terminates by
reason of Disability or Retirement after the date of grant of an Option, (i) the
unexercised  portion of such Option shall immediately vest in full and (ii) such
portion may  thereafter  be  exercised  during the shorter of (A) the  remaining
stated term of the Option or (B) five years  after the date of such  termination
of service;  provided,  however,  that if a Participant  dies within a period of
five years after such  termination of service,  the  unexercised  portion of the
Option may  thereafter  be  exercised,  during the shorter of (i) the  remaining
stated  term of the  Option or (ii) the  period  that is the  longer of (A) five
years  after the date of such  termination  of service or (B) one year after the
date of death.

     (g) Effect of Other Termination of Service. If a Participant's service with
the Company and its  Subsidiaries  terminates  for any reason  other than death,
Disability  or  Retirement  after the date of grant of an  Option  as  described
above,  the unexercised  portion of an Option may thereafter be exercised during
the period ending ninety days after the date of such termination of service, but
only to the extent to which  such  



                                                                               7


Option was exercisable at the time of such termination of service.


7.   Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock

     Restricted  Stock  granted under the Plan shall be subject to the foregoing
and the following  terms and conditions and to such other terms and  conditions,
not inconsistent therewith, as the Committee shall determine:

     (a) Grants.  A Participant may receive,  on such dates as determined by the
Committee  in  its  sole  discretion,  grants  consisting  of  such  amounts  of
Restricted Stock as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.

     (b) Restrictions.  Restricted Stock granted under the Plan may not be sold,
transferred, pledged, assigned or otherwise disposed of under any circumstances;
provided, however, that the foregoing restrictions shall elapse at such time and
upon such terms and  conditions  as may be  specified  by the  Committee  in the
related Award agreement(s).

     (c) Acceleration. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary, (i)
the  restrictions  set forth in  Section  7(b) of the Plan  shall  automatically
elapse in the event that a Participant  terminates service with the Company as a
result of death or  Disability  and (ii) the  Committee  (excluding  any  member
thereof  whose  own  Award  is at  issue  in a  given  case)  may,  in its  sole
discretion,  accelerate  the elapsing of the  restrictions  set forth in Section
7(b) of the Plan in the event that a  Participant  terminates  service  with the
Company for any other reason. In the absence of such acceleration, all Shares of
Restricted Stock as to which  restrictions have not previously  elapsed pursuant
to  Section  7(b) of the Plan  shall be  forfeited  upon  the  termination  of a
Participant's  service  with  the  Company  for  reasons  other  than  death  or
Disability.


8.   Adjustments Upon Certain Events

     Notwithstanding  any  other  provisions  in the Plan to the  contrary,  the
following provisions shall apply to all Awards granted under the Plan:

     (a) Generally.  In the event of any change in the outstanding  Shares after
the  Effective  Date by reason of any Share  dividend or split,  reorganization,
recapitalization,  merger, consolidation,  spin-off,  combination or exchange of
Shares or other  corporate  exchange,  or any  distribution  to  stockholders of
Shares other than regular cash  dividends,  the Committee in its sole discretion
and without liability to any person may make such substitution or adjustment, if
any,  as it 



                                                                               8


deems  to be  equitable,  as to (i)  the  number  or  kind of  Shares  or  other
securities  issued or reserved for issuance  pursuant to the Plan or pursuant to
outstanding  Awards, (ii) the Option Price and/or (iii) any other affected terms
of such Awards.

     (b) Change in Control.  In the event of a Change in Control,  the Committee
in its sole  discretion  and  without  liability  to any  person  may take  such
actions,  if any, as it deems  necessary or desirable  with respect to any Award
(including,  without  limitation,  (i) the  acceleration  of an Award,  (ii) the
payment of a cash amount in exchange  for the  cancellation  of an Award  and/or
(iii) the requiring of the issuance of substitute Awards that will substantially
preserve  the value,  rights and  benefits  of any  affected  Awards  previously
granted hereunder) as of the date of the consummation of the Change in Control.


9.   Successors and Assigns

     The Plan shall be binding on all  successors and assigns of the Company and
a Participant,  including without limitation, the estate of such Participant and
the  executor,  administrator  or trustee of such  estate,  or any  receiver  or
trustee in bankruptcy or representative of the Participant's creditors.


10.  Amendments or Termination

     The Board may  amend,  alter or  discontinue  the Plan,  but no  amendment,
alteration or discontinuation shall be made which would impair the rights of any
Participant  under any Award  theretofore  granted  without  such  Participant's
consent.


11.  Nontransferability of Awards

     An  Award  shall  not be  transferable  or  assignable  by the  Participant
otherwise  than by will or by the laws of descent and  distribution.  During the
lifetime  of  a  Participant,  an  Award  shall  be  exercisable  only  by  such
Participant.  An Award  exercisable  after  the  death of a  Participant  may be
exercised by the  legatees,  personal  representatives  or  distributees  of the
Participant.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Committee, in
its sole  discretion,  shall have the authority to waive this Section 11 (or any
part  thereof) to the extent that this  Section 11 (or any part  thereof) is not
required  under  the  rules  promulgated  under  any  law,  rule  or  regulation
applicable to the Company.



                                                                               9


12.  Choice of Law

     The Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance  with the laws of
the State of New York  applicable  to contracts  made and to be performed in the
State of New York.


13.  Effectiveness of the Plan

     The Plan shall be effective as of the Spinoff Date.