Could the healthcare system be any more broken ?
Feb/04/2010 07:04 Filed in: Healthcare
in the US #in
While the
healthcare debate rages on in Washington DC,
which most Americans believe is not a part of the
US, more and more consumers are turning to the
Internet for health information while the FDA is
deciding on the use of social media by drug
companies. Ever feel like your a Stewart on the
Titanic telling passengers "nothing to worry
about".
Consider the latest headlines:
Hospitals dispute Medtronic data wires: Some leading hospitals are reporting failure rates for Medtronic Inc.'s fracture-prone defibrillator wires—including among young people—that are significantly higher than what the company has publicly disclosed.
Soaring cost of healthcare sets a record: Spending was 17.3% of the economy last year. The share paid by the U.S. will soon exceed 50%, a study says.
Pfizer Plans to Cut Research Spending By Up To $3B: Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that it plans to cut research-and-development spending by as much as $3 billion by 2012, in an attempt to wring efficiencies following its take-over of Wyeth without sacrificing future product development.
Lancet Retracts Study Tying Vaccine to Autism: The study that first suggested a link between vaccines and autism and spurred a long-running, acrimonious debate over the safety of vaccines has been retracted by the British medical journal that published it. The withdrawal supports the scientific evidence that vaccinations don't cause autism, but isn't likely to persuade advocacy groups that believe in a link.
If your a consumer who is concerned about your health future what are you supposed to think when you read all these stories? Today's consumers are under a lot of stress with their jobs, their home mortgages, their kids, their family cars which may not be safe and now they are coming to realize that the money they are putting away for retirement may be needed just to stay healthy. Is it any wonder that more people are going online for health information than ever before ?
The recession has taught consumers that the only way to reduce some of the stress in their lives is by taking back control of their lives including healthcare concerns and information. This means that people want to know more about health so they can make informed decisions and want to hear from others because they don't trust drug marketers.
While the FDA ponders the use of social media in health nearly half of all American adults –90 million people– have difficulty understanding and using health information. Have you ever tried to get someone to read a prescription drug label and ask if they understand it?
This author predicted that the mergers of drug companies would mean less money for R&D as the bigger companies struggled to feed their bigger overheads. The bigger the gorilla the more food is needed to sustain that gorilla.
The FDA, even with issuing more warning letters, is not responsive to consumers or patients. That was evident when 97% of the presenters at the social media forum were from agencies or drug companies. The drug industry needs to get back to leading and that means changing focus from the accounting department to the customer service and marketing departments. It means that everything they do has to be with the end user in mind not hiding behind data like Medtronic is doing. The industry is changing as is the world but with these new challenges comes an opportunity to be a linchpin and put focus back where it belongs..on people.
Consider the latest headlines:
Hospitals dispute Medtronic data wires: Some leading hospitals are reporting failure rates for Medtronic Inc.'s fracture-prone defibrillator wires—including among young people—that are significantly higher than what the company has publicly disclosed.
Soaring cost of healthcare sets a record: Spending was 17.3% of the economy last year. The share paid by the U.S. will soon exceed 50%, a study says.
Pfizer Plans to Cut Research Spending By Up To $3B: Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that it plans to cut research-and-development spending by as much as $3 billion by 2012, in an attempt to wring efficiencies following its take-over of Wyeth without sacrificing future product development.
Lancet Retracts Study Tying Vaccine to Autism: The study that first suggested a link between vaccines and autism and spurred a long-running, acrimonious debate over the safety of vaccines has been retracted by the British medical journal that published it. The withdrawal supports the scientific evidence that vaccinations don't cause autism, but isn't likely to persuade advocacy groups that believe in a link.
If your a consumer who is concerned about your health future what are you supposed to think when you read all these stories? Today's consumers are under a lot of stress with their jobs, their home mortgages, their kids, their family cars which may not be safe and now they are coming to realize that the money they are putting away for retirement may be needed just to stay healthy. Is it any wonder that more people are going online for health information than ever before ?
The recession has taught consumers that the only way to reduce some of the stress in their lives is by taking back control of their lives including healthcare concerns and information. This means that people want to know more about health so they can make informed decisions and want to hear from others because they don't trust drug marketers.
While the FDA ponders the use of social media in health nearly half of all American adults –90 million people– have difficulty understanding and using health information. Have you ever tried to get someone to read a prescription drug label and ask if they understand it?
This author predicted that the mergers of drug companies would mean less money for R&D as the bigger companies struggled to feed their bigger overheads. The bigger the gorilla the more food is needed to sustain that gorilla.
The FDA, even with issuing more warning letters, is not responsive to consumers or patients. That was evident when 97% of the presenters at the social media forum were from agencies or drug companies. The drug industry needs to get back to leading and that means changing focus from the accounting department to the customer service and marketing departments. It means that everything they do has to be with the end user in mind not hiding behind data like Medtronic is doing. The industry is changing as is the world but with these new challenges comes an opportunity to be a linchpin and put focus back where it belongs..on people.
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