April 22nd, 2011 by admin in Health Policy, Opinion
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Despite the variety of health systems across hundreds of different countries, one feature is near-universal: We all depend on private industry to commercialize and market drug products. And because drugs are such an integral part of our health care system, that industry is generally heavily regulated. Yet despite this regulation, little is publicly known about drug development costs. But aggregate research and development (R&D) data are available, and the pharmaceutical industry spends billions per year.
A huge challenge facing consumers, insurers, and governments worldwide are the acquisition costs of drugs. On this point, the pharmaceutical industry makes a consistent argument: This is a risky business, and it costs a lot to bring a new drug to market. According to PhRMA, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry’s advocacy group, it cost $1.3 billion (in 2005 dollars) to bring a new drug to market. The industry argues that high acquisition costs are necessary to support the multi-year R&D investment, and considerable risks, in to meet the regulatory requirements demanded for new drugs.
But what goes into this $1.3 billion figure? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
April 21st, 2011 by RamonaBatesMD in Health Tips, True Stories
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My husband had a screening colonoscopy last Friday. His nurse in the recovery is the only one I had issues with. I, not my husband.
All went well, but let me tell you he is not an ePatient Dave. He did not read his instructions about when to quit eating and the prep. I did. I then reminded him along the way: “Only clear liquids today.” “You must take the Ducolax at 3 pm. Do you want me to text you a reminder?”
Sometimes the instructions we give patients are clear, but not always read.
The staff at the front desk were very kind and organized. Calls had been made the day before and I had insured the insurance information they had was correct. I did not tell anyone I was a doctor. I’m not sure if my husband did later or not.
…..
When I was called back by the nurse, she mispronounced my name calling me Rhonda (which I forgave easily). She did not introduce herself to me.
As we entered the recovery area, she did not take me to my husband and assure me he was okay. She took me to the desk and abruptly said, “You need to sign this.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
April 21st, 2011 by Happy Hospitalist in Humor, Opinion
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I’m not sure if this is true or not, or if it’s a local phenomenon, but I heard a discussion the other day from a previous Walgreens employee describing the most shoplifted item in their store. Are you ready for this…..
Hemorrhoid creams and suppositories.
There are apparently a lot of a**holes in this world that get rubbed the wrong way.
*This blog post was originally published at The Happy Hospitalist*
April 21st, 2011 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Health Policy, Opinion
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The future direction of American health care is unclear. Certainly the cost trend as it exists is unsustainable with health care costs being a major concern of the private sector, the government, and individuals. How does the nation manage costs while ensuring high quality medical care, access, and service? Proposals include increasing competition among insurers, providers, and hospitals to drive down prices or giving more financial responsibility to patients via higher deductibles and co-pays with the belief that they will demand price transparency, shop around for the best price, and as a result slow health care costs.
What if both ideas are wrong?
While it is possible these plans might work, I cannot help but notice the similarities in the challenges for patients in navigating the health care system and consumers figuring out how to purchase and use technology. Walk into your neighborhood electronics store. Individuals are overwhelmed with the number of product choices, manufacturers, differences in technical specifications and features. In the majority of situations, consumers are unsure of what they are purchasing. They want something that just works, whether surfing the internet, making home movies, or being connected with loved ones. The gap in knowledge between an expert and a consumer is great and often unintentional and unapparent. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
April 21st, 2011 by Lucy Hornstein, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion, Quackery Exposed
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Imagine hearing a commercial on the radio:
Send us money, and we won’t send you anything in return.
No one would do that, right? How about this:
Send us your money and we’ll send you an empty box.
Better? Not much. Now how is that different from:
Send us money and we’ll send you stuff we’ll call medicine that we claim will help you, but there’s no actual active ingredients in it at all.
I don’t think there’s one bit of difference. Wouldn’t you agree that that commercial is fraud, pure and simple? The problem is that the general public doesn’t understand that the word “homeopathic” means “diluted beyond the point where it contains any active ingredients.”
I’ve recently heard commercials for homeopathic vertigo treatments, eye drops for allergies, irritable bowel, and spider veins on legs. I’m tempted to contact the radio station and complain, but stopped short realizing that their first question is going to be, “But is it legal?”
That’s the problem: it is. So what I want to know is, why? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Dinosaur*
