The term ‘digital’ in 2018 is a dangerous one. We all live in a complex mixed reality where the confines of digital and non-digital channels are blurred. The focus is rightly on integration with and augmentation of the human experience. That being said, when we look at health, people turn to digital channels first when seeking help and when looking for on going support, digital and especially mobile, are the future of interventional relationships between healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies and patients. When designing patient support programmes with a digital element these are the 5 key foundations you need to bear in mind:
I have quipped wryly for years that the relentless rise in obesity rates would eventually exhaust Crayola’s supply of colors. That’s because the CDC has long tracked the rising prevalence of obesity by state using color-coded maps of the U.S.
September is National Suicide Prevention month. Preventing suicide does not happen by offering simple platitudes ("You have so much to be grateful for") or by saying comments like: "It's wrong", "It's selfish", etc... Suicide and suicidal thoughts are a response to incredible pain. The pain seems unending to the person experiencing it.
“Sorry, I’m running late … sorry, to keep you waiting.” How many times a day do I say that? Sometimes it is every time I walk into a patient’s room as if it is a normal greeting. Sometimes patients respond with: “Oh, you aren’t late” or “I haven’t been waiting long.” I can be so obsessed with not being late that I don’t realize I’m actually running on time! But I know it is a common complaint that patients “always” have to wait to be seen by their doctor. One of my senior partners at work used to say “waiting for a good doctor is like waiting to be seated at a good restaurant, it is worth the wait,” and never worried about time. I admired how thorough he was with his patients — I don’t think any of his patients felt rushed or not heard and came to expect waiting for his care.
There is a sick care "innovation" frenzy that is happening both from inside and outside of the industry. The pace of proposed, if not real, change is dizzying and, in many instances, is outpacing the ability of sick care workers and patients to cope with it. But, what is the real impact of all this activity?
Ever since The New York University School of Medicine announced that it would waive the tuition of all its students, regardless of merit or need, citing concerns about the “overwhelming financial debt” facing graduates, opinions have been across the board about the wisdom of the decision.
A monopsony, sometimes referred to as a buyer's monopoly, is a market condition similar to a monopoly. However, in a monopsony, a large buyer, not a seller, controls a large proportion of the market and drives prices down. A monopsony occurs when a single firm has market power through its factors of production, like self insured employers or companies that buy sick care services directly from a hospital system.