Drug Take-Back Day: April 27
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and participating local law enforcement are coordinating a nationwide drug "take-back" day on April 27th from 10 am to 2 pm. This one-day event will…
Superhero “Pharmers”
At the beginning of the year, I wrote about superhero family members of patients suffering from rare and orphan diseases. These individuals amazed me with what they could accomplish. Everything…
Salesmen in the Operating Room: Whose Best Interest Is at Stake?
Industry and medicine are permanently linked together–like it or not. Attempts to separate them are fraught with difficulties. Certainly, physicians should have no financial incentives to use any particular product…
Person-Centered HealthCare: Medication Adherence
A key component of illness management is the use of prescribed medications. For those who have several chronic conditions, there are usually numerous prescribed medications to keep track of and…
The Importance of Patient Advocates for Orphan Drugs
I attended the World Orphan Drug Congress last week in Washington, DC, and Siren presented the workshop, “A Roadmap for Patient Advocacy Investment.” In the rare disease space, patient engagement…
Hospitals Make Money from Complications – And Here’s Why
A new JAMA article (Relationship Between Occurrence of Surgical Complications and Hospital Finances) by a variety of health care wonks, including some of my former Boston Consulting Group colleagues, demonstrates…
How Physicians Can Adopt Social Media (Before It’s Too Late)
The consumerization of healthcare isn't a passing fad, according to PwC's U.S. health industries leader, Kelly Barnes: The consumerization of healthcare isn't a passing fad, according to PwC's U.S. health industries leader,…
Social Media Moves to Forefront During Boston Marathon Disaster
In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, it was Twitter and Facebook that kept information coming and communication flowing because cellphone towers were overloaded. Social media gave out blood…
Data War Reaches The Supreme Court
About 9 months ago – the DNA Spit Kit from 23andMe was $299. From their website today – it’s $99. But who owns the resulting genetic data and the rights associated with that…
First Aid for Mental Health
When we think of first aid we may think of appropriate responses to physical injuries, like appropriate wound care, head trauma stabilization, or CPR. Most of us do not consider…
