By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    UV damage to eyes
    Warning Signs of Long-Term UV Damage to Your Eyes
    December 9, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    The Ultimate Healthcare Recruiting and Staffing Guidebook
    March 21, 2022
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
    March 19, 2023
    4 Ways to Recover from a Broken Hip
    March 14, 2023
    What Are Dietary Supplements: Purpose, Benefits, & Facts
    March 15, 2023
    5 Benefits of Receiving Acupuncture Regularly
    March 9, 2023
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Image
    Why Can’t The Market for Medical Care Work Like Cosmetic Surgery?
    June 18, 2013
    Image
    How to Shop for a Quality-Based Health Plan [video interview]
    October 29, 2013
    siipc14
    Keeping Patients in the Dark
    July 6, 2014
    Latest News
    3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030
    March 14, 2023
    6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies
    March 14, 2023
    5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023
    March 8, 2023
    The Everest Foundation’s Mission to Support Inclusive Healthcare
    February 24, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Eric Topol’s 9 Steps Toward Better Health Care—We Add a 10th
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
mental health tips
Caring for Your Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
Mental Health
combat home sickness
How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
Health News
depression signs
Early Signs of Depression that You Shouldn’t Ignore
Mental Health
positive mental health
How to Build a Positive Mental Health Environment
Mental Health
broken hip recovery
4 Ways to Recover from a Broken Hip
Health
Aa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Aa
Search
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Eric Topol’s 9 Steps Toward Better Health Care—We Add a 10th
BusinessGlobal HealthcareHealth ReformPublic Health

Eric Topol’s 9 Steps Toward Better Health Care—We Add a 10th

Kenneth Walz
Last updated: 2012/03/09 at 9:33 AM
Kenneth Walz
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

There appear to be a growing number of revolutions in health care and the life sciences industry. Whether you’re considering the genomics revolution, the information revolution, or the empowered patient revolution, a strong need to “fix” our health care system – to address the various inefficiencies that cause costs to increase and that put quality of care at risk – seems to be at the root of these movements.

There appear to be a growing number of revolutions in health care and the life sciences industry. Whether you’re considering the genomics revolution, the information revolution, or the empowered patient revolution, a strong need to “fix” our health care system – to address the various inefficiencies that cause costs to increase and that put quality of care at risk – seems to be at the root of these movements.

Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and scientist at the Scripps Research Institute, recently published a short article on “How to Change Medicine.” The article, which is excerpted from Dr. Topol’s book, The Creative Destruction of Medicine, provides nine key steps to changing health care delivery: from changing focus from populations to individual patients, to using genomic data to help “fit” treatments for each patient, to redesigning the way doctors are reimbursed.  

We agree with all of Dr. Topol’s suggestions, but suggest that there should be a 10th step. Controlling the spiraling costs of drug development is essential to realizing the other changes to the U.S. health care system. Today, it costs more than $1 billion for the discovery and development of new treatments. Since “blockbuster” drugs are so called because they generate $1 billion or more in revenue, even an immensely successful drug may no longer be profitable (and blockbuster drugs are becoming increasingly rare). Some of Dr. Topol’s steps do hint at ways to address these costs:

More Read

employee's wellness

How Hospitals and Other Healthcare Providers Can Boost Employee Morale

What are the Benefits of Hospitals and Clinics Using Expense Management Services?
Using EHR systems in healthcare for Cost-Effective Services
Benefits of Emerging Technology in Healthcare in 2023
Tips to Keep Health Workers Safe in the Workplace
  • By changing health care’s focus from the population to the individual, tailored drug development could produce more effective drugs that work for smaller groups of patients, reducing clinical trial sizes, and cutting costs.
  • Using genomic data to determine whether a drug benefits a certain patient should underlie the creation of companion diagnostics as well as tailored therapies; this pharmacogenomic approach would speed development (less time to market theoretically means sooner time to profit).
  • “Step 7,” which advocates the rewarding of providers for frugal innovation (e.g., using treatments that improve outcomes and cut costs) can be applied to drug development that considers cost-effectiveness as well as efficacy when creating a new therapy.

Addressing health care costs without emphasizing the need to reduce R&D costs strikes us as akin to worrying about your grocery bill when your mortgage eats up the majority of your budget. Future posts on this blog will address drug development innovations that could help tame this billion-dollar monster, including “low-hanging” fruit (like smaller trials and targeted therapies) that could easily reduce costs in a short period of time.

Do you agree with Dr. Topol’s nine steps? Do you think that reducing drug development costs is a key factor in revolutionizing health care? Could there be enough “low-hanging” solutions to make a difference now? Please share your thoughts with us. 

 

 

TAGGED: Dr. Eric Topol, How to Change Medicine, U.S. health care system

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Kenneth Walz March 9, 2012
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Weekend Athlete: Should You Have Sex Friday Night?
Next Article PCI Compliance Status Breaches PCI Compliance Status & Data Breaches

Stay Connected

1.5k Followers Like
4.5k Followers Follow
2.8k Followers Pin
136k Subscribers Subscribe

Latest News

mental health tips
Caring for Your Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority
Mental Health March 19, 2023
combat home sickness
How to Combat Home Sickness After Moving Abroad
Health News March 19, 2023
depression signs
Early Signs of Depression that You Shouldn’t Ignore
Mental Health March 19, 2023
positive mental health
How to Build a Positive Mental Health Environment
Mental Health March 15, 2023

You Might also Like

US healthcare system
Global Healthcare

3 Ways to Improve the U.S. Healthcare System By 2030

March 14, 2023
Clinical Studies
Global Healthcare

6 Steps To Ensure Speed And Efficiency Of Clinical Studies

March 14, 2023
valueable healthcare programs
News

5 Most Valuable Healthcare Programs in 2023

March 8, 2023
everest healthcare
Global Healthcare

The Everest Foundation’s Mission to Support Inclusive Healthcare

February 24, 2023
//

We influence million of users and is the most authentic source of information on healthcare business and technology news.

Quick Links

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US

© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?