By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth 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
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    First Aid Training Enhancing Workplace Health and Safety
    September 25, 2023
    Beyond the Clinic: Medical Surveys Are a Roadmap to Passive Income for Doctors
    September 23, 2023
    5 Self-Care Habits to Help You Live an A+ Life
    September 21, 2023
    Keep Employees Safe & Healthy By Reducing Warehouse Injuries
    September 20, 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
    6 Supplements That Can Help Improve Your Health
    September 28, 2020
    apple-desk-office-technology.jpg
    Empowered Patients Demand Better Engagement from Clinical Trials
    September 13, 2017
    How Health Care Workers Can Be More Sensitive To LGBTQ+ Patients
    October 14, 2019
    Latest News
    Job Seekers with Disabilities Should at Health Insurance Benefits
    September 12, 2023
    Reasons That Drug Prices Are Rising to Unsustainable Levels
    September 12, 2023
    How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations
    September 6, 2023
    The Hidden Benefits of Practice Exams for Medical Professionals
    September 6, 2023
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: If Doctors Demand Evidence and Med-Tech & Pharma Provide it, Health Care Might Cost Less
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
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 > Technology > Medical Devices > If Doctors Demand Evidence and Med-Tech & Pharma Provide it, Health Care Might Cost Less
BusinessMedical Devices

If Doctors Demand Evidence and Med-Tech & Pharma Provide it, Health Care Might Cost Less

Conor McKechnie
Last updated: 2012/07/03 at 11:40 AM
Conor McKechnie
Share
4 Min Read
The_pc_2007
SHARE

Many say medical practice is out of balance and that this lack of balance, even with much needed reform, is going to bankrupt healthcare systems in the developed world. There is too much testing, over-medicalization, over-prescribing and this is driven by the for-profit medical-industrial complex. I am not a doctor, so I cannot judge on this imbalance, only comment on my perception of the discussion about it.

Many say medical practice is out of balance and that this lack of balance, even with much needed reform, is going to bankrupt healthcare systems in the developed world. There is too much testing, over-medicalization, over-prescribing and this is driven by the for-profit medical-industrial complex. I am not a doctor, so I cannot judge on this imbalance, only comment on my perception of the discussion about it.

The_pc_2007

I’m employed by a company often considered part of the medical-industrial complex. My colleagues and I talk, all the time, argue, discuss, and research, and most importantly, make decisions intended to reduce the cost of healthcare. So what’s going on? Why the disconnect? We don’t want to be part of the problem; we’re in this to be part of the solution.

Is it culture?
Could it be that there are causes on both sides of the equation? Do the cultures of physicians and that of the industries (like the one I work in, that help physicians do their jobs), unwittingly collude to tip healthcare into this imbalance?

More Read

medical devices

Post Market Surveillance for Medical Devices: Essential or Overreaching?

Types of Remote Access Solutions for Hospitals
The Top 5 Considerations for Successful Medical Device Software Development
What Factors Impact Health Insurance Costs in 2023?
What Are the Benefits of Attending Medical Sales College?

Technological and scientific advances, new drugs, new diagnostics, new therapies are usually more costly in the first instance than those they supercede. This, goes the narrative, leads to the inexorable rise in costs.

Because doctors, being culturally risk averse, hold no quarter in “getting the best available” for their patients, and patients, understandably, exacerbate this by demanding “the best, the latest”, even if “the best, the latest, available” is not really proven to be the “best known option” for a patient.

The medical-industrial complex, being culturally innovative, strives to produce better and better technologies, drugs and therapies to satisfy this insatiable demand of the patient-physician nexus, no matter how incremental the proven benefit.

#showmethedata
Therein, for me, lies the rub: the proven benefit. If doctors were more demanding of solid evidence for the efficacy and value delivered by medical & pharmaceutical innovations AND the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries were committed to open, transparent and rigorous demonstration of that efficacy and value, this could help reduce healthcare expenditure on “expensive and ineffective new medicines and technologies”.

The good news is there is a rising clamour on both sides beginning to agree that is beginning to spill over into public consciousness. This can only be a good thing: Campaigns such as http://choosingwisely.org/ and the rising popularity of http://www.cochrane.org activity in the reporting lay press, the position taken by research funders such as the Wellcome Trust on open data reporting, and the increasing popularity globally of health technology assessments (HTA) and comparative effectiveness research (CER), the work of England’s NICE, and not least activism by the likes of Ben Goldacre, are all pushing patients, policymakers, physicians and the industries that support healthcare delivery into candid assessments of the clinical (and often economic) value of innovation in health.

It’s not the solution, but it is part of the solution.

—

This post inspired by a year’s thinking on this NEJM article by Dr Sean Palfey and sparked by this Mother Jones post.  

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

TAGGED: healthcare costs, pharma

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.
Conor McKechnie July 3, 2012
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Self-Diagnosis: Finding Reliable Healthcare Resources Online
Next Article Healthcare Online: IFTTT: Automate your tasks…

Stay Connected

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

Latest News

workplace first aid training
First Aid Training Enhancing Workplace Health and Safety
Health September 25, 2023
Anxiety Disorder
The Importance of Nutrition in Anxiety Disorder Treatment
Anxiety September 24, 2023
spinal health
How to Advocate For Your Spinal Health In A Healthcare Setting: Strategies From Dr. Brandon Claflin
News September 24, 2023
Medical Surveys
Beyond the Clinic: Medical Surveys Are a Roadmap to Passive Income for Doctors
Health September 23, 2023

You Might also Like

medical billing training
Medicare

Navigating Through the Essentials: Medical Billing Training for Beginners

September 12, 2023
healthcare providers
Hospital Administration

How Revenue Lifecycle Management Helps Healthcare Providers to Optimize Business Operations

September 6, 2023
optimize healthcare business
News

Top Tips To Optimize Operations In Your Healthcare Office

June 30, 2023
Endocrinology
Hospital Administration

Improving Endocrinology Revenue Recovery is Crucial

June 14, 2023
Subscribe

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Follow US
© 2008-2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?