articles 31 to 40 of 96
Rx for the Pharmaceutical Industry: Focus on Innovation, Not Marketing
The good news for the pharmaceutical industry is that, short-term, it may emerge as a winner in the health care reform battle as new customers enter the system and price protections remain in force. The bad news is that while big pharma has used increasingly large megamergers to support its reliance on blockbuster products, it still faces the long-term need to develop fundamentally new business models to cope with its most significant problem -- a failure to come up with new treatments, according to Wharton faculty.
From: October 14, 2009
Value Destruction: The Cost to Companies That Engage in Deceptive Marketing
On September 2, Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations that it violated federal rules governing drug sales. While the settlement was the largest ever levied against a U.S. company, the indirect costs to Pfizer may be even higher over time in terms of lost shareholder value. New research puts a price on the less tangible costs to a company that can arise when marketing efforts backfire.
From: September 30, 2009
Bangkok's Bumrungrad Hospital: Expanding the Footprint of Offshore Health Care
Thailand's Bumrungrad International Hospital is one of a growing number of institutions making a name for themselves among "medical tourists" by offering patients from Boston to Bahrain a combination of lower-cost, state-of-the-art medical care along with service worthy of a five-star hotel. But what will it take for such hospitals to gain acceptance among national policy makers, major insurers and employers? Mack Banner, CEO of Bumrungrad, and Kenneth Mays, the hospital's director of marketing, recently met with Ravi Aron, a senior fellow at Wharton, to discuss the future of offshore health care.
From: September 02, 2009
Another Hurdle to Health Care Reform: Too Few General Practice Doctors
While the possibility that millions of uninsured Americans might soon have access to health coverage may conjure images of patients stacked up in hospital hallways or waiting for months for an MRI, the most likely stress point in an expanded health care system will involve the family doctor, according to Wharton health care experts and others.
From: July 22, 2009
One Way to Lower Health Costs: Pay People to Be Healthy
When employers want their employees to live healthier lifestyles -- to lose weight, stop smoking and exercise regularly -- nothing works like cash, according to research led by Wharton faculty. While some may wince at the notion of paying people to do the right thing, the research found that the incentives cost less than the diseases they prevent.
From: June 24, 2009
Information Technology: Not a Cure for the High Cost of Health Care
Advocates and policymakers often argue or assume that applying a new form of information technology (IT) will save money and improve the quality of health care. But there are some who are not so certain, especially about IT's cost-cutting promise. One Wharton professor argues that IT could actually raise costs because of culture clashes, training, the implementation of the systems and the labor required to maintain the new technology.
From: June 10, 2009
Social Security and Medicare: Trying to Tackle Two 800-pound Gorillas
While many people worry about the billions of dollars spent bailing out banks, auto makers and other sectors, shortfalls in Medicare and Social Security are what could ultimately sink efforts to revive the U.S. economy. As 78 million baby boomers begin to retire, funding for the government's two primary old-age security plans grows increasingly precarious, suggest several Wharton faculty. A report released earlier this week by trustees of Social Security and Medicare echoes those concerns.
From: May 13, 2009
Why Consumers -- Not Companies -- Should Make Health Care Decisions
Mike McCallister, president and CEO of Humana, is precise when he chooses his words to describe the U.S. health care industry. "We don't actually have a health care system. We have a lot of different systems that are glued together," he told an audience at the recent 2009 Wharton Health Care Business Conference. And because of that, he noted, "the incentives are wrong for virtually everyone, including providers, payers and patients."
From: March 18, 2009
'Major League, Middle Class Anxiety': Is the U.S. Closer to Universal Health Care?
The doctor. The insurance executive. The economist. The industry consultant. What was perhaps most striking about the health care panelists at the recent Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference was that they all seemed to be pretty much in agreement. Forget about what happened last time health reform was high on a new president's agenda. Under the Obama administration, health reform is coming, the panelists said, and in fact, it's already begun.
From: March 04, 2009
Is a Medical Intern's 'Initiation' Harmful to Your Health?
Sandeep Jauhar's book, Intern: A Doctor's Initiation, is the unsettling account of his medical residency at a New York hospital, largely focused on his first year. It represents his take on his internship, interweaving that experience with something of his childhood, family history, previous studies and work experiences. In the process, Jauhar tells us about himself, medical education and health care.
From: August 20, 2008
