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Consumer-driven Healthcare (CDHC)Content opportunity: Consumers will require more information that guides their decisions about which plan of care and which providers to select. “Accessible information on the quality, price, effectiveness and efficiency of health-care services and providers is developing rapidly, but is no where near the minimum standard assumed by well-functioning CDHC.” Furthermore, it is expected that demand will increase for information that helps consumers manage their health, including nutrition and lifestyle information, in order to reduce medical expenditures. Consumer-driven Healthcare (CDHC) is a catch-all phrase that refers to trends in healthcare policy and funding that shifts responsibility for healthcare decisions and payments from employer-provided managed care plans to employee-managed plans that may or may not be subsidized or supplemented by employers. Wikipedia currently offers a narrow definition that focuses on consumer-directed health plans that are increasingly being promoted as an alternative to employer provided plans that have focused on managed care: “…Consumer driven health care (CDHC) refers to health insurance plans that allow members to use personal Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs), or similar medical payment products to pay medical expenses directly, while they enjoy the protection of a high-deductible health insurance policy. High-deductible policies cost less per month than low-deductible policies, but the user needs to pay more upfront for medical procedures. This system of healthcare is also often referred to as “consumer directed health care” because proponents believe it gives patients greater control over their health.” There is considerable debate regarding the benefits of CDHC to consumers relative to the current system in the U.S. However, there is increasing agreement among policymakers and industry analysts that the U.S. is moving toward CDHC which will require healthcare consumers to take a more active role in making decisions about choice of doctors, hospitals, premium/deductible tradeoffs, and consumption of healthcare services. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_driven_health_care) Evidence-based Medicine (EBM)
Content opportunity: Providing access to the “best scientific knowledge” requires extracting and reformatting data and aggregating content from multiple sources. Furthermore, producing content products that are useful to practitioners who are stressed for time requires designing a navigation process that is quick and efficient, without sacrificing access to important sources of clinical data.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) provides a clear, broad-based definition of EBM: Evidence-based medicine describes a diverse array of health care initiatives that seek to ensure that medical care received by patients is grounded in the best scientific knowledge and is appropriate for a given individual. Central to the ability to deliver safe, effective, and patient-centered care is a need for better and timelier evidence on which to base clinical decisions about which medical interventions are best, for whom, and under what circumstances.” As pointed out in one of our blog entries (Whose Health is it Anyway?), the interpretation of what constitutes EBM varies widely from strict reliance on results of randomized controlled trials to the much broader definition above. Translational Science (or Translational Medicine)
Content opportunity: Material from journal articles and medical textbooks that chronicle medical research studies and clinical trials must be translated into language that can be understood by different audiences that include a variety of care providers and patients/consumers and the information must be put into context, so that reasonable decisions can be made about the relevance of the information.
From Wikipedia: Translational medicine is a branch of medical research that attempts to more directly connect basic research to patient care. Translational medicine is growing in importance in the healthcare industry, and is a term whose precise definition is in flux. In the case of drug discovery and development, translational medicine typically refers to the "translation" of basic research into real therapies for real patients. The emphasis is on the linkage between the laboratory and the patient's bedside, without a real disconnect. This is often called the "bench to bedside" definition. Translational medicine can also have a much broader definition, referring to the development and application of new technologies in a patient driven environment - where the emphasis is on early patient testing and evaluation. In modern healthcare, we are seeing a move to a more open, patient driven research process, and the embrace of a more research driven clinical practice of medicine. Many pharmaceutical companies are building translational medicine groups to facilitate the interaction between basic research and clinical medicine, particularly in clinical trials. Traditionally, basic research has been separated from the clinical practice of medicine by a series of hurdles or fences. New drugs were developed independently of the clinic, and often "thrown over the fence" for safety testing and clinical trials. The move toward translational medicine is focused on removing these fences, and stimulating "bench to bedside" research. In a narrow interpretation, translational medicine refers to the publication of outcome data from clinical research studies in forms and formats that practitioners can consult and put to use in determining appropriate patient care. In a broader interpretation, translational medicine refers to efforts to edit and format scientific content for different audiences, including practitioners and patients. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translational_research E-detailing
Content opportunity: Pharmaceutical companies have relied on healthcare communications companies for print materials used in standard face-to-face detailing by pharmaceutical representatives for years. The transition to e-detailing provides an opportunity for publishers and communications agencies to provide content in multiple digital formats to improve the access and availability of drug-related information. Electronic access to information provided by pharmaceutical companies also facilitates the provision of patient information pamphlets, which can be printed on demand by physicians to give to their patients. In addition, pharmaceutical companies can choose to sponsor the delivery of additional information for physician websites or patient information portals.
Wikipedia provides a definition of e-detailing that describes how technology, the “e” in e-detailing, has enhanced the options for pharmaceutical companies in providing information to physicians about their products. The traditional process of sending sales representatives to visit physicians in their offices to provide collateral about new products, as well as samples, is called detailing. The Wikipedia entry focuses on tablet PCs and web-delivery options. Note that there are other options for e-detailing via other mobile devices, such as PDAs. “E-detailing is the technological equivalent of the pharmaceutical representative’s traditional sales aid, used as part of their sales visits to healthcare providers. Either internet based or loaded onto a tablet PC, an e-detail is an interactive presentation which is backed up by robust CRM systems to allow for a tailored marketing approach for every single customer. Internet based e-detailing is seen by some as a method to overcome the challenge sales reps face to secure physician meeting, the e-detail effectively replacing the face-to-face contact. Tablet based e-detailing will be presented in much the same way as paper detail aids and require contact time, however the electronic detail aid is capable of providing interaction, video content, sound, and animation which are believed to increase engagement and therefore the messages have higher salience and retention. As an e-detail is stored electronically, CRM systems can be used to select appropriate content depending on the physician data and can be used to track results. The format also allows for electronic storage of clinical papers, articles and so forth, which are then easily accessible when required.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Detailing |
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