Ed Howe is retired president of Aurora Health Care, which spans eastern third of Wisconsin and includes 13 hospitals, more than 650 physicians practicing at more than 100 clinics, 120 community pharmacies and 13 Aurora Quick Care sites. Aurora also is Wisconsin's largest home care provider through the Aurora Visiting Nurse Association, and a leading agent for social change through Aurora Family Service. Ed blogs regularly at ActionForBetterHealthcare.com.
Ed Howe
Recently, the Archives of Internal Medicine published a report regarding conflicts of interest in cardiovascular practice guidelines. As revealed in this report, a majority of doctors who helped draft these guidelines received payments from drug and device companies, and many physicians were stockholders in these companies
Recent news that Medtronic is cancelling several contracts with group purchasing organizations is troubling to say the least. It is a move that hurts hospitals, and in my opinion, it shows that Medtronic wants to avoid a competitive process that has been proven to drive down prices and create transparency.
The relationship between doctors and the medical device and drug industry continues to raise concern.
We have talked a lot in recent months about the need to reign in healthcare costs in this country. Now, I want to help point out some examples of hospitals that are making progress at bending the cost curve. I think others may be able to gain insight from some of these examples. So we will do this periodically going forward on our blog.
Johnson & Johnson made a big step in the right direction by beginning to disclose details of their payments to physicians. Eventually, my hope is that this will reform what has been a somewhat sleazy practice of paying some doctors not for medical expertise, but for marketing certain medication and medical devices over others. We still have a long road ahead of us.
Grena Porto is a nationally recognized expert when it comes to patient safety. She is well known in healthcare circles. Recently, Grena Porto sent out a note regarding medical device companies and patient safety. In the past I have been critical of the device industry for selling their products through relationships, rather than the value and price of their products.
The Advanced Medical Technology Association and its European counterpart, the European Medical Technology Industry Association, have signed a joint agreement to establish common ethical standards for interactions between medical technology companies and healthcare professionals.
If you want to get a feel for how some doctors feel about healthcare reform, you should read Friday’s Wall Street Journal.
Healthcare reform seemed to be on the ropes earlier this year. But lo and behold, insurance companies raised rates enormously in the individual market.
In recent months the Mayo Clinic announced their primary care facility near my home in Phoenix would no longer be accepting Medicare. Then the fun began.