September 15, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
When the Human Genome Project was finally completed with the mapping of the genetic sequences of our DNA, there were many predictions about how the face of medicine would change forever. We would finally figure out how to cure diseases linked to genetic aberrations, find ways to enhance our interaction with the environment, and develop medicines that are tailored to fit our unique genome. But a decade later, we are all aware of just how painfully slow progress has been to date. However, one area that is advancing steadily is the use of companion diagnostics.
Everyone was quick to point to Herceptin and the prototype example of a diagnostic test that was required to be use prior to prescribing this chemotherapeutic agent for women with breast cancer that over-expressed the HER2/neu gene. But now there are more examples of such companion diagnostics, and the list continues to grow.
What does all this mean for the future of medicine, and the interaction among the diagnostic and biopharmaceutical companies? When we can go to a physician’s office, be correctly diagnosed, and then given a medicine to take knowing in advance that we will have a high probability of responding, without suffering from annoying side effects, then we will have personalized medicine.
Does that mean that people will have ... read more »
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biopharmaceuticals breast cancer chemotherapeutic agents companion diagnostics diagnosis diagnostic tests DNA genetic sequences genetic type genetics genome genotype Herceptin Human Genome Project medicine personalized medicine physicians prescription drugs
September 9, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
The front page of the Wall Street Journal announced yesterday that several health insurance companies are raising the premiums on their plans, which are likely to impact small businesses and individual policyholders. The reason cited for this unusually high hike in premiums is recent healthcare reform. The net result of all this it that the taxpayer pays for the added costs of healthcare reform, and the taxpayer pays for increased premiums that the insurance companies add as a result of healthcare reform.
This is like having car insurance, having an accident, and then watching your premiums quadruple for three years before returning to what they originally were before the accident. Guess who just paid for the accident? So why do we have insurance to protect us against an accident when ultimately we end up paying for the accident anyway?
Health insurance, like any insurance, is a risk game. Not for the insurance company, but for the consumer. If the insurance company lost enough money from insuring people, they would go out of business. So the game is simply this: take in more money than you pay out. If you pay out more than you expected in a given year, raise the premiums. If you pay out less than you thought you would, pocket the profits. ... read more »
TAGS: consumers health insurance healthcare reform insurance companies insurance premiums lifetime limits medical loss medical loss ratio pre-existing conditions small businesses taxpayers Wall Street Journal
September 8, 2010 ·
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Rhonda Napier joined Thought Leader Select as a research manager in the spring of 2010, after serving the company for two years as a researcher. A graduate of West Virginia University (bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology) and Marshall University (master’s degree in adult fitness and cardiac rehabilitation), Rhonda worked in research and clinical practice as an exercise physiologist for 13 years.
During her time at the Ohio State University College of Nursing, Napier led National Institutes of Health-funded research on the effects of exercise on hypertensive women. More recently, her work at the Gillings School for Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill focused on quality and access to healthcare.
The Thought Leader Select Blog sat down with Rhonda to discuss her skills and experiences, as well as her contribution to the work of Thought Leader Select.
TLS Blog: Good afternoon, Rhonda. Why did you join Thought Leader Select?
Rhonda Napier: I had the good fortune of meeting the company’s leadership team through my husband, Chris, after he became acquainted with them. That was back in 2008, and they had an opportunity for me to come into the company as a researcher. The idea of exclusively doing research for me was odd, because I had been a clinician for so many years—but I became ... read more »
TAGS: biopharmaceutical biotechnology cardiology clinical trials excercise physiology Gillings School for Global Public Health health care professionals healthcare access healthcare quality hypertension key opinion leaders KOL engagement KOL identification KOL mapping KOL profiling KOL research KOLs Marshall University medicine National Institutes of Health Ohio State Buckeyes Ohio State University College of Nursing patient advocacy patient care pharmaceutical physicians Rhonda Napier Thought Leader Select thought leaders University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill West Virginia University
September 2, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
As I wander down the aisle of my local grocery store, I pause at the various stations anchored the end of these long rows with people offering a “freebie” of some food product, a bite of sausage, some aged cheese, a new fruit drink. Each passerby stops briefly for his free sample and then moves along deciding whether to buy the product or not. When I arrive at the checkout, I casually hand over the collection of coupons I received in the mail to reduce my final bill. The reason I am at the store today is because of the flyer I received inside my weekly newspaper announcing a bevy of “specials.” Has the grocery store tried to influence my buying decisions? You bet they have. That’s good business.
Have you ever gone to buy a new car? Does the salesperson do everything within her ability to make the sale before you leave the showroom, offering you discounts, incentives, free service, and a favorable trade-in value for your old car? You bet she does! She knows that if you leave the showroom, the chances are you won’t be back–so she throws everything she can at you. Is she trying to influence your buying decision? Of course she is!
So then why is it, when a ... read more »
TAGS: Consumer Reports National Research Center pharmaceutical representatives physician physician influence prescribing habits prescription drugs
