A blog covering the health/care ecosystem and people.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by Americans has held steady since 2002; however, the types of therapies adopted have changed over five years. The Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States, from the NIH’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, follows up the agency’s 2002 report. This round, NCCAM offers more details on the use of CAM in kids, as well as CAM use by demographic factors including racial and ethnic groups.   CAM is “Complementary” when used with conventional medicine, and “Alternative” when used as a substitute. The most commonly used CAM

It all started with a baby, a baby carrier, and Motrin. Oh, and an advertising agency who probably got their Mommy-messaging more than a little bit wrong. Twitter, the social networking software, helped fuel this uproar in a matter of hours.   In what is to-date among the fastest viral campaigns in consumer health — that backfired –well over a hundred of mommy blogs and countless Twitter messages expressed emotions on a continuum from outrage to insult about a new campaign targeted to Moms who carry their babies in on-the-body carriers. The ad begins, “Wearing your baby seems to be

  George Washington ate and drank here. Now, there’s a Walmart Supercenter in that spot. There’s an important crossroads in my vicinity where four major highways meet; it’s called King of Prussia, which is the intersection of the Schuylkill Expressway (I-76), the Pennsylvania Turnpike, US 422, and US 202. A new Walmart Supercenter opens at this intersection today. Across-the-street from the new Supercenter are Neiman-Marcus, Bloomingdales, and Nordstrom, along with hundreds of other retail chains in the shopping mecca known as the King of Prussia Mall. So Walmart’s on my mind. Walmart has become a sort of touchstone for me

The reputation of the pharma industry continues to lag behind other consumer-facing businesses, based on Harris Interactive’s latest survey into corporate reputations. The 9th annual Reputation Quotient survey is out. Technology is king; other industries, like airlines, consumer products, insurance/financial services, pharmaceutical and retail – have plummeted over the past two years, according to Harris Interactive. Harris points out in its press release that it’s more than profits that consumers rate highly for corporate reputation. It’s a combination of social responsibility, vision, and how employees are treated. This combo can generate trust between a company and its consumers. The Top

I’m enjoying a weekend with London-based friends who travel the world and know what’s what. Today, we spent hours relishing (literally) the Borough Market in Southwark, located south of the Thames. This is London’s oldest food market, established when the Romans built the first London Bridge. The Market in its current state has been around for a quarter of a millenium.    The Market boasts and hosts a glorious array of green grocers, bread bakers, Spanish food purveyors, brownie makers, organic tofu purveyors, and parmigiano reggiano vendors in one spot I’ve seen, perhaps ever. It is foodie heaven and a

Or, The Lovely Bones (health care version).   I have an acquaintance whose bone density scan told her she is at high risk for osteoporosis. No surprise: the condition runs in her family. For several years, she has been paying a luxury-segment department store counter $300 every two months for her skin creme, which promises that she will be ageless as she ages into her fifties, sixties, and beyond.   But she has not yet filled her prescription for an osteoporosis-preventing drug.   She doesn’t have prescription drug coverage. She thinks the drug is too high-priced. It’s about $300 for

A new brand of clinic is entering the health care market…aligning itself in a public/private partnership with none other than the largest health system in the world, the National Health Service in the UK. Richard Branson is a master brander, having started up Virgin records in 1970 and Virgin airlines in 1984,. When he took on the Old School airlines, he was seen as the enfant terrible of the industry. But he re-imagined the airline business model and made it fun to fly. Can he do the same for health in the United Kingdom? Here’s the deal: Virgin Healthcare will

The double-barreled news of Dennis Quaids’ twins receiving heparin doses 1,000x the prescribed dose while receiving medical treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, coupled with the tragic death of Kanye West’s mother following cosmetic surgery, focuses this health care paparazzi’s lens squarely on the role of information technology in health care. The Cedars-Sinai Chief Medical Officer has termed the Quaid event a “preventable error.” Donda West’s doctor has been described by the likes of People magazine and the Los Angeles Times as a clinician with at least 2 DUI’s and an assortment of malpractice suits — as well as a recommendation

In 2004, 20% of homicides were directly associated with intimate partner conflict (i.e., one in which an intimate partner killed another partner). Intimate partner violence resulting in death was most common among victims aged 40-44 years. Murder is the leading cause of death for pregnant women, according to the National Organization of Women. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spends about $43 million a year on ways to reduce deaths and injuries from drowning, poisoning, suicide, industrial accidents, house fires and domestic violence. Of that sum, only $2.3 million

I’ve been looking at health care through a retail lens for some time. Perhaps it’s that I’m a rag trader’s daughter, or that I’ve been known to like shopping, that I have clients in consumer goods, or that I understand how tiered drug pricing impacts the consumption of medicines (answer: it’s all of the above). I’ve just reviewed the latest trend report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and TNS Retail Forward on the future of retailing. My mind is connecting the dots between the future of retail and the American health care consumer. Four future retail trends are already embedding in health care

U.S. News and World Report is well-known for its Top 100 “best” lists assessing hospitals, doctors, and health plans. Watch for it to further build its position as consumer health information provider for Americans by expanding into a comprehensive health portal online. U.S. News published this cover in November 2004. So the magazine is no newcomer to this role. However, the publication and its editors (and savvy financial management) recognize the opportunity to exploit their brand position in the consumer health information space. This isn’t just about arming Americans with health information to be ‘smart.’ This is a smart move