Latest Posts

These days, healthcare discussions start with
figures – so here are some basic Russian statistics.

According to UN estimates the average life expectancy in Russia is only 69 years (in the US, ranked only 49^th out of 200 countries, life expectancy is over 78 years). To take one example, the mortality rate of vascular diseases is 900 cases on every 100,000 people – almost three-folds that of the US, but more importantly one-third higher than in neighboring Bulgaria and twice as much as Hungary. Similar patterns are observed in oncology, trauma and even infectious diseases.  Read full post »

Editor's Note: This post originally ran on the Ketchum Blog and can be found here. 

Times They Are a-Changin’! These immortal words written
and performed by Bob Dylan in 1964 continue to echo through our world today. Perhaps it is nowhere more present than in the world of social media in the manner of altering the way we share our personal choices, particularly when it comes to topics of health.

It is unlikely in 1968 when The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA) provided the legal standing for organ transplantation, that people might have imagined there would someday be a national computer registry of donated organs, but that is exactly what happened in 1984 through the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA). Eventually, states began to offer an individual the option to list “organ donor” as a status on their driver’s license; a private and personal choice declaring that if something were to happen to that person, their organs could be transplanted if determined usable. Read full post »

Jeff Levine is an award-winning journalist who
was the medical correspondent for CNN for 17 years.  He has also worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Brian Dorgan, as Washington bureau chief for WebMD, and as a media specialist at Ketchum. A guest contributor to Health-E Minds, the following post represents Jeff’s perspective on the Affordable Care Act, based on his opinions generated during his many years of observing and reporting on these issues. – Nancy Hicks, Senior Vice President, Associate Director, Ketchum North America Healthcare Practice

Winston Churchill remarked that you can count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.  However, considering the current debate over the Affordable Care Act, he might have added an asterisked addendum—*except when it comes to health care policy.

After being pummeled in arguments before the US Supreme Court observers are left to wonder if not the current law, then what “thing” would ultimately satisfy detractors of the current reform without alienating its proponents?  Read full post »

Digestive health is a current hot topic, and it is
expected to remain so for the next few years. The role of gaining or maintaining a healthy intestinal microflora (bacteria) is a key factor for digestive health, not to mention the potential impact it has on our overall health. So, the rise in probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics is no surprise and – since this is such a hot topic that affects our everyday lives, balance and general feeling of well-being – people have a greater understanding of the presence and meaning of these “biotics” in their diet.

Oh, wait. That would be in a perfect world. The reality is that this new (actually old) entry into our diets is complex. When people assess their dietary habits, they need simple solutions; identifying and isolating beneficial biotics that work sounds more than a little daunting. As communicators, we have the opportunity to make the garden of microflora simple for all consumers. And that starts with an understanding of the basics. Read full post »

The National Health Services (NHS) Reform and Social Care Bill
completed its rocky journey through parliament on Tuesday night. The Bill is one of the most complex pieces of health legislation ever to go through the legislator process and will lead to the biggest programme of reform since the NHS was established over 60 years ago.

Of most relevance to UK patients is the provision for treatment and referral decisions to be made by General Practitioners (GPs) instead of by NHS managers. GPs will therefore be responsible for the commissioning of services in primary and secondary care (with the exception of a few major services such as maternity) and are consequently likely to be much more interested in extracting value and better outcomes across the patient pathway from diagnosis through to treatment and managed care. Read full post »