Author: Peter

Health Secretary says officials influenced by pharma payments could face jail time...England may have been behind the U.S. in shining the light on financial ties between pharma and physicians, but that's changing..National Health Service doctors be required to declare all gifts they receive from drugmakers. They'll also face losing their jobs--or even jail--if pharma payments influence their work..

Less than six weeks from an oft-delayed deadline,..Questions abound regarding the financial repercussions of the coding format conversion across the provider spectrum, but especially for small hospitals and physician clinics…biggest fear is that a blizzard of claims denials… many providers are braced for a dramatic fall-off in revenues once the deadline hits…as high as 40 percent revenue loss in the first few weeks. Uncertainty reigns throughout the provider, payer and vendor sectors..

Grassroots advocacy is essential in getting pharmacy’s message to elected officials to effect change…it’s a consistent, compelling, year-round drumbeat of communication and conversation that tells the story of the value of pharmacy and its impact on advancing pro-patient, pro-pharmacy initiatives…NACDS (National Association of Chain Drug Stores) RxImpact grassroots advocacy program is a highly effective resource for pharmacy professionals to learn how to engage and educate lawmakers about key pharmacy issues.

Medical errors happen everywhere. But in the world's largest democracy, stories of doctors being drunk, using rusty instruments or bicycle pumps during surgery, or ordering unjustified procedures are increasingly common… hard data are emerging that show how dismal medical care is for many in India, with providers routinely failing to diagnose common diseases and frequently prescribing useless and hazardous drugs.

Here we go again. Another public opinion pool (poll) where Big Pharma shows up among the least likable industries or lands near the bottom when it comes to corporate industry reputation.This time it's the monthly Kaiser Family Foundation health tracking poll…While the core of the study focused on consumers' opinions about drug prices, several questions also tallied public sentiment regarding pharma. And it ain't good.

PwC’s (PricewaterhouseCoopers) Health Research Institute asserted that the reforms spawned by the ACA have left "an indelible mark on the $2.9 trillion health sector."… Those reforms are forcing industry leaders to "rethink strategies to remain relevant in a post-ACA world" as they roil every facet of health care and drive a gradual but sweeping transformation of the way health services are provided and paid for…

• A massive shifting of risk among different health provider sectors as the ACA drives "new payment models that reward outcomes and penalize poor performance."
• A "back to basics" movement that’s "making primary care once again the critical touchpoint."
• A surge of new, innovative companies that are rushing "to meet the demand for lower-cost, consumer-oriented care options
• A shift in the health insurance industry "from wholesale to retail" as insurers adapt to the demands of consumers, federal and state health administrators
• The emergence of states "as key players in the reconfigured healthcare landscape."

It could be worse. A lot worse. Biotech and pharma stocks crashed early amidst a global market sell off but are recovering mid-day. Some sentinel stocks -- Gilead Sciences, Celgene, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Vertex Pharma -- are actually trading a tiny bit higher or down fractionally…The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (IBB), the most closely followed biotech sector index, is down less than 1% to 339.61. That's an almost miraculous recovery considering the IBB plunged briefly to 283 at the start of trading Monday -- erasing all the gains made this year and then some.

'The digitization of the genome will unleash entrepreneurs and developers'..Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic is investing in and partnering with a new startup (Helix), developing tools and technology to put consumers in control of their genomic data…"Genomics is reaching an inflection point in cost, volumes and knowledge, creating a significant opportunity to unlock information that is currently not widely accessible to individuals,"

HealthSpot…unveiled a new functionality available through its in-store telehealth kiosks - a blood test that captures a number of health metrics in as little as 7 minutes…We are transforming retail clinics into a true extension of the local medical community and widening the scope of services…HealthSpot technology will connect lab results not only with the doctor’s electronic medical record but with the consumer’s personal health record and with the consumer’s insurance benefit plan and billing…

..big worries on growth hanging over the pharmaceuticals industry are poles apart…Pressure on U.S. drug pricing is casting a shadow over the sector’s most lucrative market. But slowing emerging-market growth, notably in China, shouldn’t be ignored…Emerging-market sales for the big pharmaceuticals firms…increased by about 5.5%, year over year, in the second quarter, well below the 9% average of the prior four quarters. Macroeconomic pressures are increasing. Weaker currencies hurt sales, a factor put into clear focus by China’s devaluation of the yuan.