So we talked about scoring your health at the Health2.0 conference. Handing out another tool to the insurance industry to deny you of one of the most basic necessity- access to Health Care.

Besides, FICO score, Genome, DNA direct and the likes provide negative reinforcement to the average patient, who is already aware that he/she is failing in many more of these scores like BMI, Lipid panel, Hemoglobin A1C etc. To bring the change is so overwhelming for a patient that he gives up and spirals down to poor health.

In this Health2.0 generation we need to approach this with a disruption. Empowering patients with self care attitude and developing a happiness index as a score. This might ease out the stress of ’stress management’. This needs to parallel the example of healthy unconditional parenting where bribes or time-outs have a limited role and making the ‘right decision’ itself is the incentive.

So before we bring out these FICO scores to the table please think what really works for you.

The patient’s advocate,

Archana Dubey, MD

Even though I was attending the Health2.0 conference for the last 12 hours and it is quite late in the evening, but I can’t help but write all about a great experience. I congratulate Indu Subaiya and Matthew Holt to put together this (sold-out) conference.

A room full of innovation and disruptive ideas was very intellectually stimulating.

It started with the big players in the search space like Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and WebMD who lightly touched their plans of expanding in the customized search for consumers.

Followed was a panel of new(er) players in Healthcare with impressive presentations from Healia, Kosmix and Healthline. The interesting use of ‘natural language’ search and utilizing trusted sources for health information was fascinating. But I found it very hard to imagine the adoption of these powerful tools by our ‘average patient’- our consumer. What was missing was easy to understand customized abstracts relevant to the consumers.

Social media panel was highlighted by Sophia’s Garden and PatientsLikeMe, that were born out of personal suffering. Popular patient community Daily Strength is remarkable in having a great user experience. MedHelp as a veteran player has an accomplished group Physician community, from leading institutions, backing its reputation and building relationship with the consumers.

The panel on tools for consumers health got well moderated by Scott and had a great presentation about Quicken Health a very adoptable solution from already successful Intuit.

For me as a physician, the highlight of the evening was Provider networking panel especially Sermo and Within 3. These virtual physician lounges provide an unprecedented opportunities to the providers to improve the standards of care delivery and clinical research.

Looking ahead I see the need to collect all this fragmented information spaces into a healthcare bazaar with a trusted personal shopper to advise you.

Archana Dubey, MD

A recent 20/20 report on the healthcare assesses the critical condition of this market. The healthcare cost soaring to $2 trillion ( the size of entire economy of China) is unable to provide optimal care to the patients, leaving the patients, physicians and employers unhappy. Employers have seen insurance premiums rise 87 percent over the last seven years and that has affected their revenues. General Motors now spends more on its employees’ health insurance than on steel.

Comparing the healthcare markets where there is universal healthcare the report found that free is not cheap. Providing free health insurance coverage still doesn’t address the rising cost of healthcare. It also increases the wait time to get appropriate treatment.

The solution is in consumer power that will bring the cost to healthy levels and encourage timely treatment. Some facts that drive us to this opinion are:

• Out of every dollar that the United States spends on health care, only 12 cents comes out of the pocket of patients, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• While in nearly every other field of medicine, prices have gone up faster than consumer prices in general, the price of Lasik has fallen by as much as 30 percent (due to free market and this service being paid out of pocket).
• Whole Foods’ health-care costs dropped by 13 percent the first year the plan (high deductible catastrauphic combined with “wellness account” was put in place … 77 percent of team members voted in favor of this plan over tranditional insurance … allows them to spend the money how they want to spend it.

…the pulse of our healthcare market is asking for a consumer driven market.

Archana Dubey, MD

What is Health 2.0?

Health 2.0 is the evolution of healthcare as a result of consumer empowerment. Its definition ranges from ‘applied Web 2.0 technology to healthcare’ to ‘the next generation healthcare delivery’.

It includes the technology that enables users to generate relevant information and share it in virtual venues like blogs, mash-ups, social networking, digital publishing, wikis etc. hence participating more effectively in their own healthcare.

It helps develop virtual relationships and collaboration, and in the process shift the paradigm from cost to value, from disease-care to health-care, hence making the physician as our Healthcare Advisor and the patient as an Informed Consumer.

Health 2.0 is happening now; according to the Economist:

• About 33M (of 100M people online ) have found significantly helpful health information on the internet
• 20% of internet users have created some health-related content
• The accuracy of information of many patient user communities is very high: 2004 BMJ study showed only 6% inaccurate information posted at popular on-line Neurology site
• The American Cancer Society found that inaccurate information was typically rooted out and expunged within 2 hours of posting on average
• Internet’s ability to organize hundreds of patients with rare disease efficiently helps with the diagnosis and treatment of illness earlier, with unprecendented explosion of medical knowledge

So let us play and explore the vast possibilities of this revolution in the healthcare industry, that is Health 2.0… 

Archana Dubey, MD

As the responsibility of healthcare financing and decision making has shifted from employer to provider and now to the consumer, the healthcare market is responding with innovation.

Consumer driven healthcare like the Lumenos plan offered by WellPoint, Inc. targets consumer involvement in managing their healthcare related finances.

Healthcare savings accounts coupled with high deductible health insurance plans split the risk between insurance and consumers with tax savings advantage.

With more Health 2.0 technology, this landscape seems to be getting healthier.

Archana Dubey, MD

Just to validate the prior posting….

Facts:

According to a US census report published in August 2007, we have increased our household income, but declined our healthcare coverage in the last year (from 44.8m (15.3%) to 47m (15.8%)of uninsured). This decline specially affected the children (approximately 10% decline in insurance coverage) and the families that have a household income of more than 75,000, who are not eligible for government benefits because they are not poor enough!

The response from the political leaders, both Republicans and Democrats, have been prompt, but they all have suggested solutions built on the current system and infrastructure.

Opinion:

Trying to find solution that is built on the already ailing healthcare industry is setting ourself for a failure and collapse of the biggest industry in the United States. We have to think outside the box and support innovative ideas to bring a radical change ground-up. Consumers and providers need to collaborate in the decision making process.

from the healthcare think tank…this is Archana Dubey, MD

As healthcare consumers – a.k.a. patients, we wonder, who is sicker, we or the Healthcare system that is treating us…or is it treating us right?

From the best MBA schools to the movie ‘SICKO’ , from the election campaign to the not-for-profits, like ‘Cover the uninsured’, the question remains…. 

In a recent survey by Kaiser Family Foundation, Healthcare is the top domestic issue in the 2008 elections, trailing just after Iraq war in all issues.  Here are some dollars and nonsense: 

• Our health care expenses are $1.9 trillion (2004), 16% of GDP, about 4% more than what we spend on defense. 
• Consumers are paying higher premiums, higher co-pay, higher deductibles and higher co-insurance and getting lesser coverage in the last decade, per a study done by Kaiser family foundation. 
• Uninsured in the US increased to a staggering 46million and increasing. 

Market is longing for a change…according to ABC News/Kaiser Family Foundation/USA Today Health Care in America 2006 Survey: 

• Despite the amount of healthcare expenses, Americans are dissatisfied with the cost and quality of our health care. 
• Consumers want to see and use health care quality information to make health care decisions. 

Consumers are hurting and market is ready….it’s about time to free the fair market and empower the patient who is not so patient anymore…. 
Happy Labor Day! 
Archana Dubey, M.D.