A blog covering the health/care ecosystem and people.

It’s the morning after the historic 2012 Presidential Election, with President Barack Obama winning a second term in the face of a sputtering economy and eventual Fiscal Cliff as of December 31, 2012. As we toast with our beverage of choice that night, we will also be worrying about our top financial concerns: how we’ll fund our retirements, and how we’ll pay for health care eventually, and now while we’re actively employed. The Harris Poll of November 5, 2012, reveals that 3 in 4 people in the U.S. who aren’t yet retired worry they won’t have enough money to slow

4 in 5 health consumers expect doctors not only to treat them when they’re sick, but to keep them healthy. “In sickness and in health” now morphs over to the doctor-patient relationship, beyond the marriage vow. Better Health through Better Patient Communications, a survey from Varolii, finds that people are looking for health, beyond health care, from their physicians. Varolii is a customer interaction company that claims to have interacted with 1 in 3 Americans through some sort of company communication: they work with major Fortune 1000 companies, including banks, airlines, retail, and, yes, health care. They recently attracted  a

Good food is a key component of health. So when Humana partners with Walmart to discount good-for-you foods, it’s a sign in the market that two of America’s most visible health brands are looking to motivate people to eat healthier — and, to be sure, drive sales in the growing health marketplace. This unique partnership brings together one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies with the world’s largest retailer. The venture joins HumanaVitality, a rewards program providing incentives for members (currently, about one million) to make sound health decisions, and Walmart, who will offer 5% savings on products that

Health payers and plans are realigning their business operations to get closer to consumers. Anticipating the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), coupled with the continuing trend toward consumer-driven health plans, Chilmark Research published the 2012 Benchmark Report: Payer Adoption of Emerging Consumer Tech in August 2012. John Moore, industry analyst and founder of Chilmark, and I had an email exchange to discuss the report. JSK: Why is this topic so timely now? JM: Payers have been trying for years to engage their members with less than stellar results. The advent of new consumer technologies such as social media, mobile,

Employee benefits make up one-third of employers’ investments in workers, and companies are looking for positive ROI on that spend. Health benefits are the largest component of that spending, and are a major cost-management focus. In 2012 and beyond, wellness is taking center stage as part of employers’ total benefits strategies. In the 2012 Wellness & Benefits Administration Benchmarking study, a new report from bswift, a benefits administration company, the vast majority of large employers (defined as those with over 500 workers) are sponsoring wellness programs, extending them to dependents as well as active workers. Increasingly, sticks accompany carrots for

Two in 3 employees (62%) can’t estimate how much their employers spend on health benefits. Of those who could estimate the number (which is, on average, about $12,000 according to the 2012 Milliman Medical Index), most weren’t very confident in their guess. Some 23% calculated the monthly spend by employers was less than $500 a month — less than 50% the actual contribution. Thus, most U.S. health consumers don’t fully value the amount of cash their employers spend on their health care, according to a poll from the National Business Group on Health, Perceptions of Health Benefits in a Recovering

In some surveys, U.S. consumers seem primed for health engagement, liking the ability to schedule appointments with doctors online, emailing providers, and having technology at home that monitors their health status. The chart illustrates some of these stats from a 2011 survey by Intuit. However, organizations that develop quality report cards on providers and plans, and developers of mHealth apps, will point out that consumers aren’t rushing to use the quality reports or sustain use of apps: in fact, most downloaded health apps aren’t used after one try, according to PwC’s research. How do we make sense of these different

The supply-side of healthcare DIY is growing, with the advancement of Castlight Health through its $100mm VC influx and Cakehealth’s new version for managing health spending online. Consumer demand is growing, too, for these services. But don’t get over-hyped by the healthcare, everywhere, scenario. Health citizens also demand face-to-face time with their physicians and clinicians, evidenced by a survey from Accenture titled, Is healthcare self-service online enough to satisfy patients? The answer is a clear, “no.” 90% of U.S. adults like the idea of digital health self-service, 83% want online access to personal health information, 72% want to book appointments

Trust is a precursor to health engagement. Trust impacts health outcomes such as a patient’s willingness to follow a doctor’s or health plan’s instructions. Two new studies point out that U.S. consumers don’t trust every touchpoint in the health system. Online medical information has become a trusted channel. Health plans? Not so much. Wolters Kluwer’s Health Q1 Poll on Self-Diagnosis found that consumers trust online health information to inform themselves — even for self-diagnosis. 57% of U.S. adults turn to the Internet to find answers to medical information; 25% “never” do, and 18% rarely do. Two-thirds of people say they trust

In PwC‘s landmark report, Social Media “Likes” Healthcare, there’s a data point obscured by lots of great information generated by the firm’s survey of 1,060 U.S. adults: that over one-half of people value patient support groups and social networks with other patients that are offered by drug companies. Not surprisingly, U.S. consumers. who are taking on increasing financial responsibility to pay for health care products and services, also highly value discounts and coupons, and access to information that helps them find the “cheapest” medications — both favored by two-thirds of people. The report found, overall, that over one-third of U.S. adults

In our fast-texting, quick-thinking, Blink-ing society, Jason Riis talks about slowing down our relationship with food. At the Edelman Wellness Ignited meet-up on March 26, 2012, Jason riffed on food  intervention and economics for healthy eating. Jason is a professor at Harvard Business School and among his many research interests is how to change culture to morph away from obesity and Type 2 diabetes toward health. The U.S. is a shopping nation: retail is destination, fun, entertaining, life, for millions of Americans. Jason’s asking what retailers can do about fast and food. This isn’t only about ‘fast food,’ which, of course,

Highmark is the next health plan to launch mobile health programs, signalling a tipping point in health insurance companies getting up-close-and-personal with members’ wellness. Encouraging Words of Wisdom is a personal nutrition coaching program for plan enrollees who meet with dieticians. Members can opt-in to receive motivational text messages and support ongoing commitments to healthy eating. One such message reads, “The best food comes in its own package.” Another app enables members to find a doctor using GPS or to calculate their co-pay amount for a service. Highmark’s head of health services strategy said in the company’s press release, “We understand

A health system that’s built to last: this is the latest sound-bite echoing through health policy circles. The theme of sustainability is permeating all matters of policy, from education and business to health care. Enter IBM, with a rigorous approach to Redefining Value and Success in Healthcare: Charting the path to the future, from the group’s Healthcare and Life Sciences thinkers. What’s inspiring about this report is the team’s integrative thinking, bridging the relationship between operational effectiveness built on a robust information infrastructure that enables team-based care (the “collaboration” aspect in the middle of the pyramid), which then drive personalized healthcare

The market for health and wellness has traditionally included over-the-counter medicines, gym memberships, and vitamins/minerals/supplements. In 2012, the boundaries of health/wellness are blurring beyond these line items toward preventive medical services and consumer electronics. This morphing market is discussed by Cambridge Consultants in their report on the disruptions driving The Business of Health & Wellness: Engaging consumers and making money. Cambridge correctly introduces this analysis by saying that economics, the growing prevalence of chronic diseases, an aging population, and demand consumers are shaping health/wellness, “recharacterizing” the market as one driven by “life events.” Cambridge sees that health consumers are changing their spending

Per capita calorie intake has grown by 9 to 30 calories a day since the 1980s. Portion sizes have grown; as a result, so has the level of overweight and obesity in America. By 2020, 83% of men will be overweight or obese in the U.S.; so will 72% of U.S. women, according to Mark Huffman in a paper presented to the American Heart Association meeting in November 2011. “An individual’s decision to eat is not a result of personal weakness, but rather is determined, to a great extent, by the many environmental cues that have emerged since the early

More people with higher levels of concern about their health feel they are in good health, see their doctors regularly for check-ups, take prescription meds “exactly” as instructed, feel they eat right, and prefer lifestyle changes over using medicines. And 40% of these highly-health-concerned people have also used a health technology in the past year. At the other end of the spectrum are people with low levels of health concern: few see the doctor regularly for check-ups, less than one-half take their meds as prescribed by their doctors, only 31% feel they eat right, and only 36% feel they’re in

Kids lead their parents in the adoption of  digital technologies; that’s why the youngers are called Digital Natives. An intriguing survey of adults’ use of technologies finds that those who do so like “childlike play,” and at the same time, for kids, make them feel more grown up. The trend, Ogilvy says, is blurring generational lines: market to adults as kids, and kids as adults. This convergence is leading families to become more “units” — parents and kids increasingly on the same page in purchase decisions. In Tech Fast Forward: Plug in to see the brighter side of life, from

Apple has supplanted Google as the world’s #1 most valuable brand, worth more brand-wise than Microsoft and Coca-Cola combined (#5 and #6). the other most valuable global brands are IBM, McDonalds, AT&T, Marlboro, China Mobile, and GE. Technology brands have significantly grown in value with consumers allocating more personal disposable income to products like tablet computers and smartphones, even in the face of recessionary economics the world over. Technology companies are now 1/3 of the top 100 brands. Millward Brown, the brand consultancy that is part of WPP, the global communications firm, has conducted the BrandZ top 100 most valuable

“Ward and June Cleaver have left the building,” observe analysts at Nielsen. “The white, two-parent, ‘Leave it to Beaver’ family unit of the 1950s has evolved into a multi-layered, multi-cultural construct dominated by older, childless households,” starts a report from The Nielsen Company, The New Digital American Family. Whatever ethnic flavor this Digital Family may represent, there’s one equalizer across all of them: the smartphone, which is owned by households across cultures and income levels. First, the socio-demographics paint a picture of increasingly multi-cultural households. Recent immigrants to the U.S. accounted for 90% of population growth from 2000-2010, over-indexing for Hispanic and

At least one-half of U.S. patients do not believe they have the information they need to manage their conditions once they leave the doctor’s office. Furthermore, most people feel their physicians don’t communicate with them enough about specific kinds of information, including online resources, information about prescription drugs and side effects, and diet. These insights come out of a survey conducted by MedTera, a patient education and marketing firm that serves the life sciences and health care industry. Key findings from the study illustrate the chasm between patients and their doctors when it comes to people feeling equipped to manage disease

When four self-described health activists share their personal stories in the same physical (not virtual) room at the same time, in real time, it’s an exponentially moving and learning moment. WEGO Health convened a Socialpalooza event (#socialpalooza on Twitter) this week where an influential handful of health activists met face to face with some people who work in health industries. The result was a fruitful dialogue where both empowered patients and the suppliers who research, develop and market products serving those patients, learned a lot from each other. These Four Musketeers of health activism included  Alicia Staley (@stales on Twitter), who passionately shares her hard-won experiences in beating

Sex, drugs, rock and roll, Victoria’s secret bras manufactured with formaldehyde, motivating kids to move about more, and texting potential sex partners your latest STD test results: the 2010 Health 2.0 Conference in San Francisco was more about real, whole health and the person-patient than about cool new tech. Furthermore, the Health 2.0 Conference turned a lot of preconceptions on their head on October 7 and 8, 2010, in a standing-room–only ballroom at the Hilton Union Square. Who could have predicted that government employees would light the room up with high energy and innovative thinking more than a panel of illustrious

Cost-competitiveness is driving overall consumer satisfaction with pharmacies in 2010, 2.5 times the importance that cost had in 2009. But even so, customer service and convenience still trump price in the pharmacy. For brick-and-mortar pharmacies, the key factors driving consumer satisfaction are: Prescription order and pick-up process (convenience) The condition of the store Cost competitiveness Non-pharmacist staff The pharmacist. In 2010, cost competitiveness accounts for 24% of overall satisfaction among brick-and-mortar Rx shoppers; that number was 9% in 2009. The retail pharmacy chains garnering highest satisfaction nationally are the Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Health Mart, and The Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, all awarded

The fact that physicians access health information digitally is not big news; but, where they’re going online may surprise some health marketers who are shifting educational and promotional resources to online portals.   4 in 5 physicians access health care professional sites, the most visited online sources for physician seeking health information online; these sites get nearly one-half of physicians’ time online, and 1/3 of total visits among all health categories, according to a report from the comScore/ImpactRx Physician Behavioral Measurement database. However, one of the long-standing sources of information for doctors — medical journals — only reaches 30% of physicians, and doctors spend

Now showing in a 60-second spot during the 6 o’clock news: Andy Griffith’s got the starring role in promoting the peoples’ use of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). Here is the announcement of the ad in The White House blog of July 30 2010. In the ad, Andy, now 84, recalls the signing of Medicare by President Johnson and moves into some details about the good things PPACA brings to seniors in the U.S. The Christian Science Monitor covers the story and shows the video here. This has caused quite a stir among Republicans who say

While 1 in 2 health CIOs say they’ll be prepared to apply for stimulus funding to adopt electronic health records in 2011, 80% are concerned about their ability to meet the requirements of meaningful use (MU). This lack of confidence on the road to MU is based on a host of challenges, from reporting requirements and lack of clarity of MU criteria to availability of IT talent and worries about access to capital. PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute (PwC) surveyed 120 health care CIOs and IT executives and published the detailed findings in the report, Ready or not: On the road to

As Rite Aid partners up with American Well, here’s another example of the further retail-ization of health in the U.S. The subtext of this arrangement is the fact that the pharmacy is a touch-point for health consumers who seek trust, convenience, access, and an understandable market channel for health. Rite Aid will be the first pharmacy to test the American Well service that enables patients to interact online with providers. In this program, consumers will interact live online via Internet or phone with Rite Aid pharmacies from both their homes and private consultation rooms at select Rite Aid pharmacies. The consults will

Without trust, health consumers won’t engage with organizations who want to cure them, sell to them, promote to them, help them. Here’s what I told a group of  pharmaceutical marketers at The DTC Annual Conference in Washington , DC, on April 9, 2010. Let’s start with the World Health Organization’s definition of health: that is, the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not just the absence of disease. This definition is being embraced by health citizens long before the silos in the health industry – including pharma – get it. That’s an important mindset to take on as

 “Don’t be embarrassed by your body. Learn to love it,” the voice on the video positively commands. Comcast, are you listening?   Channel 4 in the United Kingdom hosts the television show, Embarrassing Bodies. There’s also a website providing health information that is detailed, audacious, graphic, and absolutely engaging.   On it, you’ll see close-ups of breasts, testicles, vulvae, and most other body parts in Grey’s Anatomy that are suitable for self-examination. The show launched in April 2008 and was watched by over 12 million people. Since there, Embarrassing Bodies has seen countless downloads of health videos, page views on

Americans spend nearly $30 billion on functional foods, according to Leveraging growth in the emerging functional foods industry, from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Functional foods are those that contain supplements beyond food that’s consumed for basic nutrition. They incorporate additional ingredients that target specific health benefits. PwC believes that the U.S. represents the largest functional foods market in the world, up to one-half of global sales. 20 companies account for 70% of the U.S. market. Many of these names are very familiar, such as PepsiCo (with Gatorade and Quaker), Coca-Cola (Vitamin Water and Odwalla), General Mills (Cheerios and Yoplait), Kellogg (Kashi and

And the pot will be from Costco, not Williams-Sonoma. The most telling point about health reform in President Obama’s budget is that, “Some researchers believe that healthcare costs could be reduced by a stunning 30 percent — or about $700 billion a year — without harming quality if we moved as a nation toward the proven and successful practices adopted by the lower-cost areas and hospitals.” That sentence gives us some grist for forecasting some of the elements of health reform — in particular, the last phrase which talks about moving from higher-cost, unproven health practices to lower-cost proven approaches.

The 2008 Edelman Health Engagement Barometer is out alongside the company’s annual Trust Barometer, and more than ever, people are trusting “people like me” more than they do institutions. This is the ninth iteration of the Trust survey. The toplines of the past four years show an important change in peoples’ trust perspectives. In 2005, Edelman found that trust in ‘established institutions’ and figures of authority began shifting to peers. By 2006, “A person like me” was the most credible spokesperson for companies. That year, people trusted employees significantly more than company CEOs. Edelman defines “a person like me” as

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

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