Category — Healthcare Marketing

Guest blogger Arnon Krongrad, MD

What do these people have in common: 1) a 39-y old stay-at-home mom in Florida, 2) a web master in Melbourne Australia, 3) a gay Broadway producer, 4) the Clinical Director of Psycho-Oncology at the Winship Cancer Center at Emory University, and 5) a dentist in Ottawa? They are all new members of the New Prostate Cancer InfoLink social network.

Prostate cancer is a global problem with no apparent global solution. It is also a chronic and multi-faceted clinical challenge. Be it matters of early detection or treatment selection or management of clinical complications and loss of partner intimacy, there is more to consider than any one doctor or specialist can. Moreover, with the numbing quantity of online information, there is more than any single site can efficiently deliver. Patients drown in useless information while seeking the bit that relates to them.

To address what we perceived a poorly constructed online delivery, we recently resurrected what in 1995 was launched as the world’s first prostate cancer web site, the Prostate Cancer InfoLink. We kept its best parts, including the simple articles and interactive “Ask Arthur,” and launched the new version with modern tools: blog, syndication, and social network.

The New Prostate Cancer InfoLink sites bring friendly interactive mechanisms for helping the individual man and his partners and friends. For example, the “Ask Arthur” has been expanded to be Ask Arthur, Ask Amy, and Ask Arnon, which represents 50 man-years of prostate cancer experience. The social network has uniquely brought together urologists, radiation oncologists, psychiatrists, writers and more. Discussion has been thoughtful and in many cases supremely well informed.

We’re new in existence and new in concept. Please have a look. And if you run a web site or blog, please post links to:

http://prostatecancerinfolink.net articles, blog, and online support

http://prostatecancerinfolink.ning.com social network

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Guest blogger Arnon Krongrad, MD, is Founder and Medical Director of the Krongrad Institute for Minimally Invasive Prostate Cancer Surgery and co-Founder of the New Prostate Cancer InfoLink.

PRESS RELEASE

Healthy Living Expo 2008

A chance for companies to showcase their newest supplements, products and equipment for a healthy living.

This year’s expo will again be held in the Fountain Court at Sandton City, on 5th – 7th September 2008.

2007’s event was a great success, with almost all the stall holders agreeing that their sales and exposure had certainly been boosted by the enormous volume of traffic through the vibrant centre.

This is a great opportunity for consumers to see what new products have been developed in the last year, as well as displaying new health equipment and a variety of supplements for a healthy lifestyle.

The Healthy Living Expo is supported by the HPASA (Health Products Association South Africa), with the aim of updating the industry and consumers on the latest scientific information regarding health, and related topics.
The HPASA is a respected and professional body, promoting ethical behaviour and ensuring that manufacturing and advertising of health products follow regulation.
[Read more →]

Just a few days ago we referenced and commented on the changing face of the distribution channel in the homecare industry in the US and Europe.

In that article we highlighted by way of example Merits (a general homecare manufacturer) and Shoprider (predominantly a scooter manufacturer).

Kymco, a motor cycle manufacturer based out of Taiwan has now established Kymco Healthcare in the UK where they will now have a direct local presence - in fact they are busy recruiting a sales organization.

From OEM product introduction to direct in about 3 years or so. Not bad.

So what? Well it is just another example of where an OEM relationship established by healthcare companies that have shared their product and market expertize has led to a direct market entrance by the Asian manufacturer.

Innovate in the distribution channel or else.

After all the trauma of the recent deep reimbursement cuts by Medicare, the Office of Inspector General in the United States has found that Medicare, in certain cases pays 35% to 45% more than internet advertised prices for certain power wheelchairs.

The industry is quick to protest and will argue “the higher bar” that Medicare providers have to attain accounts for the difference in cost.

Nevertheless - here is the recommendation of the Office of Inspector General.

RECOMMENDATION
We found that consumers could have purchased most power wheelchairs over the Internet at prices lower than the Medicare fee schedule amounts. We recommend that CMS: Consider performing additional reviews to determine whether the current Medicare power wheelchair fee schedule amounts for certain groups and procedure codes are appropriate.

And Medicare agrees:

AGENCY COMMENTS AND OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
RESPONSE
CMS concurred with our recommendation. In addition, CMS noted that, in mid-2008, Medicare payment amounts for power wheelchairs in 10 large metropolitan statistical areas will be based on power wheelchair suppliers’ competitive bids. CMS further noted that it has the authority in future years to use payment information from the competitive bidding program to adjust payments in areas not included in the program. OIG work is continuing in this area. We plan to conduct further evaluations to compare Medicare fee schedule amounts to actual prices paid by suppliers.

The report goes on to estimate a total saving to Medicare and consumers of close to $40 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Again there will be a counter argument from the industry which will point to the extra regulatory and service hurdles that Medicare imposes.

The fact of the matter is that - pricing (and reimbursement) on Power mobility products is under strong review (again). CMS is looking to their newly established national competitive bidding process to lower prices - and it, together with other measures it will take, will again reduce the price of power wheelchairs to the government and consumers.

The full OIG (smallish pdf download) report can be found here.

Topchair is a brand new powered wheelchair (and concept) that enables its drivers to easily be able to climb and descend stairs, steps and other obstacles - all of this in addition to having similar performance to an industry leading powered wheelchair on the road or at home.

After several years of development by French scientist and engineer Hervé le Masne, and following the completion of a significant clinical study amongst a representative user group, the powered wheelchair is now ready for commercialization.

In addition to its speed, maneuverability and performance on the ground, the Topchair automatically detects the first step while driving with infrared sensors and then goes on to detect the last step as it retracts its built in climbing mechanism.

In this video the driving performance and step climbing mechanism is shown:

Owner and inventor Hervé le Masne goes on to demonstrate the impressive mobility potential of the chair as he heads down the stairs at Trocadero in Paris, France on the way to the Eiffel tower.

Additional detailed information is available at the Topchair website in English or French.

Topchair has passed all the regulatory certifications in France and is available for sale to local consumers.

It will soon be made available in several other countries through the development of key partnerships.

Interested parties should contact Frank Barlin or Topchair for further information.

In a far reaching move to be ahead of the game in the new world order of NCB (National Competitive Bidding), reimbursement cuts worldwide and Asian competition - Sunrise Medical CEO Mike Hammes has announced a fundamental structural change.

As from July Sunrise Medical will split into two distinct organizations, Sunrise Mobility and Devilbiss Healthcare. Hammes while being overall group chairman will run Sunrise Mobility and Kees Regeling will run Devilbiss Medical as its President and CEO. The change is not purely superficial and customers will be required to order their products from the distinct responsible business.

In addition to the above the sales force of the specialty ART group will be combined with the Sunrise Mobility salesforce.

In an excellent communication package - including a video, Hammes outlines clearly the reason for change as well as admitting to not necessarily having all of the answers in this change process.

Its official - CMS (Medicare - Medicaid) have gone public with a website to provide further information on National Competitive Bidding (NCB).

This is yet another indication that NCB is coming sooner rather than later.

Of particular interest is this statement “CMS has not set a deadline for DMEPOS suppliers to become accredited in order to retain/obtain a supplier enrollment number or to competitively bid”…

Here is the site:

http://www.cms.hhs.gov/competitiveacqfordmepos/

Here is a related site providing further detailed information on implementation. (Work in progress).

http://www.dmecompetitivebid.com/

(For non US companies this provides useful insights into the US market - It is worthwhile clicking on the links).