Marketing Campaigns
Aetna U.S. Healthcare Defects From AAHP; Mounts Own Push
Opting to wage its own beefed up independent PR/lobbying effort to defend managed care, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, the nation's second largest operator of managed-care health plans based in Hartford, Conn., has yanked its $800,000 dues for the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP) this year. The ill-timed defection deprives AAHP of four percent of its annual $20 million budget, right as they are gearing up to fight legislative initiatives that would regulate how health plans deliver healthcare to consumers.
Though Aetna plans to continue to work with and support AAHP on many of its initiatives, like "Putting Patients First," the association's effort to make health plans more patient-friendly, Aetna has decided to build its own independent internal PR task forces to more aggressively defend managed care health plans and its suffering consumer image, according to Jill Griffiths, Aetna's director of PR. To this end, Aetna is developing a number of public affairs initiatives, including a $15 million investment in a major academic research effort, Academic Medicine and Managed Care Forum, involving 16 academic institutions that will study managed care outcomes. (Aetna U.S. Healthcare, 215/283-6890)
Market Share Dilemmas
Seattle Hospital Calls For End to 'Medical Arms Race,'
Providence Seattle Medical Center is challenging the Seattle Department of Health's decision to permit the development of a costly open heart surgery program at Northwest Hospital (Seattle) that could send consumer healthcare prices for these services soaring. Blasting the health department's market research which concluded that there was a need for another open heart surgical program in the Puget Sound region, Providence has formally requested that the state reconsider, arguing that the information was flawed and open heart programs in the region would get a bad rap.
The thrust of the appeal argues that there are already seven open heart programs in the region, and claims that another system would violate the certificate of need (CON) process to prevent unnecessary and costly duplication of services.
Estimating that there is already an excess of 2,000 cases per year among area hospitals, Dr. Rayburn Lewis, Providence's medical director pointed out that "there is no need for another program that would cost more than $1 million to [build] that ultimately would be passed along to healthcare consumers."
Providence is citing what it considers to be six compelling reasons to block CON approval for Northwest Hospital: undemonstrated need, flawed data, unrealistic cost-containment, fragmentation of services, and more than ample university clinical teaching. (Providence, 206/567-4834)
New Enterprises
Cost-Effective Patient Care Marketing Services
Carolina Telecommunications Inc (CTI), a Charlotte, N.C.-based, state-of-the-art call center and Touch Tone Health, a healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing information company, have partnered to provide easy-access marketing services for the managed care and pharmaceutical industries. Valuable marketing data on physician surveys, and patient and product usage profiles are among the benefits this collaboration will deliver.
This integrated voice response technology with live operator call processing, CTI/Touch Tone Health can develop and manage a wide range of patient/marketing services including chronic illness patient monitoring, compliance, patient/caregiver information distribution and new product launch support as well as professional and consumer sampling.
Since hospitals are under increasing pressure to maintain healthcare costs (especially in areas of patient compliance and in-hospital stays) this technology is especially useful, according to Francis Allen, CTI president. Citing healthcare studies that have shown that 50 percent of prescriptions are either not filled or not taken within the recommended physician-prescribed timeframe, and that such "non-compliance" results in 17 to 23 percent of all hospitalizations," Allen points out that CTI/Touch Tone's 'caller friendly' programs for HMOs, PPOs, and ISNs can significantly lower hospitalization expenses without reducing the quality of care. (Lyerly Agency, 800/992-2557)
New Video Telepharmacy Links Pharmacy and Hospital Industry
Now the pharmacy and hospital industries are closer than ever. ADDS, Inc. (N. Billerica, Mass.) has linked its fully interactive telemedicine system with the University of Utah Hospital's clinic, integrating telemedicine technology with remotely controlled automated drug dispensing services, for the first time. Filling a rural void for healthcare delivery, a major challenge for many pharmacies and hospitals, ADDS launched its first fully interactive video telemedicine system earlier this month.
This innovative video communication system can link a pharmacist with a patient at a clinic many miles away. Its first application at the University of Utah Hospital, used advanced video technology to link University hospital in Salt Lake City with a remote clinic about 45 miles away in Park City, Utah. Now the Pharmacy Department of the University of Utah can counsel patients and dispense pharmaceuticals to remote clinics from their main campus location. (ADDS, Inc. 508/670-0745)
Leading Health Groups Form National Information Center
A consortium of healthcare leaders recently assembled to form a national resource center, The National Information Center for Health Services Administration, that will be based in Washington, D.C. Targeting healthcare professionals, the organization, founded by American College of Healthcare Executives (ACPE), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), will provide the latest information and research on healthcare. The center's goal is to advance the future of health services administration by arming the healthcare industry with up-to-date information and immediate access to research.
The center will provide the following information services:
- healthcare information specialists;
- a wide range of information resources, including books, journals, newsletters and audiovisuals;
- electronic media;
- and information delivery services for requested materials. (AHA, 202/626-2339)