Transparency in Med.
Charles
for discussion. With that being said my question is; does anyone know
of any resources that allow a patient or physician to look at product
reviews for medical products? Any other consumer product in our world
has extensive info. available from sources other than the manufacturer
and I'm trying to find the same thing for medical products. In this
manner I can offer patients the ability to research health care
products. Thanks in advance for the input.
Charles
Charles
Abe Young
A few articles have been accumulating of which I've been wanting to send out to share with this listserve, and one of them actually has concerns exactly what you ask about: whether there are "any resources that allow a patient or physician to look at product reviews for medical products?... other than the manufacturer...In this manner I can offer patients the ability to research health care products."
In short, this article seems to suggest a current lack of this important mechanism for medical intervention/treatment comparison in America, and reports on the humongous investments in the new Obama budget that particularly fund initiatives "to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness".
The link to full article is below, but I've also included a few highlights that seem relevant, and some reactions to them. Anyone else here have any thoughts to add or information about current resources for docs/patients?
-Abe
P.S. Charles, just out of curiosity, are you currently a student, practicing physician or other healthcare professional? And if so, where?
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/health/policy/16health.html?emc=eta1
U.S. to Compare Medical Treatments
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION INITIATIVES:"The $787 billion economic stimulus bill approved by Congress will, for the first time, provide substantial amounts of money for the federal government to compare the effectiveness of different treatments for the same illness...researchers will receive $1.1 billion to compare drugs, medical devices, surgery and other ways of treating specific conditions. The bill creates a council of up to 15 federal employees to coordinate the research and to advise President Obama and Congress on how to spend the money.
The program responds to a growing concern that doctors have little or no solid evidence of the value of many treatments. Supporters of the research hope it will eventually save money by discouraging the use of costly, ineffective treatments."
POTENTIAL SCENARIOS IN PLAY:
"...the federal effort would help researchers try to answer questions like these:
Is it better to treat severe neck pain with surgery or a combination of physical therapy, exercise and medications? What is the best combination of “talk therapy” and prescription drugs to treat mild depression?
How do drugs and “watchful waiting” compare with surgery as a treatment for leg pain that results from blockage of the arteries in the lower legs? Is it better to treat chronic heart failure by medications alone or by drugs and home monitoring of a patient’s blood pressure and weight?"
OPPOSITION TO OBAMAPLAN:"As Congress translated the idea into legislation, it became a lightning rod for pharmaceutical and medical-device lobbyists, who fear the findings will be used by insurers or the government to deny coverage for more expensive treatments and, thus, to ration care.
In addition, Republican lawmakers and conservative commentators
complained that the legislation would allow the federal government to
intrude in a person’s health care by enforcing clinical guidelines and
treatment protocols."
"Consumer groups, labor unions, large employers and pharmacy benefit managers supported the new initiative, saying it would fill gaps in the evidence available to doctors and patients.
“The new research will eventually save money and lives,” said Representative Pete Stark, Democrat of California.
The United States spends more than $2 trillion a year on health care, but “we have little information about which treatments work best for which patients,” said Mr. Stark, who is the chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.
In the absence of information on what works, Mr. Stark said, patients are put at risk, and billions of dollars are spent each year on ineffective or unnecessary treatments.
Steven D. Findlay, a health policy analyst at Consumers Union, said the action by Congress was “a terrific step on the road to improving the quality of care and making it more efficient.”
But critics say the legislation could put the government in the middle of the doctor-patient relationship. "PRACTICAL USAGE IN THE FUTURE...:
"Congress did not say exactly how the findings should be used. Private insurers can use the data in deciding whether to cover new drugs and medical procedures, but it is unclear how Medicare will use the information."
--->BUT WHAT ABOUT USE OF THIS INFORMATION FOR INDIVIDUALS--DOCTORS, PATIENTS, ETC.?? WILL IT BE ACCESSIBLE IN A USER-FRIENDLY WEBSITE FORMAT? (e.g. maybe by creation of something like comparedrugs.gov or comparetreatments.gov? Obama has already created citizen-use websites like recovery.gov to hold the stimulus plan accountable.)