Welcome

Welcome to Healthcare Matters.

Yes its a play on words. Healthcare consumes a great portion of our GNP so that matters. How you are treated by doctors, nurses, dentists, therapists, other practitioners of the medical arts, hospitals and other medical providers matters. What the drug companies create and medical device manufacturers sells matters. How the government - state and federal - pays for healthcare matters. How the insurance companies create those managed care products matter. How your patient information is stored, read, managed and remains confidential - matters, really matters.

Its a complex maze of great opportunity for health and wellness. And at the same time, a world where billions and billions and billions of dollars are at stake. In the end it that matters to you, me, our families, the uninsured, taxes and all the rest. We pay, are going to pay more and when it comes right down to it - we have very little say.

I have been in healthcare for nearly 20 years now- hospitals, health systems, GPO, managed care, long term care, medical device manufacturers. Seen a lot, done a lot, yes marketed and communicated a lot. Yep, inside scoop here, how it really works, what the CEOs really mean when they're talking.

In the coming weeks and months we will explore topics of interests, maybe break a few stories, explore some misconceptions.

Interviews with healthcare leaders, profiles and trends can be expected.

The good , the bad, the ugly - what works and doesn't work in healthcare advertising.

Evey wonder why hospitals tout their patient satisfaction scores in the high 90th percentile for satisfaction, yet you leave the medical encounter wondering what just happened and why you don't feel better about it?

Think doctors believe what you tell them? Think again.

Think we are going to have national health insurance? Not till two important questions are answered and the politicians aren't even taking about those.

Think certificate of need laws reduce healthcare sending and control the delivery of services? You'd be surprised at that answer.

Add your comments, thoughts and ideas. Suggest topics for us to explore. Have a hot tip, send it along, verification is necessary as a reminder.

Thanks for reading, we'll keep it light at times, serious at others, but most of all informative and maybe, just maybe, a bit tongue in check when the time is right.

Watch this space!