The Foundation For HealthSMART Consumers

Dr. John Delfs Presents Views on Self-Efficacy and Patient-Provider Partnerships to the FDA

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:02:03 +0000

FDA Public Hearing Held on Innovations to Expand Which Drug Products Can be Nonprescription

Senior Fellow, Dr. John Delfs, presented his views to the FDA at the March 23rd hearing set up to obtain input on a new paradigm in which the FDA would approve certain drugs that would otherwise require a prescription for nonprescription use (also known as over-the-counter or OTC) under conditions of safe use. The public hearing was held to obtain information and comments from the public on the feasibility of this paradigm and its potential benefits and costs.

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Meet Our Fellows at the Upcoming MidAtlantic Business Group on Health Meeting

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:31:50 +0000

On March 7th, Fellows John Delfs, MD, Joseph McGovern and James Parker will conduct a panel discussion and roundtable intensive on Rx-to-OTC Switch and Next Gen Benefits. Learn more about this event for HR benefits professionals or about MABGH, an association of employer health care purchasers that drives cost-effective health care, through value-based purchasing.

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Meet Our Fellows at the Upcoming Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute Annual Meeting

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:41:26 +0000

On February 22^nd, Fellows Joseph McGovern and James Parker will present Rx-to-OTC Switch and Next Gen Benefits. Learn more about this event for health care benefit executives or about PBMI, with a mission of providing the industry’s premier forum for health care purchasers to exchange ideas, advance best practices, and drive appropriate changes in the pharmacy benefit management marketplace.

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OTCs by Prescription: The Real Threat to Self-Medication Brands

Joseph McGovern — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:08:40 +0000

A potentially devastating competitor is taking a leading share in several US OTC categories. It’s not a brand. You won’t see it on the shelf; you may only see its impact in market decline. You will be dismayed to see its share, its double-digit growth and its private label anonymity. It is the doctor-prescribed OTC.

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The Self-Efficacy Imperative

John Delfs — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:42:07 +0000

Self-efficacy provides a roadmap for tapping into the power of patients to engage in their own health care. Empowered patients, working in effective collaboration with their providers, can improve their own health outcomes and also become an important force in controlling health care costs. The first change needed is a cultural and attitudinal transformation. We are now transitioning toward payment systems that support effective care and improved outcomes. The opportunity is at our doorstep.

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Webinar Oct 4th: Electronic Cigarettes – A Public Health Issue

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:43:14 +0000

Save the Date: Webinar on Tuesday, October 4th at 1pm EST
The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center announced its free webinar, Electronic Cigarettes: Marketing and Potential Public Health Impact. The webinar aims to outline the basics about electronic cigarettes, raise awareness of the current marketing of electronic cigarettes and to review the public health issues posed by these products, featuring Rachel Grana, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral Scholar, and Pamela Ling, MD, MPH, Associate Professor in Residence, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.

For more information about the Smoking Leadership Cessation Center, click here.

HealthSMART Tip: Of the 45.3 million current smokers, 70% say that they would like to quit. But without assistance, less than 5% are able to stop smoking. If you’re trying to quit, or know someone who is, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free help.

Can Pharmacy Benefit Managers Get Control of Prescription Drug Spending? Yes, No, and Maybe

Jim Parker — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 20:07:30 +0000

Managed care organizations and pharmacy benefit management companies (PBMs) aggressively manage prescription drug spending, in large part by focusing on programs that encourage the use of generic alternatives to branded prescription medications. Upcoming patent expirations will provide further economic tail winds that will lower pharmacy spending so is it safe to declare victory in the fight against rising prescription drug costs? Not by a long shot.

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Rescue Fantasies

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Mon, 23 May 2011 21:41:06 +0000

The phenomenon of the rescue fantasy was first discussed by Freud in 1910. Popular in fairy tales, dramatic novels, movies, and cartoons, the fantasy is that, even in the most dire of situations, somehow, from somewhere, a superhero will swoop down out of the sky and rescue us from our almost certain doomed fate. Despite knowing the idea is a fantasy, we still hope.

Americans suffer from rescue fantasies in health care.

We pay small fortunes for the privilege of access to a health care system with an unsustainable cost structure that only delivers quality care 40 percent of the time. We are on a train heading in the wrong direction, and we are awaiting our rescue to a more secure reality. Some are expecting the superhero politicians to be the rescuers; others are counting on employers and union negotiators; still others think doctors in their white coats will perform the brave task.

The truth is: It’s up to us.

The second truth is: We can do it.

As American, we have within our cultural DNA a basic sensibility that is optimistic, resilient and entrepreneurial. It is time to activate this sensibility and take charge of our future by taking charge of our health. Commerce is driven by the basic laws of supply and demand. If we flatten the demand for health care services by increasing our health, we will not need to be concerned about the supply of health care services. It will have to level off to counterbalance the new level of demand.

The task of learning how the health care system works would be daunting. The task of learning how to improve our health should not be daunting. We may need to adapt and to better ourselves through self-education, but we are not alone. As a society, we are all together in this.

It is Time to Bring Health Back into the Home

Michael Kaufman — Fri, 20 May 2011 21:07:56 +0000

Unhealthy behaviors are the most prominent cause of chronic disease and premature death. Home is not only where the heart is, but where we make many of our healthy or unhealthy choices. Why do we engage in personally self-destructive behaviors and how can we overcome our tendencies? This is a complex challenge which will require a long-term commitment to social change.

However, we do know one of the keys. That is for people to believe they are responsible for their own health. This is an empowering concept and each step in this direction is rewarding. Any action, as simple as walking up and down stairs or appropriately taking an over-the-counter pain relief for muscle aches, starts to re-train the individual toward personal responsibility.

It is also important to provide easy access to information that simplifies the process for making healthy choices. The information must be clear and understandable, and subtly engaging and motivating. Simple steps will keep us on the path to more health.

Over-The-Counter (OTC) Medicines are Important First-Line Therapy for Common Conditions

The Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 19:46:56 +0000

We at the Foundation for HealthSMART Consumers believe that self-care with OTCs should be viewed as a first-line treatment protocol for common conditions that are easily self-diagnosed. This allows for consumers to take an active role in their health care and to take responsibility for caring for themselves until a health care provider’s expertise is necessary. In addition to being an effective first step in caring for common condition symptoms, self-care can also represent meaningful cost savings for both the health care system and for health care consumers.

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