Death by Complexity? The Apparent Demise of Implantable Medical Chips

In October 2004 the FDA approved implantable RFID chips for the purpose of giving health care providers access to a patient’s medical information.  Public debates about patient privacy quickly followed and in 2007 the AMA updated its code of ethics to address the use of medical chips.

When news about possible links to cancer began to […]

Data Modeling: Patient Centric vs. Unit Centric

Sometimes counting pills just isn’t enough.  When developing forecasts or trying to track product performance one has to consider how a drug is being used and look beyond the mere number of pills or vials on the market.

A good starting point includes looking at standard courses of therapy, average daily dose and similar proxies.   A […]

Cost Drivers: Prescriber Data Increases Health Care Costs?

How to reduce the cost of our health care lies at the center of the health care reform debate.  It’s no wonder then that “cost containment” became a primary point of focus in the recent ruling by the U.S. District Court in Vermont upholding a Vermont state law which essentially prohibits the use of prescriber […]

Critical Decisions: Current Flu Scare Presents Interesting Case Study

The 2009 H1N1 flu scare presents an interesting case study for making critical decisions.  Whether to produce a vaccine, how to structure the vaccine and which quantities to manufacture are decisions that pit a potential health disaster against the needs of governments and companies to manage their resources responsibly.  From a decision making standpoint each […]