Starting January 1, the pharmaceutical industry has agreed to a voluntary moratorium on the kind of branded goodies—Viagra pens, Zoloft soap dispensers, Lipitor mugs—that were meant to foster good will and, some would say, encourage doctors to prescribe more of the drugs. Some skeptics deride the voluntary ban as a superficial measure that does nothing to curb the far larger amounts drug companies spend each year on various other efforts to influence physicians. But proponents welcome it as a step toward ending the barrage of drug brands and logos that surround, and may subliminally influence, doctors and patients.
President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has set up a round of public sessions in an effort to garner input about healthcare reform. Similar sessions were held several years ago after Congress created Citizens Health Care Working Group. Thousands of people participated then, although none of the group's recommendations were ever carried out.
According to the Federal National Council (FNC) this week, patients at UAE hospitals are dying due to preventable hospital errors and neglect, "even during simple operations." The Dubai Minister of Health says that the ministry has taken steps to ensure deaths are reduced, such as issuing the medical liability clause and establishing a committee to study medical errors and to determine who is responsible.
Many are beginning to cancel trips to Mumbai, India, in the wake of recent terror attacks on the Capital. Citing "uncertainty in the region," six patients—three from the U.S.—have cancelled surgeries scheduled at hospitals there. Experts say most of the patients were traveling there for cosmetic procedures.
A new program on the NHS Web site will soon allow patients to post comments about their GP's performance. Officials say the new system is a move toward greater transparency, and will be moderated to prevent defamation and the identification or rating of individual doctors.
Companion Global Healthcare President David Boucher talked with Fox News last week about how medical travel works. Here, he explains the cost-value equation of medical travel and why it works for some people.