NEWS — AUGUST 2004

CONSUMER HEALTH CARE

Health and Beauty Drive Quarterly Sales for Procter & Gamble...

A 44% increase in profits this quarter for Procter & Gamble (P&G; Cincinnati OH) is attributed to growth in the beauty (+41%) and health care (+13%) businesses. Full-year corporate sales exceeded $50.0 billion, in part due to returns on investments in China that are demonstrated by market share gains. In May, Procter & Gamble completed acquisition of a joint venture, P&G-Hutchison Ltd. Russia is ranked as another "fastest-growing" market among P&G's top 16. [AP/Bloomberg News]

National Committee for Quality Assurance's Program Moves Forward...

With release of draft standards for "Quality Plus", the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA; Washington DC) is soliciting public comment on the new supplemental accreditation program. With emphasis on health plans that offer innovative models, the goal is to improve components such as care management, health plans, member communications, and physician compensation. NCQA representatives hope that identification and recognition of new technologies and tools will lead to voluntary pursuit and establishment of improved health benefits for consumers and employers. An example is the growth in consumer-directed health plans. Proposed "Quality Plus" standards will help employers evaluate the value of health plans once the accreditation programs are completely developed. The target release date is 2007. [U.S. Newswire]

Communication Gaps In Patient Comprehension Of Health Information...

According to a recent U.K. survey conducted by the National Consumer Council (NCC; United Kingdom), up to 7.0 million adult patients may not fully comprehend basic health information that's provided to them in written form (e.g., prescription drug literature). Individuals with higher education or income were more assertive in questioning physicians (45%) or conducting online research (39%) than those in "poorer" categories (35% and 16%, respectively). In addition feeling stigmatized, patients may perceive physicians as being "too busy". Proposed changes suggest use of plain language and access to interpreters to achieve improvements. [BBC News]

Kaiser Permanente Introduces "Thrive" Campaign...

With the goal to increase recognition of its health plan, Kaiser Permanente (KP; Oakland CA) is marketing the $40.0 million "Thrive" campaign in various media. Emphasis is being placed on prevention, "total health", and wellness to complement treatment-oriented care. Member benefits that support efforts to achieve better health include:

KP currently serves approximately 8.2 million members in nine states and has been in operation since 1945. [Kaiser Permanente]

New Plan Promotes Health Information Technology...

The Department of Health and Human Services has introduced "Decade of Health Information Technology", a ten-year plan to promote electronic records and establish an integrated health information technology infrastructure. Widespread implementation is expected to include reduced costs (fewer tests and more careful analysis of treatment efficacy) and decrease medical error rates. Other benefits would result from improvements in accuracy, decision-making, privacy, public health monitoring, and research. Industry sources note that electronic records were adopted in 13% of hospitals and 28% of physician practices in 2002. The slow progress made to date is expected to change for the better with government support. Barriers include high costs and the lack of interoperability with existing systems. Another goal is to involve consumer groups, home care, long-term care, and wellness programs. [FCW.com]