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You get what you pay for: A global look at balancing demand, quality, and efficiency in healthcare payment reform
As the pressure to control health spending increases, payers, governments, and providers are compelled to scrutinize the quality and amount of care they'll be able to deliver in the future. Health leaders around the world see the health payment system as one of the best tools in managing this challenge and achieving sustainability. However, with less than 40% of those same leaders ranking their existing payment system as good, every country has room to improve and can benefit from shared best practices. See
You get what you pay for: A global look at balancing demand, quality, and efficiency in healthcare payment reform.
Behind the numbers: Medical cost trends for 2009
From one year to the next, healthcare costs for employers and their workers always go up. Yet, for the past five years there's been some positive news. The growth rate has been dropping. However, that trend will level off in 2009, according to employers and health plans. The new Health Research Institute (HRI) report, "Behind the numbers: Medical cost trends for 2009", addresses the cyclical nature of the healthcare industry and provides insights into the conflicting factors that are contributing to both cost increases and savings. See
Behind the numbers: Medical cost trends for 2009.
PricewaterhouseCoopers answers five top questions on Form 990
While the debate continues to evolve regarding the lengths hospitals and not for profits must go to justify their tax exempt status — one thing is clear — the deadline looms.
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The price of excess: Identifying waste in healthcare spending
More than half of the $2.2 trillion spent annually on healthcare in the U.S. could be considered wasteful, according to an analysis published by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute. Defensive medicine, such as redundant, inappropriate or unnecessary tests and procedures, was identified as the biggest area of excess, followed by inefficient healthcare administration and the cost of care necessitated by conditions such as obesity, which can be considered preventable by lifestyle changes.
Straight Talk: Looking at Health System Disaster Preparedness
When — not if — a large-scale disaster hits, Americans expect a carefully orchestrated and sequenced response from hospitals, emergency workers and public health officials. In their greatest time of need, the system may fail them unless disaster preparedness becomes a greater priority. In this StraightTalk roundtable, health industry leaders discuss the steps health executives should take to ensure an effective response to a disaster.
Research rewired: Merging care and research information to improve knowledge discoveryToday's ad hoc methods of managing research information are beginning to strain under increasing demands for new drugs, more personalized medicine, better diagnostic tools, and post-market safety monitoring. This report investigates the benefits, barriers, and emerging approaches to creating an integrated information environment that will help to shape scientific diagnostic, drug, and device discovery in the future.
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Top eight health industry issues in 2008
Health organizations face a pivotal year in 2008 as they anticipate the wildcard outcome of the presidential election. Meanwhile, they must prepare for impending changes — pharmaceutical and life sciences companies are adapting to a new safety agenda from the FDA including the agency's expanded authority over post-market drug safety.
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PwC Straight Talk on creating a climate of innovation: Healthcare industry leaders discuss what they're doing to nurture innovation
The United States faces another political season, and, likely, a volatile debate about what can be done to improve the current health system. Everyone agrees that the current path is not sustainable, and is fracturing around access, affordability and quality. Failure is not inevitable; in our global research report, HealthCast 2020: Creating a sustainable health system, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute identified "Climate of Innovation" as one of the key features needed for sustainability.
Super Cluster: Ideas, perspectives and updates from the Massachusetts life sciences industry
Massachusetts is a leader in the life sciences on many measures. This report provides economic analysis on provides trends related to employment, wages, and public funding. It also draws on information from the 2007 PwC Massachusetts Life Sciences Cluster Survey, which provides insight on future opportunities and threats from over 100 executives in all sectors of the life sciences in Massachusetts. Woven into the report are the perspectives of key leaders in life sciences in Massachusetts, who focus on the groundbreaking work being performed in the Commonwealth and its global implications.
TGen: Translational Genomics Research Institute
Translational research generates tremendous benefits. The nexus between basic research and its commercial applications is too often neglected yet it can attract players on both sides, creating a true hub of scientific and business activity.
Louisiana Recovery Authority Endorses PwC Healthcare Report
The Louisiana Recovery Authority Board of Directors endorsed a sweeping health care report on June 15 as a blueprint for health care reform in Louisiana. It urged health care reform leaders to use the reportīs findings in effectively rebuilding and redesigning the vast health care systems crippled by last yearīs hurricanes and created a subcommittee of board members to help guide the progress. The report, by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, was sponsored with private funds by the LRA Support Foundation, on behalf of the LRA. It includes recommendations addressing both the immediate and long-term recovery of the health care systems in the hurricane-affected areas, as well as the redesign of health care systems in all regions of Louisiana.
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Rebuilding Healthcare In Louisiana - A Blueprint for the Nation
Rebuilding Healthcare In Louisiana - A Blueprint for the Nation
Executives from Franciscan Missionaries Of Our Lady Health System, Baton Rouge, and Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, discuss the present and future state of healthcare in Louisiana and how they have struggled to cope with day-to-day challenges while also preparing for the future.
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Louisiana Recovery Authority Endorses PwC Healthcare Report.
HealthCast 2020: Creating a Sustainable Future
In this groundbreaking report, HealthCast 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers looks at solutions and responses from around the world to the globalization and industrywide convergence of healthcare. What insights, best practices and policy lessons can be learned from experiences in various countries to create a globally sustainable health system? Who, or what, is driving the solutions?
Recapturing the vision: Integrity driven performance in the pharmaceutical industry
Pharmaceutical companies face increasingly regulatory scrutiny and highly critical media coverage of the industry's R&D, marketing and manufacturing practices. This report explores the reputation issues and compliance challenges facing the industry.
Venture Capital Investment in Health Industries Report - Q3 2005 Results
Health industries companies once again led all sectors in venture capital investment in the third quarter of 2005, accounting for 32% of total VC dollars invested during the quarter, according to a report produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute. Even though the health industries sector maintained its lead, funding dipped slightly in the third quarter to $1.68 billion, down 5% from $1.77 billion in the previous quarter (Q2 2005) but up from $1.43 billion in the same quarter a year ago (Q3 2004).
Venture capital investment in the health industries has now held steady at around 25%-30% of total VC capital for 10 consecutive quarters, indicating that the industry has reached a sustainable level of investment. No longer have the boom-or-bust gyrations of five or six years ago, and that stability - while not exciting - is better suited to developing companies that will be successful. The health industries sector's 32% share of all venture capital dollars invested during the quarter was up slightly from both the previous quarter's 30.6% share and also from the 31.4% share of a year ago (Q3 2004). Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies accounted for 19.2% of total venture capital investment in Q3 2005, while medical devices & equipment accounted for 10.6% and health services and health information technology accounted for 2.2%.
Venture Capital Investment in Health Industries Report - Q2 2005 Results
Refecting investors. continuing enthusiasm for health-related investments, nearly a third (31%) of all venture capital dollars in Q2 2005 went to health industries.
Capital Spending in Healthcare Today: Part 3
New research from PricewaterhouseCoopers and HFMA reports that hospital CFOs expect double-digit percentage increases in their capital spending over the next five years. The report continues a series of ground-breaking research about hospitals' spending.
Venture Capital Investment in Health Industries Report - Q1 2005 Results
Investments in health industries accounted for 26% of all venture capital dollars in Q1 2005, according to the MoneyTree Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. This sector, comprised of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, health services, health information technology and medical devices, accounted for more investment than any other industry sector. Health industries investments have been steadily declining since 2000 with a slight increase of 13.5% between 2003 and 2004. In addition, venture capital investments in health and medical companies decreased by 12% from $1.36B to $1.2B between Q1 2004 and Q1 2005.
The Road To A Digital Healthcare Community
Straight Talk: New approaches in Healthcare
Personalized Medicine: The Emerging Pharmacogenomics Revolution
The latest report from PricewaterhouseCoopers' Global Technology Centre and Health Research Institute provides insights into the challenges and opportunities afforded by pharmacogenomics.
Venture Capital Investment in Health Industries - Full Year and Q4 2004 Results
Health industries investments peaked in 2000 but recent trends show an increase in venture capital investment across the health related sectors. Venture capital investments in health and medical companies increased by 13.5% to $6.3 billion between 2003 and 2004. However, fourth quarter 2004 investments were down by 6.8% to $1.7 billion in comparison to Q4 2003.
How are hospitals financing the future (vol. 6): Where the industry will go from here
It has become clear that a capital gap exists between U.S. hospitals that have capital to invest strategically and those that no longer produce operating margins sufficient to support their capital needs. Without access to capital, these "have-not" hospitals are falling behind in the market and may never be able to improve their financial performance. This report culminates our Financing the Future research by exploring where the industry will go from here.
How are hospitals financing the future (vol. 5): Core competencies in capital planning
Financing the Future has focused on the numbers behind capital access and planning. It's shown the tremendous need for capital, particularly in some geographic areas, and it's shown the ways to fund capital projects. It's demonstrated the lack of capital funding in recent years and the anxiety about future capital access. Building on that research, this fifth Financing the Future report will focus on the how-to of capital planning and access. Capital planning and access is a complex process involving a number of intertwined and ongoing activities.
How are hospitals financing the future (vol. 4): The future of capital access
Hospitals will have an insatiable need for capital in the decade ahead. The 1990s were times of underinvestment in plants as hospitals adjusted to managed care’s hand in cutting inpatient stays and shifting treatment to outpatient settings. The current decade is already distinguished by rising investments in hospital plants, technology, and equipment.
How are hospitals financing the future (vol. 3): The future of capital spending
The future need for capital is largely influenced by projected demand for services and past capital investments. Simply put, sharply growing demand and lack of past capital investment are a recipe for high capital spending in the future. This section assesses how our nation's hospitals will be affected by the key factors influencing capital need:
- Condition of infrastructure
- Future population growth rate
- Future health status
- Physician demand growth rate
- Historical capital spending
A look at each of these factors, and how each is likely to change over the next five years, reveals that hospitals' capital needs are likely to increase dramatically, with certain regions most commonly affected by certain factors.
How are hospitals financing the future (vol. 2): Capital spending in healthcare today
Findings from this second Financing the Future report suggest that the gap between the "have" and "have not" hospitals, when it comes to capital spending, is significant. Hospitals with a successful strategic capital planning process and an attractive enough balance sheet to make significant capital spending possible apparently are at least investing enough to keep ahead of depreciation. However, hospitals with a more challenging financial situation are not keeping up with the need to invest in the future. This report answers key questions about the level and effect of capital spending.
Capital Financing: Beyond the Shores of Your Typical Transaction
Straight Talk: New approaches in Healthcare
HealthCast Tactics: A Blueprint for the Future
This report suggests tactics for the healthcare industry to employ over the next three to five years. According to HealthCast Tactics, there are significant gaps between what healthcare executives, policy makers and employers rate as important and what is being implemented performance-based reimbursement, privacy, and clinical excellence. The report draws on a survey of more than 650 top executives of hospital systems, payors, governments, medical supply vendors, physician groups and employers.
HealthCast 2010: Smaller World, Bigger Expectations
Our survey group included a mix of policy makers, health system executives, employers, physicians, insurers and medical supply vendors. In addition, PwC practice leaders interviewed more than 50 thought leaders from seven countries at length about future trends and their implications for the industry's stakeholders.
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