The Cameron Institute

The mad, mad world of pharmacare in Canada: access to newer treatments for atrial fibrillation

There is an old saying in political science, “if you change the language, you change the debate.” This has happened in Canada. Everyone is told, and most believe, that the number one driver of healthcare costs is drugs. This is just not true. The number one driver of healthcare costs is our health. Spending on

Real numbers tell real stories in health services management

Healthcare Management Forum Michael Heenan, MBA, CPHQ; Brady Wood, MA; D. Wayne Taylor, PhD, FCIM In the words of one hospital manager, “hospital data is currently indigestible and alien to the average user.” Drawing upon the experience of an academic hospital that, contrary to established practice, published real numbers alongside rates and ratios during a

Knowledge-based jobs for health, wealth and security

What do miracle blood clot-busters, cold-water detergents, chlorine-free coffee filters, lighter-weight motor vehicles, vaccines, disease-resistant shrimp, and bio-degradable plastics all have in common?  They are all products of knowledge-based industries. Knowledge-based jobs are transforming the North American economy and society.  Increasingly, economies are measured by the contribution of knowledge to the gross domestic product; economic

The Burden of Non-Communicable Diseases in India

As of 2005, India experienced the “highest loss in potentially productive years of life” worldwide, according to an article published in The Lancet.The projected cumulative loss of national income for India due to non-communicable disease mortality for 2006-2015 will be USD237 billion. By 2030, this productivity loss was expected to double to

Pharmaceutical Access in Least Developed Countries: on-the-ground barriers and industry successes

Today, The Cameron Institute released a report highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships and of intellectual property protections to improving global health. The evidence in this report strongly supports North-South, public-private partnerships as the preferred means by which to improve access to care and public health outcomes in least-developed countries. “Sustainable development

Summary Report – Benefit-Risk Roundtable

On Friday, March 5, 2010, over thirty Canadian health stakeholders (representing patients, providers, government, academics and industry) participated in a roundtable meeting to discuss the new paradigm of benefit-risk introduced in Bill C-51. The day featured a rich discussion (moderated by Dr. Stuart MacLeod) that effectively framed the issues in benefit-risk evaluation and set the stage for

Comments regarding coordination and strategic planning of the Federal Effort Against Intellectual Property Infringement

Comments submitted to the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President) as part of a public consultation on the costs and risks of IP infringement. Thank you for the opportunity to comment upon the Joint Strategic Plan designed to co- ordinate and bolster the Federal effort against the

Canadian Roundtable on Clinical Considerations for Subsequent Entry Biologics

Key learning points for physicians, pharmacists and patients. Following very active discussion of the issues noted above, the roundtable arrived at consensus on a number of critical points likely to define the continuing discussion about Health Canada’s guidelines for regulation of SEBs as noted below. 1)  Subsequent entry biologics, or biosimilars or follow-on biologics, are

From Boardroom to Bedside: How to Define and Measure Hospital Quality

Michael Heenan, Haajra Khan and Dorothy Binkley Article published in Healthcare Quarterly, Vol 13 No 1. Read full article

Quality health care?

Published in Opinion/Editorials – Bangor Daily News, Maine Monday, November 20, 2000 By Anthony Lordon While enterprising politicians and reporters make headlines by bashing the pharmaceutical industry or by escorting American seniors to Canada to buy “price-controlled” drugs, the real issue is being ignored: access to quality health care through appropriate coverage and reimbursement. American