After passing a monumental healthcare reform bill earlier this year, the Obama Administration has received a lot of news coverage about implementation of the legislation. Even if you’ve read all the coverage and kept on top of the debate, you probably still wonder – implementing what? And the problematic truth is that even your doctor may be unsure.
Over the past year, content marketing and thought leadership have become popular catch-phrases. Try typing “#content marketing” into a Twitter Search and see how many results you get; this past Friday, the topic generated nearly 50 tweets in the span of an hour.
Bummed it’s the end of the football season? Us too! But to liven up your Monday, we’ve compiled some nuggets of interest from the business world. It might not be as good as a party on Bourbon Street, but its close enough. This week we are taking a closer look at news in healthcare, the markets and banking. Enjoy!
According to a recent Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, a dozen U.S Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are set to raise dividends next quarter, on the heels of the industry as a whole raising $33 billion in capital. The dividend yield for mortgage REITs was 14.6 percent on Jan. 13, significantly higher than the yield for Treasuries (3.74 percent yesterday). Publicly traded REITs are required by law to pay 90 percent of their taxable income as dividends.
So we’ve come to our last week in the office of 2009, and we’re going out in style! Please find below the headlines in the banking, bankruptcy, healthcare and retail sectors to kick off your week. See you in 2010!
In today’s “knowledge economy,” most of us are in the business of selling ideas. Whether your industry is banking, insurance, advisory services, consulting, engineering/architecture, pharmaceuticals or medical equipment, chances are your customers care as much about how you think and what you know (i.e., ideas, insights) as they do about the features/functions of what you sell. In this environment, successful marketing means smart thought leadership (e.g., books, studies, analyses, blog posts, articles).
To date, news coverage on healthcare reform has focused disproportionately on payment models: should we have a Public plan? Private plans? Insurance cooperatives? Which model will offer consumers the most choice? Which will be the most cost-effective?
Most women frowned when they read the government’s new mammogram screening guidelines, which suggest that “less is best.” According to Dr. Larry Norton, Director of Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, mammography compliance among women is already lower than it should be – and the new guidelines are likely to drive the numbers lower. Currently, one-third of women fail to get screened every two years – let alone every year.
What do new retail banking legislation, soaring commodities prices and the healthcare reform bill have in common? All will be making headlines as this week unfolds.
“Healthcare cannot be a spectator sport.” To manage costs and provide better care, health leaders (policymakers, providers, employers, insurers) must get patients more involved. They must work with patients rather than providing services to or for them.
