Disney gives hospitals advice on consumer service

The happiest place on earth is dispensing consumer service advice to hospitals, arguably the ones in need of it most.

Disney Institute on Friday announced its professional development program for hospitals and healthcare organizations aimed at applying Disney's customer service strategies to exceed the expectations of patients. Building a Culture of Healthcare Excellence, as it is called, teaches Disney's five philosophies of leadership excellence, people management, quality service, brand loyalty, and creativity/innovation.

 

Chinese Healthcare Reform and the Medical Device Sector

An important element of China’s 12th Five Year Plan is reforming the country’s healthcare system. With the objective of establishing basic healthcare coverage for 90 percent of its citizens by 2020, China’s healthcare reform, along with other elements of the 12th Five Year Plan, creates immediate opportunities for U.S. medical device manufacturers (MDMs). While China is more than capable of meeting local demand for low-end devices such as dressings, sponges, drapes and gowns, more than 80 percent of high-end medical devices, i.e. durable goods, equipment, implants and drug eluding stents, are imported. However, China’s healthcare reform plan also has the potential to strengthen the position of Chinese MDMs. To protect their position in the long run, U.S. companies must develop strategies designed to capitalize on the opportunities and navigate the challenges of this increasingly important and competitive market.

5 strategic tools to solve our healthcare woes

We are facing, before the end of this decade, a bifurcated future. The way things are going now—with the economy wheezing, doctors bailing, chronic disease rising fast, boomers sliding out of the Viagra years into the Depends years, reimbursements getting squeezed ever tighter, Medicaid sputtering on fumes, and 30 million or more new people soon swarming our doors with insurance cards—if we don’t pull a rabbit out of a hat real soon now, we’re in serious trouble.

Microsoft’s Gates, Baidu to Start Global Health Alliance

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates and Robin Li, chief executive officer of China’s most popular search engine Baidu Inc., said they will form a global alliance for public health.

The first initiative by the alliance, between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s richest charitable fund, and the Baidu Charitable Foundation, will be a program encouraging smokers to quit the habit, the foundations announced at a press conference in Beijing today.

UK not realising the innovation potential of its £236B public procurement

In 2009-10, public procurement in the UK was valued at over £236 billion, or approximately 15 per cent of GDP. The government is the single largest customer in the country. This magnitude of expenditure provides enormous potential to stimulate innovation and encourage economic growth – a potential which, according to the Committee, is not being realised, in its report, “Public procurement as a tool to stimulate innovation."

Op-ed: Social media can enhance the doctor-patient relationship

Studies show that half of patients admit to not understanding what their doctor told them during an office visit; and more than 75% of emergency room patients acknowledge not fully grasping instructions given to them.

2011 Innovation Tournament: Finding 'A Novel Match Between a Solution and a Need'

Soaking up oil spills with human hair, turning clunkers into hybrids and powering Tanzanian villages with rechargeable batteries are just a few of the ideas to come out of Knowledge@Wharton's second annual Innovation Tournament.

US Venture capitalists adopt new strategies in 2011

As the US venture capital industry celebrates its 65th year, firms are seeking new ways to boost returns and grow their operations and portfolios.

Heart specialists call for single EU system to approve medical devices

The 68,000 members of the European Society of Cardiology want a single, co-ordinated and rigorous system to oversee the evaluation of medical devices.

Swiss innovation is on a roll

In just 10 years, Switzerland has become a leader in technology innovation in Europe. It’s not yet on a par with Silicon Valley, but they are on the right path, says one German venture capitalist.

Europe needs more venture capital funding for photonics

Eurolight, a new venture capital firm set up to specialise in photonics start-ups in Europe, outlined its investment plans as members of the industry gathered to discuss the state of play in this critical technology. Photonics has been singled out by the Commission as one of five fields central to future growth prospects.

The fund is raising Euro 80-90 million to invest in 10-15 European SMEs which design, manufacture, operate or provide services that are based on opto-electronics, photonics or lasers, Victor Sunyer of Eurolight told delegates at the European Technology Platform Photonics21 conference.

At present, VCs invest more than $500 million per annum in photonic companies, but this is mainly driven by the US. “Europe lags behind in venture capital funding for photonics relative to the quantity of innovation being produced,” Sunyer said.