REFLECTIONS AS THE HBA 2012 WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Topic #4 Women’s Influence in Health Care

I am passionate about the role that women play in the health care arena. They represent 80% of the health care decisions;they are the majority of the work force in one of the fasted growing industry segments in the world; they are globally becoming the most educated segment of students with college and advanced degrees; and they represent the caregivers.

What irony that most research points to the fact that women are under-diagnosed, under-treated, under-monitored and under-selfmanaged due ot the range of clinical, social and behavioral gaps in the system. In fact, most historically under-represented groups experience the same conditions - - in part because most players in the system (payors, providers and pill/device companies) segment the “customer” by their therapeutic category, not their personal makeup or situation.

Consider this:

• women are generally regarded as “caregivers” and often neglect their own health as they take care of the family
• inadequate diagnosis due to the asymptomatic nature of certain diseases (eg early signs of heart failure often hows up differently in women than men)
• the deadly combination of cost burden, lack of insurance, and misaligned incentives for prevention

I am excited about the prospect of more women - - as caregivers, consumers, HC company employees and executives, regulators - - stepping up into leadership to help transform the HC system to deliver health and wellness to all.