Council for American Medical Innovation

Reforming the health care system is an issue that looms large for our state and national elected officials. Any policy approach to make health care more accessible, affordable and effective for Americans must foster innovation and research. Studies have shown that – in addition to providing better outcomes – money patients spend on newer medicines results in an overall reduction of health care spending.

The more research is conducted, the more we’ll know about diseases and the best, most efficient treatment options. 

Breakthroughs in testing and treatment have given patients a new lease on life and made redundant older, less efficient therapies. While the advantages in terms of quality of life are immeasurable, there are also clear financial benefits to innovation.

• New medications can save patients’ lives, and may also reduce hospitalizations. For example, medication therapy accounts for more than 50 percent  of the reduction in heart attack mortality.
• New surgical techniques, equipment and devices can reduce hospitalization and recovery times, saving thousands of dollars and weeks of painful rehabilitation.
• Thanks to the development of vaccines, once-widespread childhood diseases such as polio, whooping cough and rubella have been nearly eradicated.
• New medicines for the treatment of depression have brought down the overall cost of treating the disease by reducing hospitalizations.
• Medicines that control diabetes saves lives and helps patients avoid serious complications, reducing the cost of care by about $747 per patient each year.

Newer technologies must constantly be investigated to create  better and more cost-effective courses of treatment. Improvements in diagnosis and standard therapies benefit everyone even while they are a boon to the bottom line.