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Industry professionals share winning remedies for healthcare products
AUTOMATION, HIPAA PRIVACY and prescription fraud are only a small fraction of ailments in the healthcare industry in need of a remedy-STAT. The arrival of 2008 presents the nation with even more concerns, such as an aging "baby boomer" demographic whose members' quality of life is dependent on proper medication intake. Furthermore, medication errors, in general, are on the rise, harming approximately 1.5 million people every year, with roughly 530,000 errors affecting Medicare recipients in outpatient clinics, according to the Institute of Medicine. Just this past November, millions of Americans watched medical mishaps infiltrate the Hollywood scene, as well, when the newborn twins of Dennis Quaid were allegedly administered doses of a blood thinner that was 1,000 times stronger than what was initially prescribed.
Such alarming incidents and statistics lend themselves to the question of what can be done that isn't already happening? Print Professional found some answers by obtaining the perspectives of noted promotional products suppliers and a forms supplier in the healthcare sector. Participants included:
* Cindy Matalamaki, senior marketing manager, Apothecary Products (API), Burnsville, Minn., www.apiline.com
* John James Murphy, founder and CEO, Inventures Products, LLC, Rahway, N.J., www.detachablepillbox.com
* Rick Vullo, customer service manager, Hospital Forms & Systems, Dallas, www.hforms.com
PP: Why did your company decide to start serving the healthcare sector? How has your business fared over the past several years as a result of this decision?
Matalamaki: Apothecary Products has always served the healthcare sector. Founded in 1975 by a registered pharmacist, the company has focused its product development and manufacturing efforts on the needs of pharmacists, healthcare professionals and consumers. ... The company has experienced strong growth over the [past] several years.
Murphy: Inventures Products was formed to fill a void in the marketplace with our Detach N Go detachable pill organizers. Our primary focus was to provide a better solution for pill compliance, allowing medication users to stay on their med schedule while maintaining their active lifestyles.
Vullo: As the name of our company implies, Hospital Forms & Systems was created [with] the purpose of serving the healthcare market. Just the fact that we have been in business for [approximately] 30 years shows that the decision to...