A recent Harris Poll of 1000+ adults showed that scientists and doctors ranked alongside firefighters as the occupations most respected by the American public. It seems to me this is good news that demonstrates our country has its head on right. (Ironically, despite the 24-7 barrage of celebrity info - we'll, actually, maybe because of it -- the numbers were not as promising for actors with only 15% of respondents affixing prestige to that job.)
These results brought to mind a Health Care Blog post I'd seen sometime back. The post, "Innovation + Economics: Keys To Successful Health Care Reform," by Dr. Albert Waxman, makes the point that increased investment in healthcare technology is essential to seizing an opportunity to create a "new healthcare economy."
Dr. Waxman, who in addition to running a venture capital fund also serves as
According to 2008 data released by the National Venture Capital Association, just $195 million of the $28.3 billion invested by venture firms in 2008 went to healthcare services - less than one percent. Similarly, Dow Jones VentureSource shows only $354 million invested in healthcare IT and $357 million for healthcare services in 2008, accounting for less than three percent of all venture investing. Unfortunately, this lack of investment in a critical area of our economy is not a new phenomenon. In fact, NVCA data shows healthcare services in 2008 had fewer deals and dollars invested than any of the past 10 years, and VentureSource shows declining funds for healthcare IT for the last six years.
He goes on to argue that with reform on the front burner, we need to "step up" and address the "health tech innovation gap." The Harris Poll results show that should be a message everyone - from Congress to investors to the American people - can support.
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