Healthcare as an industry doesn’t value women. That’s about as nicely as I can say it.
Let’s take three reports in recent weeks – a couple from the last few of days.
- Health insurance companies are not providing legally required services for women’s health
- The world is now waking up to what everyone knows: Nursing, an overwhelmingly female profession, is rife with bullying and intimidation
- When men do go into nursing, they are paid more than women
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
People are good at highlighting sexism, racism or any another ism when it’s overt, aggressive and so plainly motivated by the hatred of skin or gender. When I posted the salary disparity story on my personal Facebook page, a healthcare recruiter (a woman) responded this way:
I read it and am not convinced. I’m actually offended to think I, as a recruiter and one who makes offers, would use gender to determine pay. Never have and never will. I don’t know anyone that would.
The isms are harder to call out when actions – often taken for financial, political or other pragmatic reasons – are in aggregate devastating to one group. This is where we stand in healthcare with women. It is undeniable.
We’d be fools to see the social upheavals in our major cities and not connect the dots. We should find lessons on how to tackle issues in our own house.
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
As Jon Stewart (of course!) succinctly asked: Why didn’t we care about Baltimore before it was on fire? Healthcare is smoldering: not enough caregivers to go around and not enough medical expertise in startups trying to make the next-generation of technology. Yet women – mostly nurses – sit on the bench or are considered a last option.
Let’s take our queues, too, from people who have stood strong in recent months, like the story of the policy chief who took the heat from rank-and-file and citizens alike by simply acknowledging racism exists.
Healthcare needs that police chief. It needs to be a senior male executive to pick up a sign, admit whats plain to everyone and endorse policy and political positions that will change it.
[Photo from Flickr user Victor Bezrukov]
