Welcome again to a different episode of MedCity FemFwd, a podcast devoted to discussing the breakthroughs and challenges in ladies’s well being. On this episode, we’re joined by Julia Lasater, administration consulting senior analyst at Accenture, and Amani Vivid, senior program supervisor at Springboard Enterprises.
Accenture and Springboard Enterprises not too long ago launched the second a part of their State of Ladies’s Well being report. Lasater and Vivid focus on the important thing takeaways on this episode.
Right here is an AI-generated transcript of the episode.
Marissa Plescia: Welcome again to MedCity FemFwd. I’m Marissa Reporter from MedCity Information. Accenture and Springboard Enterprises have been companions for a number of years now on an initiative to advance Ladies’s Well being Innovation. By way of this partnership, the 2 corporations not too long ago launched the second a part of its report on the state of ladies’s well being.
Right here to speak concerning the report, we have now Amani Vivid of Springboard Enterprises and Julia Lasater from Accenture.
Hello, Amani and Julia, thanks a lot for becoming a member of MedCity FemFwd. Hello. Good to be right here. Thanks for having us. Yeah, in fact. Um, so perhaps simply to start out, why don’t you every simply inform me slightly bit about yourselves and your organizations? Uh, Amani, I’ll begin with you on that.
Amani Vivid: Certain. Uh, I’m Amani Vivid. I’m a senior program supervisor at Springboard Enterprises.
Um, we’ve been round 25 years and we’re a company whose important mission is to speed up the expansion of women-led corporations and healthcare expertise and retail tech. Um, our applications we sometimes run two are healthcare and expertise centered and girls’s well being centered. Nice. After which Julia, how about you?
Julia Lasater: Certain. Uh, I’m Julia Lasater. I’m a senior analyst at Accenture working inside our life sciences business. Um, and I received concerned final yr. We’ve a bunch at Accenture that’s kinda engaged on ladies’s well being, each on the US aspect and the UK aspect. So we have now put collectively this workforce and, and have been working with Springboard, uh.
On this venture.
Marissa: Nice. Yeah. And going off of that, yeah. So, um, springboard and Accenture have a partnership to create the state of Ladies’s Well being Report. Um, are you able to inform me a bit about why you felt it was essential to have this partnership and to create this report? Uh, Julie, I’ll deliver it again to you for that.
Julia: Certain. So we’ve been working with Springboard on this for some time and. We actually have been partnering with them on this initiative that’s about type redefining ladies’s well being, which is a complete initiative we’ve been working with. Be capable of do analysis business consultants, sufferers voices on the bottom, in addition to SpringBoard’s form of superior portfolio of corporations, um, to actually make clear how multifaceted ladies’s well being actually is to deal with the challenges, the alternatives, and actually it’s designed.
At its core to lift consciousness and to drive motion and alter, um, and to advertise constructive change round funding, analysis, innovation, all the things round ladies’s well being.
Marissa: Nice. Amani, something so as to add there?
Amani: Yeah, I believe a couple of different issues. Um, working with Accenture, we’re actually aligned on the shared mission and imaginative and prescient to.
Uh, not solely redefine ladies’s well being, but in addition shine gentle on a few of these uncared for areas of ladies’s well being, um, that aren’t these, you already know, conventional, um, elements that, you already know, perhaps most individuals consider as ladies’s well being. Um, and like Julia mentioned, to additionally present, um, key stakeholders the information and the data to drive, you already know, significant improvements, funding and alter in ladies’s well being.
Marissa: Nice. Yeah. And I, I perceive that there’s an element one, and that was launched final yr and then you definitely simply launched, um, half two. Mm-hmm. Um, so are you able to inform me slightly bit about what the important thing findings of every of these, um, stories are? Um, Amani, perhaps I’ll begin with you on that one.
Amani: Yeah. So to set the stage on half one, um, that was June of 2024 that we developed and launched that report.
Um, and it was actually centered on. Three key themes that we discovered that limits the progress of ladies’s well being. That being the primary one underfunded. Um, the second being below researched and the third being, um, misunderstood.
Marissa: Nice. Yeah. Um, are you able to perhaps, um, what are, what are a few of the, the important thing findings that you simply actually present in that?
Like, um, you already know, the, the details that you really want folks to remove from that?
Amani: Yeah, so underfunded. As we all know, fewer {dollars} in the private and non-private sectors are being directed to analysis, growth and funding in ladies’s well being. Um, below analysis, we see that analysis and growth is disproportionately.
Both male centered or gender impartial centered, um, which ends up in this bigger, uh, ladies’s well being analysis hole after which misunderstood. Um, and I believe that is from actually the care supply side in addition to ladies themselves understanding, uh, their danger elements as they undergo their healthcare journey.
In order that’s the three kind of factors intimately that we highlighted in level partly one.
Marissa: Nice. Yeah. Julia, would you want so as to add something on half one earlier than we, um, you already know, perhaps focus on half, the findings of half two?
Julia: No, I believe Imani highlighted it rather well. I believe half one was actually kinda a, a big overview and, and I believe it’s quite a lot of elements that I.
Folks perceive and, and is kind of nicely understood, however form of beginning to put the numbers to it and beginning to actually add the information and knowledge and findings to present folks a extra stable basis and understanding of these, of these gadgets.
Marissa: Yeah. Nice. And what about half two? What are a few of the large, um, themes that you really want folks to remove from the second a part of this report?
Julia: So half two, we actually expanded on half one and took a deep dive and lots of people, I believe historically consider ladies’s well being as as simply gynecological or reproductive well being. And we actually wished to showcase that ladies’s well being actually does embody. You realize all the things about well being, all the things about wellness.
So it contains cardiovascular, it contains autoimmune, it contains, uh, psychological well being, it contains, uh, bone well being, form of all the things about that is ladies’s well being. And so we actually wished to concentrate on the issues that had been circumstances that didn’t have an effect on ladies solely, however somewhat both otherwise or disproportionately.
And we centered in on cardiovascular and autoimmune illnesses and actually checked out these throughout all the. Affected person pathways. So pre-diagnosis earlier than you even go to a health care provider’s workplace, prognosis, your expertise with healthcare suppliers within the well being system and post-diagnosis, remedy outcomes, issues like that.
After which we additionally took a have a look at what we form of known as healthcare basis. So even earlier than the affected person expertise, you may have funding, you may have analysis and growth and form of the place are. The limitations and what’s impeding the development of ladies’s well being in these therapeutic areas, which actually immediate us to look at why these limitations exist, what could be completed to eradicate them.
And that’s actually what we centered on for half two of the report.
Marissa: Yeah. Amani, would you want so as to add something there?
Amani: Oh, I believe that was nice. Um, I believe considered one of my favourite elements, and Julia hit on that is the lens that we took of. Taking a look at ladies’s well being by means of the affected person journey and likewise including that funding and analysis and growth element to supply that full, um, image of, you already know, all the way in which from we have now funding, how are we growing instruments, therapeutics, diagnostics, and the way does that look as, um, somebody receives care?
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. And going off of that, um, whereas conducting each one and two, um, elements of this report. Was there something that actually stunned you within the ladies’s well being house?
Amani: That’s a superb query.
Julia: Uh, I can, I can begin with one thing. I provide you with a second to suppose. I believe what actually shocked me was form of how large the attention piece is each. You realize, for folks outdoors of simply ladies, however particularly inside ladies. So, you already know, solely, I believe it’s like 37% of ladies aged 18 to 55 perceive that their biology form of uniquely impacts their cardio danger.
Um, and solely 44% of ladies perceive that heart problems is their best menace. It, it kills extra ladies than most cancers. It kills extra ladies than actually anything. And I believe discovering out. Form of undergo taking a look at knowledge, taking a look at analysis, and likewise simply speaking to, to sufferers and speaking to physicians, understanding that there’s quite a lot of work to be completed in, in serving to ladies perceive their very own dangers and their very own well being profiles, um, and the way that adjustments over the course of their lifetime.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Very well mentioned. Something
Amani: to
Marissa: add?
Amani: Yeah, for me, I believe it could be the funding piece. Um. We famous that 70% of funding goes in the direction of wellness, you already know, reproductive being pregnant, fertility, um, and that’s not a holistic view of ladies’s well being. Uh, whereas reproductive care and fertility care are crucial, I believe understanding the complete scope of ladies’s well being will result in.
Greater funding. Uh, we’re 50% of the inhabitants. Um, so I believe there’s an enormous funding alternative trying and investing ladies’s well being outdoors of the scope of reproductive organs. Um, so I’d wish to see that. And the second is round analysis and growth. Um, preclinical and scientific work is.
Primarily based on, uh, male physiology. So whether or not that’s human, animal or on the mobile degree, um, the very foundation of, um, our therapies will not be throughout the intercourse particular context of, of ladies.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Extraordinarily nicely mentioned. And, um, what are a few of your further plans for this report? Do you, do you, um, are you stopping after two elements or do you propose to do any further analysis and launch new stories?
Amani: That’s an ideal query. Um, I do suppose further stories are at all times on the desk. I imply, there’s a lot extra to dig into. Um, I’m even considering from a social side. I imply, we may actually take this and stratify it and, and, and actually produce some new findings. Um, so I believe there may doubtlessly be extra stories to return.
Marissa: Certain. Yeah. Julia, something so as to add?
Julia: I agree with cash. I believe there’s, there’s at all times extra to say and I believe form of the deeper we go together with these stories, it’s virtually a case of we don’t know what we don’t know, so. Mm-hmm. You realize, you’re trying into a facet and also you’re like, is do I, do I not know the reply?
As a result of. You realize, it’s simply tremendous deep within the paper or, or one thing like that. Or is it as a result of the analysis simply hasn’t been completed but? So I believe this has form of been an journey for, for me and for my workforce at the very least, of discovering form of how large the hole actually is. And so I believe as we make these discoveries, there’s at all times, at all times room to.
To share that data and to, to actually name that out.
Marissa: Yeah. And I don’t know when you’d have the ability to share this, however when you had been to conduct one other report, what are some issues that you simply wish to concentrate on? What are, what are some areas that you simply really feel deserve, um, extra consideration and analysis.
Amani: I’m so curious about care supply.
I had a background in that. And so ranging from. First on the medical lens medical coaching. Um, I might like to dig into the analysis and schooling that healthcare suppliers and practitioners, um, get, you already know, beginning in med college all the way in which into, you already know, being a practising doctor over X quantity of years, um, and kind of fascinated with restructure, um, present ladies’s healthcare.
Um, one other factor I wish to to consider is schooling. Um, for ladies themselves to grasp, uh, that it’s not nearly menstruation or being pregnant or fertility, um, and to, to kind of unfold a nicely unfold consciousness throughout the lens of schooling for ladies.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. So nicely
Amani: mentioned. Uh, Julia, how about you?
Julia: I believe mon and I form of praise one another rather well right here as a result of I’ve a bioengineering background. And so I believe quite a lot of what I’m curious about is, is basically that analysis piece and I believe it, it virtually closes the circle on the healthcare journey as a result of you may have preclinical analysis and then you definitely even have issues like hostile occasions reporting on the finish, which actually inform you.
How nicely did that science truly do? Um, and particularly contemplating we discovered that 51% of hostile occasions had been reported by ladies since 2015, which form of blew my thoughts. I believe there’s quite a lot of work to be completed and form of how we restructure our analysis, um, and the way we restructure. You realize, how analysis is carried out, how scientific trials are carried out, and, and the way we tackle affected person security.
Um, I believe there, there’s quite a lot of room for enchancment in these areas.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah, completely. Um, nicely one final query, um, for you each. Uh, so based mostly on the findings of half one and half two of those, uh, stories. Um, you already know, what are your suggestions for different healthcare stakeholders corresponding to payers, employers, uh, suppliers, perhaps healthcare buyers?
Uh, what do you suggest? Uh, Julie, I’ll deliver it again to you.
Julia: Yeah. Um, I is likely to be stealing this from Imani, however I’ll, I’ll form of begin with the funding piece. I believe there’s a large form of change that should occur across the mindset of. The ROI on Ladies’s Well being, and I believe there’s a a lot larger alternative, um, for return for buyers, particularly for, for giant corporations.
And you concentrate on prescribed drugs, you already know, out of the highest 20 pharma corporations, over 75% of them have a cardiovascular portfolio or an autoimmune portfolio. And so I believe form of altering the mindset and with the ability to. Faucet into these preexisting portfolios and say, Hey, there’s a very large market right here that, that hasn’t actually been explored but.
Um, and realizing that it’s not that it’s important to have form of a ladies’s well being portfolio that’s separate from all the things else as a result of ladies’s well being is encompassed in, in these different divisions. Um, so I believe that’s, that’s one thing
Amani: nice. Yeah. Um, and one factor so as to add there may be. Round coverage, and I believe it’s, we are able to’t discuss ladies’s well being with out acknowledging that.
Coverage side. Um, and we’re kind of on this unknown, however, um, in gentle of that coalition constructing, um, by means of Ladies’s well being initiatives, um, funding mandates, which we noticed within the final administration, uh, knowledge transparency, all of these items, um, to kind of couple the analysis side and the funding side to deliver a full group and ecosystem round ladies’s well being from key stakeholders.
Marissa: Yeah. Which we’re seeing
Amani: some key organizations doing, which is nice, however, um, I believe that’s wanted to shut systemic gaps. So simply to acknowledge the coverage side.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Um, going off of that, are there any particular, um, coverage adjustments, um, that you simply would love to see transfer alongside?
Amani: There’s rather a lot. Um, I might say, I do know we had been speaking about, uh. Form of cardiovascular and autoimmune, those who undoubtedly are disproportionately, um, have an effect on ladies. However fascinated with, uh, Medicaid, um, and maternal well being outcomes, uh, these disproportionately have an effect on, uh, ladies of colour, ladies on the whole, um, I might like to see their.
Be outdoors of the monetary side, understanding that, uh, passing sure insurance policies are literally financially helpful for states. Um, in order that’s just a few advocacy there. That, uh, coverage corresponding to that does save lives.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Glad you known as out the coverage side. Uh, Julia, I do know I mentioned that was the final query, however was there something, um, you wished so as to add on the coverage aspect?
Julia: No, I believe, I believe Amani nicely, and I. You realize, with reference to funding, I believe there are doubtlessly extra, particularly authorities avenues to get funding that, that that must be explored. And that must be extra open to ladies than I believe they’re proper now. And never that they’re essentially not obtainable for ladies, however I believe form of the, it goes again to that consciousness piece of.
Of individuals figuring out that, that there’s funding on the market to assist them. Um mm-hmm. And I believe there are undoubtedly avenues the place it’s not essentially obtainable and that’s the place the coverage piece is available in.
Marissa: Yeah. Yeah. Very nicely mentioned. Um, nicely this has been such an ideal dialog. Um, thanks each a lot for taking the time, um, and better of luck in your future work collectively.
Actually respect it.
Amani: Thanks Marissa. Thanks for having us.
