NHS and Zimmer in an election year
Message from Antony Massarella, VP Northern Europe
January 2010
As we begin this election year in the UK, the National Health Service will come under close scrutiny, with different parties vying for attention on their respective proposals to seek the best health care provision out of constrained resources. At Zimmer we have much to offer this debate through our years of experience in supplying innovative orthopaedic and related solutions.
Embracing technology
Last year we went through a comprehensive process to refine and reaffirm our company’s purpose: To restore mobility, alleviate pain and improve the quality of life for patients around the world. This means embracing the latest technology and innovations, constantly delivering new solutions proven through rigorous testing. For example, in 2009 we launched the Zimmer® Kinectiv® hip implant, which has 780 fitment options (up to 6 times that of a traditional hip replacement), allowing surgeons to make adjustments accommodating head position and forward tilt to match the implant’s geometry to each patient’s distinct anatomy, instead of fitting the patient to the implant.
Our CEO, David Dvorak, while re-launching our global mission last summer spoke of “emphasising our strong commitments to quality, to performance as one global company, and, above all else, to always putting the interests of the patients and customers first."
NHS efficiency and outcomes
The NHS has to make its funds stretch further while at the same time continuing to improve the quality of life of patients, offering the latest solutions without compromising safety. At Zimmer we will follow this with great interest to see how different politicians propose that innovation can be adopted quickly, safely and with priority where new solutions offer improved recovery from operations, faster rehabilitation and, often, reduced hospitalisation costs. Can the political debate move to addressing investment in technology rather than infrastructure in order to save overall costs, improve efficiency and raise outcomes?
I note with interest the recent UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) study conducted over a period of ten years (from 1997 to 2007) reviewing trends in healthcare costs. The report observes that the cost of goods and services increased more slowly than the costs of goods and services in the wider economy (1.0% against 2.5% on average). As a component of the goods and services in healthcare, the medical technology industry can rightly claim its contribution to cost control in healthcare provision.
In our view part of the solution is an increased commitment to life time learning amongst health professionals. We at Zimmer are willing to do our part. With the pace of innovation from the medical industry, the requirement continues for surgeons to update themselves in the latest thinking. Last year we made a substantial effort to refocus all our medical education under the umbrella of the Zimmer Institute. We are committed to supporting our innovation in orthopaedic and related health care solutions with substantial programmes of peer to peer supported education and training.
Long term gains
The NHS, as well as private health care providers in the UK, must continue to strive towards improving outcomes, adopting new surgical and other interventions as appropriate. For many years now Zimmer has been part of the team working with health care providers in the UK. We will continue to engage the best staff we can, investing in their training so that they can be of real value in supporting effectiveness and efficiency drives in the front line of health care provision.
And it is not just about the here and now of health politics in an election year. All players need to have the ambition of long term improvement and ever greater aspirations for the quality of life of the patients we serve. 83 years since its foundation by Mr Justin Zimmer, we at Zimmer are as committed as ever to research and development investments to bring new technology to treat the most challenging patient conditions that surgeons face. In recent months we have released to the UK, Zimmer MMC™ Cup for maximised hip range of motion and joint stability, the Zimmer® Gender Solutions™ Patello-Femoral System that more accurately addresses the differences between the shapes of male and female femurs and, in trauma, Zimmer® Periarticular Locking Elbow Plate System, to name just a few products from our continuous stream of innovative product developments..
We realise there is no ‘quick-fix’ to the challenge of effective and efficient management of health care provision through the NHS and no doubt commentators will decry any political suggestions that there is. But rest assured that we at Zimmer believe our professionalism, innovation, training and first class staffing are essential contributions to long term health improvement for the nation. We are eager to partner sound debate with measured reflection on how best to adopt technology for the best patient outcomes.
