Direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of pharmaceutical and health-care services: From hemp oil to hair transplants

Abstract

Healthcare leaders are faced with more and greater financial challenges than ever before. They are being mandated to preserve any existing sources of revenue and aggressively seek out potential new sources of revenue generation. This paper discusses the elephant in the room among many institutions’ boldly stated ‘missions’: financial success. The paper also connects this with the growth of consumer-targeted marketing strategies to attract new patients, including media advertisements. Healthcare executives and providers must be sensitive to the perceived conflict of interest between revenue generation and serving the public. While the culture may continue to shift, one component must remain unwavering — the needs of the patient must always supersede the financial interests of the provider or the institution.