Why is Medical Animation So Expensive to Create?

I've had a number of inquiries over the years regarding the process of creating medical animations for educational purposes, especially given the decent number of animations I have produced over the years. Beyond the active role of "directing" the animation, I actually hire professional medical animators to do the actual creation, bringing to life what I imagine in my mind. In other blog articles , I have already discussed how to go about informing the animator what I want and…

5/04/2018 0

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Why are Asthma Inhalers So Expensive?

Image courtesy of marin at  FreeDigitalPhotos.net The corollary to the expensive question and more relevant to patients being which ones are the cheapest? Given I'm an ENT, asthma medications are a class of medications I have not immersed myself in with respect to the minutiae of cost and optimal prescriptions... until now (at least to some degree). And given I personally did know this information until I took the time to investigate, I figure patients would be even more in the …

2/09/2018 0

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Types of Medical Animations and Cost Implications

I've received numerous inquiries from physicians over the years regarding my experiences with medical animation development and cost given I've produced close to 30 animations thus far. Rather than going over the same materials each time I get a new inquiry, I wrote this blog article that addresses many of the questions I get. INTRODUCTION Medical animation is slowly becoming a more common way to educate patients, especially when a surgical procedure or medical concept is difficult f…

12/03/2017 0

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Hearing Amplifiers That Work Almost as Well as More Expensive Hearing Aids

CS50+ High End Hearing Amplifier In my last blog , I argued that hearing amplifiers are not safe to use in patients with hearing loss . In fact, such hearing amplifiers can potentially cause further hearing loss given indiscriminate amplification of sound frequencies where hearing loss may be minimal/absent. Given that caveat, there are a new breed of high-end amplifiers that approach the quality and safety of hearing aids . Such high-end hearing amplifiers typically run $300+, can be pu…

8/05/2016 0

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Fake Botox Being Sold to US Physicians: FDA Sends Warning

It is not just patients trying to save money when purchasing medications from online pharmacies located in Canada. It's doctors as well when it comes to expensive drugs like Botox made by Allergan which costs a physician practice $550 per vial (2012 price)... but if purchased from Canada, may cost hundreds less. Unfortunately, just like prescription drugs purchased outside the US, foreign-purchased Botox may be a product that is potentially unapproved, counterfeit, unsafe, or ineffecti…

12/25/2012 0

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Saliva Test for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR)

Various groups have been developing a fast, cheap, non-invasive saliva swab test to determine whether laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is present or not. LPR may cause symptoms of: Hoarseness Chronic (ongoing) cough Frequent throat clearing Constant mucus or phelgm in the throat Dry or sandpaper like sensation in the throat Pain or burning sensation in the throat Feeling of a lump in the throat (globus pharyngeus) Problems swallowing Bad/bitter taste in the mouth (especially in m…

6/12/2012 1

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