216: Why providers and employers need to focus on women's health "beyond the bikini"

It seems like a no-brainer for healthcare organizations to allocate time and attention to a health condition that is guaranteed to affect 50% of adults during their midlife years—but that hasn’t been the case.

We’re seeing momentum around making menopause mainstream—from the White House directing research funding, to Hollywood stars talking openly about menopause, to the rise of femtech companies geared toward helping consumers navigate the clinical and social effects of menopause. But though 100% of women in midlife will experience this clinical event, the reality is that most women’s health programs are primarily focused on what our guests have referred to in the past as the “bikini approach” to women’s health, and have largely ignored the needs of women in the post-reproductive years. From a clinical and financial standpoint, this is a missed opportunity. And given 80% of the healthcare workforce is women, and one-third of those women are in midlife, it’s also a competitive vulnerability.

That’s why this week, host Rachel (Rae) Woods invites Advisory Board women’s health experts Kara Marlatt and Gaby Marmolejos to explore how provider and employer leaders can build systems that account for and address women’s health needs “beyond the bikini.”

Links:

• 5 ways employers can support women's health during midlife
• Five women leaders on the shifting landscape of women's health, per UnitedHealthcare (beckerspayer.com)
• Ep. 188: The business case for investing in women's health
• The business case for investing in women’s specialty care
• Women’s health opportunity: Menopause symptom care

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A transcript of this episode as well as more information and resources can be found on radioadvisory.advisory.com.