NCI Makes Latest Mammography Recommendation
For those of you trying to keep track of the ongoing debate about the need for mammograms for women in their 40's, the National Cancer Institute, a department of the National Institutes of Health, has offered its latest recommendation. The NCI's recommendation, released on March 27, states that women between the ages of 40 and 49 should get screening "every one or two years."
This recommendation is a change from the previous position of NCI, which said there was not enough evidence to justify recommending women get mammograms on a routine basis. (National Institutes of Health, 301/496-4000)
AHA Contradicts Congressional Medicare Advisory Panel
Marketers and PR execs are most likely on the side of the American HospitalAssociation (AHA) which testified March 20 before the House subcommittee on health that some of the Congressional Medicare advisory panel's (ProPAC) short-term recommendations were detrimental to the ability of hospitals to provide adequate services to the public.
One issue of concern to the AHA is the inflation update to Medicare's prospective payments to hospitals (PPS update), which the association says is less than the increases for goods and services hospitals incur in providing services. (American Hospital Association, 202/638-1100)
Direct Marketing Association Calls for ECHO Entries
The Direct Marketing Association has announced its call for entries to its 68th Annual International ECHO Awards. Work completed after Jan. 1, 1996, with results compiled by March 31, 1997, will be eligible for entry. Entries will be judged on their marketing strategy, creative technique and campaign results. The deadline for entries is May 2, 1997. Contact Susanne Sicilian, 212/768-7277 ext. 1555.
Senior Health and Fitness Day
The public/private partnership, Mature Market Resource Center (MMRC), is hosting its fourth annual National Senior Health & Fitness Day (NSHFD) on May 28, 1997.
The event offers fitness activities for adults in senior centers, park and recreation departments, hospitals, retirement communities, religious institutions, banks and other community locations.
MMRC promotes the event to organizations throughout the U.S. potentially interested in hosting events through direct phone contacts, faxes, mail, advertisements in trade publications relating to senior recreation and treatment, and press releases.
Registered organizations receive a packet that includes sample public service announcements, news releases, logos, reproducible sample handouts, and case studies to help them publicize their activities for NSHFD.
Organizers project that NSHFD, which is always held on the last Wednesday in May as part of Older Americans Month, will reach 125,000 older adults. (MMRC, Tina Godin, 800/828-8225)
Mediconsult.com Becomes Largest Internet Patient Organization Host Site
Mediconsult.com [MCNS] (http://www.mediconsult.com), the Boston-based virtual medical clinic, has signed content and marketing agreements with eight patient support organizations representing over 400,000 patients.
The agreement with Mediconsult.com, which currently hosts 180,000 patient visits per month, provides for medical information exchange, videotape and book sales, and donation and membership registration for conferences and association services. (Mediconsult.com, Ian D. Sutcliffe, 905/415-6174)
CareerMosaic Unveils Health Careers Site
Employment Web site listing service CareerMosaic has launched HealthOpps (http://www.healthopps.com), a site serving the career planning and employment needs of healthcare providers. The news site features a calendar of health meetings, profiles of employers, resume posting service, job hunting advice, listings of licensure boards, a connection to information updates in the healthcare field and thousands of job opportunities for healthcare professionals.
New Cancer Information Service Offered on Internet
PRR Inc., a publisher of oncology medical journals, has launched its Cancer Information Network (CIN) on the Internet (http://www.cancernetwork.com). The site offers healthcare professionals exclusive access to updated clinical information and peer reviewed scientific articles, links to healthcare treatment and educational institutions. It also provides free use of the National Library of Medicine and National Cancer Institute's medical information databases.
Georgetown Medical Center Launches Health Info Site
Georgetown University Medical Center has partnered with Digital City Washington to launch a health information Web site (http://dc.digitalcity.com/georgetownmed) which is updated weekly, offers information about the university hospital's services, how to find a doctor, and healthcare tips.
Correction
Ilyssa Levins, president of GTFH Public Relations in New York and vice chairman of Grey Healthcare Group Inc., was the primary author of the article, "Marketers Need to Bridge the Gap Between Drug Cos. and Advocacy Groups," which appeared in the March 6 issue of Healthcare PR & Marketing News. She can be reached at 212/886-3101.