Journal Studies Get Biggest Media Play
Press releases that include findings from scientific journal studies are more likely to get newspaper coverage than pitches without this third-party research, according to a recent study by Pompei Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.
Researchers reviewed 1,060 newspaper articles on scientific research that appeared in seven major newspapers in the U.S. and Europe between December 1996 and February 1997.
They also examined press releases for the same period from four scientific journals-British Medical Journal, Nature, Science and Lancet.
Of the newspaper stories analyzed:
- 142 referred to journal articles that appeared in one of the four journals;
- Of these stories, 84% referred to articles that appeared in press releases; and
- 23% referred to articles that did not appear in press releases.
Placement of journal references in press releases also plays a key role in getting media coverage.
Press releases that mention journal findings within the lead were cited more than pitches that mention the findings later in the release, according to the study.
This study was published in July 15 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. (Pompei Fabra University, Vladimir de Semir, 011-34-93-481-3301)
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Top M&A Players Of the industry's 306 transactions in the second quarter, top industry players include: |
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| Sector | # Transactions |
| Physician Groups | 76 |
| Hospitals | 50 |
| Long-Term Care | 41 |
| Home Health | 28 |
| Laboratories | 22 |
| Rehabilitation | 13 |
| HMOs | 12 |
| Source: Irving Levin Assoc. | |
Merger Fever Continues
Physician medical groups and hospitals are leading the industry's consolidation trends, according to Irving Levin Associates, a healthcare investment research and publishing firm in New Canaan, Conn.
If your organization hasn't merged yet, these findings indicate the need for creating a merger communication strategy.
In the second quarter ending June 30, 306 merger transactions were publicly announced, down slightly from the previous quarter.
The physician medical group, hospital and long-term care sectors account for about half of the consolidations Refer to chart below. (Irving Levin Associates, 203/966-4343)
Hospitals Losing Money On Outpatient Procedures
Outpatient care is not as efficient as the managed care industry promotes, according to a new study by The Center for Healthcare Industry Performance (CHIPS), a healthcare information firm in Columbus, Ohio.
Hospitals lose an average of $297 each time they perform an outpatient surgery on a Medicare patient - a 10% increase from last year.
To minimize losses, the study suggests improving cost management methods and launching additional ancillary services.
Investor-owned hospitals are ahead of the cost-saving curve, losing an average $264 per outpatient procedure compared to a loss of $308 among government, church and other non-profit providers.
Investor-owned hospitals are more likely to include ancillary services with outpatient procedures than hospitals in other categories. (CHIPS, 614/329-7289)