The buzz on the exhibit floor at the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development last week in Denver focused on the latest market research and Internet tools.
Here are the trade show highlights.
- HealthGate's Choice system: This online system allows healthcare organizations to customize their Web site with features like disease databases, continuing medical education and patient education reports. The system also allows marketers to develop online advertising and sponsorship programs via banner ads and e-commerce opportunities.
(HealthGate, 800/434-4283, www.healthgate.com)
- HealthcareLink also provides targeted opportunities to enhance your Web site by informing patients, educating and motivating employees and establishing community and industry ties. Created by TheHealthNetwork, Fox and HCIA, this online information provider allows patients to access video medical archives, receive post-operative care instructions and research medical conditions like cancer and diabetes. Physicians and other clinical staff can use HealthLink to get information on the latest treatment options, participate in discussion groups with physicians around the world and monitor patient satisfaction survey results.
(The Health Network, Dan Foreman, 615/354-8810)
- Professional Research Consultants (PRC) provides research services targeted to hospitals, physician groups, managed care plans and health systems. Its roster of research services include PRC's Consumer Assessment Study that provides market share, top-of-mind recall, utilization rates and other marketing information. PRC's Medical Staff Satisfaction study provides an evaluation of an organization's clinical and operational strengths and weaknesses. The PRC Community Health Assessment help hospitals respond to the challenges of improving community health and wellness.
(PRC, Janna Holmes, 402/592-5656)
- For strategic and tactical decision-making tools, Inforum provides fully-integrated applications and programs. The cornerstone of its planning and marketing information services is the Pulse survey, which includes interviews with 100,000 people annually. The survey analyzes national healthcare behavior and utilization and provides insight on what people buy and developing healthcare consumer patterns.
Inforum's MarketScan database provides outpatient forecasting and utilization information based on more than 200 payers. This information is ideal for private sector healthcare analyses.
(Inforum, Kelly Tolson, 615/780-7384)