Tim Slevin's Healthcare Data (solutions) Blog

Twitter is In

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 23:13:00 +0000

B-to-b followers flock to Twitter
As service explodes in popularity, business brands sign on to talk with customers

Rich Karpinski
Story posted: April 6, 2009 - 6:01 am EDT

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Here's a quick quiz: What's the best proof that microblogging service Twitter has jumped from early adopter oddity to mainstream sensation?

A. NBA players—including Shaquille O'Neal—are tweeting from the locker room at halftime;

B. Actress Jennifer Aniston reportedly broke up with singer boyfriend John Mayer due to his Twitter “obsession”;

C. Twittering is fast becoming a go-to tactic for b-to-b marketers;

D. All of the above.

(Yes, it's D.)

That's not to say that Twitter, which lets users post a 140-character update for their “followers,” isn't on the bleeding edge. In fact, much of the b-to-b traffic on Twitter is from marketers talking to each other about how to use Twitter.

But seemingly every day, another b-to-b marketer (or media company) jumps on the bandwagon, using the platform to converse in near real time with customers and prospects. (As of February, there were 7,038,000 Twitter users, an increase of 1,382% from the year before, according to Nielsen NetView.)

These short-hand communiqués are diverse, varying among news alerts, tips, responses to complaints and updates about events (see “Twitter nets interaction,” page 11). But most of the time these marketers aren't writing. They're listening to the endless chatter, attending to what is being said about their products, brands and companies.

“Twitter is another way for us to engage with our customers, it's becoming very critical for us,” said Jeffrey Hayzlett, CMO of Eastman Kodak Co. Hayzlett himself is an active Twitter user (@jeffreyhayzlett), as is his marketing team, including Kodak's b-to-b group (@kodaidigprint).

“What b-to-b marketers, in particular, miss is that these conversations are going on without them. Just type in your company name on Twitter search and you'll be blown away—there are going to be comments about your company and issues being discussed you weren't even aware of.”

While Kodak's use of Twitter started somewhat informally, the marketing team now publishes guidelines and suggestions for Kodak employee Twitterers. And it has started creating and executing marketing campaigns centered on Twitter, such as its contests and prize giveaways at the Academy Awards.

Locating other b-to-b marketers and companies that “tweet” has become easier, too. Ad network Federated Media late last month launched (with Microsoft Corp. as sponsor) ExecTweets.com, an aggregation of executives using Twitter, and the Social Brand Index (www.socialbrandindex.com) offers an index of Twitter accounts organized by category. One also can find lists of b-to-b marketing-focused Twitter users with a Google search.

“B-to-b buyers are still people, and in the end, they buy from people and not companies,” said Jon Miller (@jonmiller2), VP-marketing at b-to-b software vendor Marketo (@marketo), who uses Twitter personally and as part of his company's marketing strategy. “If you can build a relationship with a prospective buyer using Twitter before they are actively looking, you built your brand more effectively than you could with much more expensive options. The trick is to know who to follow and who to focus on for that relationship-building.”

But Miller doesn't think Twitter is the be-all and end-all. “Tweets don't yet show up in Google search results, and links can't influence your SEO rankings,” he said, adding, “I think other tools like blogs still work better as the content publishing mechanism, versus [using Twitter more as] a content promotion tool.”

Technology company EMC uses different Twitter accounts to communicate with a variety of constituencies: @emccorp is for press releases; @emccareers is for job postings; and @emcworld is for promoting its annual customer event. In addition, individual EMC employees use Twitter to talk to customers directly.

“People are people, and people connect with other people,” said Dan Schawbel, EMC's social media specialist (who also recently published a book on personal branding titled “Me 2.0,” Kaplan Publishing, 2009). As Schawbel put it, using a simple social media platform like Twitter can put a human face on a large b-to-b organization, even one such as EMC that sells expensive, complex storage technology. “For those who use Twitter as a way to consume communications, we want to be right there with them,” he said.

Not surprisingly, technology companies like EMC are well represented among early Twitter users. But there have been some surprising early adopters, too.

Take United Linen & Services, a small professional uniform service company in Bartlesville, Okla., which uses Twitter (@unitedlinen) along with a company blog to share information with customers and, in turn, listen to customers.

“Twitter is just another tool we have in our marketing toolbox to create another way for us to communicate with our customers,” said Scott Townsend, United Linen's marketing director. “I am careful to use the word "with' because social media is fantastic for giving us the opportunity to not only send information but, more important, receive information from our customers and employees.”

Townsend offered practical advice for marketers getting started on Twitter.

? In your Twitter bio, clearly spell out what business you are in, who is posting to the account and even what you hope to get out of it. That creates transparency and the underpinnings of trust.

? Find people to follow. They'll likely follow you back, broadening and enriching your conversation.

? To start, sit back and watch conversations unfold. As your comfort level grows, be proactive by participating in and starting conversations related to your business.

? Be generous: Offer more than you get back and always try to be responsive to peers and customers.

“Businesses need to be careful when using social media outlets such as Twitter because they tend to want to start selling stuff now,” Townsend said.

“But Twitter is more about creating and furthering a relationship with a customer, becoming a resource to them and showing yourself [to be] available to provide solutions.”

Because Twitter is still a relatively new technology, chances are that many b-to-b marketers will hear about it first from their marketing agency or public relations partners. For instance, b-to-b agency Slack Barshinger not only uses Twitter itself (@slackbarshinger) but has been aggressive in instructing its clients on how to use Twitter as part of an overall social media strategy.

In general, Twittering should be done by company employees, not their agencies, said Jeff Woelker (@jeffwoelker), Slack Barshinger's senior digital strategist. “We try not to act as the brand voice, as ultimately we feel that our clients are the best representatives of their brand,” Woelker said. “However, there has been the occasion where we speak on behalf of our clients as resource allocation, budget, or time constraints dictate.”

Such an approach may be tempting and get your brand quickly and painlessly in the Twitter game but, ultimately, letting your employees tweet on their own is probably more in keeping with the spirit of the technology.

United Linen's Townsend put it this way: “If you approach Twitter as a cocktail party conversation, ask yourself, "Would I show up to a party, shove business cards in everyone's hand and tell them about my business and why they should buy from me?' Chances are you would not.” Instead, he said, you would arrive, get a view of who is in the room and start making your way around, asking people how they are doing and engaging them in a conversation.

“Some conversations will be very surface conversations and others will go more in-depth,” Townsend said. “Twitter facilitates these conversations and works best for businesses that want to further relationships and listen to what their customers are saying.” M

Media Survery Results- Email off Charts

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Did you go to work today?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Consider yourself lucky. Here is my good friend and expert marketer Bob Rogers' resume. He is looking for So Cal opportunities

BOB ROGERS
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610 rogersfhr@cox.net 949.683.9779 cell

MARKETING & PRODUCT EXECUTIVE

Accomplished hands-on engineer of successful marketing strategies and tactics, honed over 18 years with Nissan, Fleetwood & EDS, while managing major automotive vehicle product launches, to designing a simple one page flyer. A “product & customer focused” leader who brings daily passion to the process of creating and communicating, authentic and compelling messages. An enthusiastic team player who successfully motivates both direct and indirect reports, while working on all levels of product launch and life cycle marketing initiatives. Possesses a rare foundation of cross functional knowledge and experience in operations, product planning and development, sales, training, and customer service, assuring success and authenticity with the marketing message.

Courage Humanity and Golf

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Neighbors--Do you know yours?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:06:00 +0000

Check out this intersting article brought to my attention by the famous Rev. John Taylor.

Berghoff at O'hare...Fridays at Newark

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:35:00 +0000

If you are laying over at O'Hare--here is a small tip for you. Go to Berghoff for some excellent sandwiches and beer. BUT-The real key is how do I work without draining my battery pre-flight? The bartender gladly takes your power cord over the top of the bar and plugs you in! I was quite suprised. Normally I have to surf for a while to find the power. You know that's a hassle.

Also the Newark Fridays has two tall bar rounds--both with power. Traveling much? I am. Great line from comedian Jeffrey Ross. "Newark airport is like the.........Newark of Airports"

DMA Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:55:00 +0000

If you are attending the Direct Marketing Show in Las Vegas next week--here is my tip. Stay at a hotel that is on the monorail route. A three day pass is $ 40 and will get you to a from the convention center faster than a cab and will less cost. See you there.

HDS is exhibiting for the first time--booth 258. Come see me and mention my blog and I will buy you and a pal a reception beverage Sunday night!

HDS Family - Can you find your rep?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Data and CRM Together

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:41:00 +0000

We like data. We like it even more when it is easily used by everyone...seemlessly updated and on demand. That's where data and crm are married. HDS provides data and SaaS CRM to our clients. One great provider is Verticals on Demand. Ask for my friend Matt Wallach at 610-785-1309. Imagine all your data integrated with customers, campaigns, tradeshow attendees, purchase history and more.

Look here for more blogging on VOD

Best Luggage Buy Ever

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:34:00 +0000

I have found the perfect bag. See link above. I have realized as a 40+ year old man that lugging a 35 pound bag (laptop, battery, cords, books, external drives) is not healthy. However, when I am trecking around the city to shows and meetings, I want to have all that stuff. I just became a "wheelie" and couldbn't be happier. I was very close to buying a backpack style bag and carrying it all on two shoulders instead of one. I am a huge fan now. If you carry your bag--stop-- no bueno for the back and shoulders.It also compresses down for carry by handle or strap if you want.

Blogger Incentive - New HDS Data Licenses Free Garmin 200 Nuvi

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:28:00 +0000

I like this promotion one of our competitors is running. For you who visit my blog, I will provide you a free Nuvi with any database license over $ 3,000 from now until September 30, 2008. You’ll never get lost again with this ultra-slim personal GPS. Take it on a summer road trip, or send it as a perfect gift for someone special. Mention the BLOG GPS offer and I will have a Garmin sent to you with your paid order. Email me if you have questions. Offer valid for new license agreements only.

The Last Lecture

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Heart wrenching story not to be missed and.....just read the book.

Randy Pausch is a professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. From 1988 to 1997, he taught at the University of Virginia. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher, and has worked with Adobe, Google, Electronic Arts (EA), and Walt Disney Imagineering, and pioneered the non-profit Alice project. (Alice is an innovative 3-D environment that teaches programming to young people via storytelling and interactive game-playing.) He also co-founded The Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon with Don Marinelli. (ETC is the premier professional graduate program for interactive entertainment as it is applies across a variety of fields.) He lives in Virginia with his wife and three children.

Healthcare Data Solutions NASCAR Entry

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:46:00 +0000

Ok, maybe some day we will be large enough to do this.

HDS Company One Pager

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:56:00 +0000

HDS New Hire

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:44:00 +0000

April 30, 2008
HDS announces addition to its Sales Team
Foothill Ranch, CA - Healthcare Data Solutions has hired information veteran Joy Brummer to join its Sales Team. Ms. Brummer joins HDS as an Account Manager and will focus on key healthcare markets in the Midwest. She has over 12 years of experience in healthcare database sales and was most recently Account Director at American Medical Information (division of InfoUSA).

Healthcare Data Solutions is an original source data compilation company focused on building and distributing Physician, Pharmacy and Dentist databases. HDS provides healthcare data, data processing, web services and new customer acquisition programs for leading healthcare marketing firms.

CAN SPAM Update

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 29 May 2008 18:54:00 +0000

FTC has provided some clarification on the CAN SPAM Act

The Federal Trade Commission has approved four new rule provisions for the CAN-SPAM Act in a move to clarify the Act's requirements.

The new provisions include the following:

An e-mail recipient cannot be required to pay a fee, provide information other than his or her e-mail address and opt-out preferences, or take any steps other than sending a reply e-mail message or visiting a single Internet Web page to opt out of receiving future e-mail from a sender.

The definition of “sender” was modified to make it easier to determine which of multiple parties advertising in a single e-mail message is responsible for complying with the Act's opt-out requirements.

A “sender” of commercial e-mail can include an accurately-registered post office box or private mailbox established under United States Postal Service regulations to satisfy the Act's requirement that a commercial e-mail display a “valid physical postal address.”

A definition of the term “person” was added to clarify that CAN-SPAM's obligations are not limited to natural persons.

In addition, the SBP accompanying the final rule also addresses CAN-SPAM's definition of “transactional or relationship message.”

It will also look at the length of time a sender of commercial e-mail has to honor an opt-out request, as well as the Commission's views on how CAN-SPAM applies to forward-to-friend e-mail marketing campaigns.

DM DAYS Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Direct and Database Marketers alike will be gathering in NYC June 9 - 12, 2008. We will see you there. Seth Godin is speaking. I just read his book meatball sundae ....good read in a few hours. Main thrust is that you cant apply cutting edge marketing practices to old world business models.

Fast Forward 2008
The Executive Summit for Marketing Information Business Leaders
June 9, 2008 Sheraton New York and Towers, New York, NY

Fast Forward 2008 will provide real, actionable information and take-home value that will help develop a list or data organization that will stand the test of time. This year's event features an exciting team of experts in the areas of change management, productivity, employee engagement, and customer loyalty. Speakers at Fast Forward 2008 are luminaries who have worked in the trenches and are available to offer first-hand knowledge, ideas, recommendations and strategies that can be implemented right now.

Presented in conjunction with DM Days 2008, Fast Forward is conveniently scheduled the day prior, June 9, 2008, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, in New York City, and culminates with the List Leader of the Year Award Dinner that evening. Please note that the List Leader of the Year Award Dinner requires separate registration.

Who Will You Meet?
Fast Forward 2008 is an annual event exclusively for senior executives in the list and data community responsible for charting the course of a company's future. It's the only conference geared specifically for high-level data marketing professionals, spearheaded by a task force from today's top data companies.

Must See Keynote Speaker!
Don't miss your opportunity to hear marketing guru Seth Godin, this year's luncheon keynote speaker. Touted as "America's Greatest Marketer" by American Way Magazine, Godin is the author of ten books that have been bestsellers around the world and has changed the way people think about marketing, change and work.

For information about sponsorships at Fast Forward 2008, please contact Jodi Vaccarelli at 202.861.2419 or e-mail jvaccarelli@the-dma.org.

Help Craft the Conference Program!
The Fast Forward program is packed with the brightest speakers in the list and data community, providing valuable advice on timely topics and trends. Help craft the conference program by providing feedback on what matters most to you.

AMA's definition of marketing stirs debate

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:00:00 +0000

By Matthew Schwartz
The American Marketing Association's recently updated definition of marketing has sparked a bit of a brouhaha. The definition, the first update in four years, reads: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large." It will be used as the official definition of marketing in books and taught in universities nationwide, according to the AMA. Big mistake, said Mike Smock, managing director of marketing consultancy vSente, who blogs about marketing. In a post, Smock wrote that the definition may lead marketers down the primrose path. "Marketers can hardly get it right in small enterprises; how are they going to extend that to society at large?" he told BtoB. "The bottom line is CEOs are disgruntled with marketing, and this definition doesn't help," Smock said. The new definition gets away "from the fundamentals, like sales, revenue, margins and market share." Nancy Costopulos, CMO of the AMA, said the association had anticipated some dissent. "We think it's healthy for the profession to have a dialogue and a conversation," about the new definition, she said. She added that 70% of 1,000 marketers responding to queries about the new definition said it was an improvement on the prior definition. Of the revision Costopulos said: "It's not just about marketing in management but marketing at a higher level." Still, Smock is less than impressed. In response, he posted his own

RISE IN HEALTHCARE DIRECT MARKETING PREDICTED, REPORTS

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:12:00 +0000

RISE IN HEALTHCARE DIRECT MARKETING PREDICTED, REPORTS DMA. Health-services companies made $11.86 in sales for every dollar they spent on direct-marketing advertising, according to a new report from the Direct Marketing Association, which states that that companies spent $2.4 billion on direct marketing in 2007 and that this helped generate $28.7 billion in sales. By 2012, spending is expected to increase 62% to $3.9 billion, and related sales will climb 60% to $45.8 billion, but there will be a slight drop in return on ....http://www.the-dma.org/cgi/dispannouncements?article=970

EXPEDITE CLICKS TO ORDERS

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:45:00 +0000

Netfactor accelerates the process from clicks to orders. The CEO (Chris Jeffers) has shown HDS how to get from web traffic to high level decision makers at key accounts. I don't have time here to explain the entire process as it involves a few applications linked together. Email me or Chris at cjeffers@netfactor.com.

Here is the sketch for now....

PPC/Organic Traffic to your website
Track which companies and products are of interest
React to traffic immediately
Call ranking and targeted decision makers from the companies who are on your site

Imagine if you got a call from a business developent person a few hours after searching a site. Works for me!

Marketing Sector M&A Activity Sets a Record in 2007, According to Petsky Prunier

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Marketing Sector M&A Activity Sets a Record in 2007, According to Petsky Prunier

January 16, 2008 — Marketing Sector merger & acquisition and strategic investment activity saw tremendous growth in 2007, setting a record for both number of transactions and total transaction value — 758 completed transactions recorded by Petsky Prunier LLC ("PPLLC"), totaling $60.3 billion in estimated aggregate transaction value. Compared with updated statistics for 2006, overall activity, measured by number of transactions, increased by 63 percent, with aggregate deal volume almost doubling 2006's $32.6 billion.

Petsky Prunier defines the Marketing Sector as inclusive of four broad segments: Digital Services, Direct & Database, Digital Content & Commerce and Marketing Technology. Across the majority of the segments, transaction multiples in 2007 were up considerably from 2006, as well. In 2007, median reported revenue multiples for Marketing Technology companies increased 43 percent from 2006 to 3.0 times revenue; and median reported EBITDA multiples for Direct & Database companies increased 18 percent to 9.8 times EBITDA.

Click link above for full story

Email Preference Advocate

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 16:07:00 +0000

I have long been an advocate of mail and email preference services. Looks like the DMA is taking the lead here in a great way!

The Direct Marketing Association has strengthened its arsenal against proposed do-not-mail legislation by beefing up its Mailing Preference Service (MPS), offering consumers more choice in how and when they receive direct mail.

As part of the effort, the DMA will also invest in a consumer outreach campaign to help communicate some of these initiatives that will start to roll out in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The DMA's efforts come at a time when the cataloging community is turning to new reinforcements to help get its voice heard in Washington, including the American Catalog Mailers Association (ACMA). Last week the ACMA received a resounding endorsement from the New England Mail Order Association (NEMOA).

The DMA held a Catalog Summit last week, where DMA president and CEO John A. Greco Jr. discussed recent initiatives to show consumers and lawmakers that marketers want to honor consumers' choices and are capable of self-regulation.

“There is a real lack of understanding of the facts and the implications of what direct marketers do on the part of consumers and regulators,” said Ramesh Ratan, EVP and COO at the DMA, after the summit.

He added that this is one of the reasons why the number of states with proposed do-not-mail registries has grown from three in 2005 to 15 this year. Rattan expects it to reach 25 next year.

The MPS service has been improved from its previous capability, in which consumers could solely suppress their names from all mailings from DMA members. Now, consumers can choose what they don't want to receive by company, brand or catalog title at www.dmachoice.org.

In the future, the DMA hopes to further expand this service to provide an opportunity for consumers to say that they only want to receive certain catalogs at certain times or frequencies during the year. In addition to the enhancements, DMA members are now required to run the MPS list against their own on a monthly basis, instead of quarterly. There's also a new opt-in service that lets consumers choose which catalogs they would like to receive by company, brand and by product category.

MPS currently has a $1 verification fee, something that has been somewhat controversial as other organizations have come out with similar services that don't include a fee, such as Catalog Choice.

“We're currently working on eliminating the fee,” Ratan said, but he added that it will remain in place until DMA can find an authentication and verification system that works nationwide and is secure.

Another initiative discussed at the summit included the DMA's new Green 15 guidelines, which address list hygiene, printing and paper usage. Ratan said that over the next year he expects some of these guidelines to become requirements.

The DMA also pointed to its Commitment to Consumer Choice, a series of requirements related to how marketers communicate with consumers about their lists. Members are now required to inform customers and prospects of their ability to modify or suppress all future mail solicitations from a marketer.

Other trade associations are also doing what they can to make sure catalogers' concerns are being heard when it comes time for bills to be written and postage rates to be set. For the first time in its 60-year history, NEMOAlast week publicly endorsed the ACMA, a lobbying group for catalogers, in an e-mail to its members.

“This was a huge decision for us,” said NEMOA executive director Janie Downey, since members have a significant amount of trust in the organization. She said that the board is “sure that our industry needs an organization like ACMA right now,” because “we want to be better represented in Washington.”

The e-mail, which came from NEMOA president Jean Geisman, asked members to join the ACMA, saying, “we think this new organization will play a key role in the future success of your company.”

The ACMA was formed this spring after catalogers were dealt an up to 40% postage rate increase, ostensibly because they didn't have their own special interest group representing the industry in Washington. While the DMA lobbies on behalf of catalogers, it also does the same for other areas of the direct marketing industry, some of which may have differing needs.

The finger pointing that was prevalent several months after the postage increase came down is giving way to a period of cooperation.

“There's an emerging awareness that this industry needs to unite” if anything is going to get accomplished, said Hamilton Davison, executive director of the ACMA.

So far, NEMOA's decision to endorse the ACMAis being met with positive reactions. Ratan said that “strength of numbers” is helpful, and Joe Mediate, CEOof KooKoo Bear Kids, said, “What NEMOAand ACMAare trying to do is look after [catalogers'] backs.”

“NEMOAmembers will certainly listen and consider ACMA” as a result of the e-mail, added George Mollo, president of GJM Associates. However, since its membership consists of a lot of smaller companies, he feels many may not be able to afford membership fees for another organization.

From the December 24, 2007 Issue of DMNews

u2 Movie Coming Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Coalition Urges American Medical Association to Halt Sale of Physician Data to Pharmaceutical Marketing Firms

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 22:17:00 +0000

Coalition Urges American Medical Association to Halt Sale of Physician Data to Pharmaceutical Marketing Firms
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 25, 2007 - The Prescription Project, National Physicians Alliance and American Medical Student Association today urged the American Medical Association to stop selling its comprehensive physician database, known as the Physician Masterfile, to companies that use it to create profiles for pharmaceutical marketing purposes.
Sale of the Physician Masterfile, a comprehensive database detailing the names, office addresses, practice type of almost every doctor in the United States, earns the AMA nearly $50 million a year in revenue. A significant portion of those sales are to health information organizations that then combine it with prescription information purchased from pharmacies to create profiles of doctors (a process known as prescription data-mining), which are then used in highly targeted physician marketing by pharmaceutical companies.

The AMA is currently holding delegate meetings, where a wide range of policies are reviewed; despite widespread disapproval of the AMA's members, an end to the sale of the Masterfile as recommended by these groups is not on the agenda.
"By selling physician data for marketing purposes, the AMA is giving the pharmaceutical industry a powerful tool to use in influencing physician prescribing decisions," said Robert Restuccia, executive director of The Prescription Project an initiative launched earlier this year with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts to reduce conflicts of interest in the medical profession. "Though the financial incentive to do so may be strong, the AMA has a professional and ethical obligation to work to limit the power of pharmaceutical marketing."
The highly targeted marketing that can be accomplished with information yielded by physician specific prescription data may be adding to the bottom-line for pharmaceutical companies and driving up costs for the nation's healthcare system. Retail spending on pharmaceuticals increased to $174 billion from 1995-2001, and 17% of that increase was attributed to a switch from cheaper to more expensive drugs.
"The pharmaceutical industry's practice of marketing drugs to doctors by creating prescriber profiles intrudes into the private doctor-patient relationship and affects the quality of patient care while driving up the cost of healthcare," said National Physicians Alliance President Lydia Vaias, MD. "Every physician in the country is subject to the sale of its data and the delegates to the AMA annual meeting should be outraged on their behalf."
Despite the fact that every physician's identifying data is sold to health information organizations, only 60 percent of physicians surveyed by the Kaiser Family Foundation were aware of the sale of their information. Once told, 74 percent disapproved and AMA's own physician survey found a similar 66 percent disapproval rate.
"As physicians, we should do all we can to combat the presence of the pharmaceutical industry that works hard to insert itself into important medical decisions," said Michael Ehlert, MD, president of the American Medical Student Association. "The American Medical Association should be a leader in ensuring that doctors are making prescribing choices based on science, not marketing."
The joint three-point call to action also urges state legislatures to follow the examples of New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine and prohibit the sale of physician-identified prescription data for pharmaceutical marketing purposes. Physicians are likewise encouraged to educate fellow doctors on the impact of data mining and to express their concerns over the use of their information for marketing practices to the AMA and state medical societies.
For a copy of the "Call to Action" please visit The Prescription Project website at www.prescriptionproject.org.
For more information on the National Physicians Alliance, go to www.npalliance.org.
For more information on the American Medical Student Association, go to www.amsa.org.

College World Series: Omaha O.C. Connection

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:58:00 +0000

The O.C. in Omaha
I was born in Kearney, Nebraska and my wife, Susan, in Omaha. Erich Kaiser leads our database team 50 miles down the road in our Lincoln office. So HDS has strong midwest roors. With two Orange County teams in the College World Series this year, our local sports reporter drove to Omaha. HDS is planning a trip to Omaha for the CWS for our brokers and customers next year. In the mean time, this article gives Omaha and the CWS great respect.
UCI and CSUF fans bring their style to the cornfields of the Midwest.

FRANK MICKADEIT
Register columnistfmickadeit@ocregister.com
OMAHA, Neb. How utterly wholesome is this place? Well, you pull into the Rosenblatt Stadium parking lot off Bob Gibson Drive and you feel you're part of the world's biggest Chevy commercial. Major League Baseball? The "big" leagues? Keep it. I haven't been to a pro game since the Angels name-change travesty and I don't miss it. Not the spoiled, surly millionaire players, the arrogant owners, the congressional hearings, the $8 parking. Not even the stupid monkey. The day Barry Bonds breaks Aaron's record I'll be farther from the TV than old Hank himself.
But here in Omaha something pretty special is happening. By this time next year, a lot of the guys on the field this week will be millionaires, possibly on the way to becoming spoiled and surly ones. Sixty-five of the players on the eight teams here have been drafted by the pros, including 18 from the two Orange County schools. But this week they're still amateurs, they still call you "sir," and their moms still tell them what time to be in bed. (I heard some do just that.) Yet they play a high caliber of ball. Even if I could put aside the off-the-field horror show that is MLB, I can't say I'd get any more enjoyment watching the Angels than the Anteaters.
But what happens between the white lines has little to do with why I drove 1,600 miles to be in Omaha this week. I've always been in love with the notion that a medium-sized city in the geographic center of the country would put out the welcome mat for a tournament that more often than not does not include the hometown Creighton University team or the Nebraska Cornhuskers from nearby Lincoln. This is a place a baseball fan – or anyone willing to be one for a week – can come and feel the love. In Omaha, baseball is the catalyst for an event that more than anything celebrates our American-ness.
As I write this in the fourth inning of Saturday's first game, UCI's Bryan Petersenhas just tripled into left, driving home two, and Sean Madiganhas followed up with a double, driving in Petersen. That's tied it, 3-3. Ollie Linton– the lithe centerfielder who earlier made an amazing wall-crashing catch on the warning track – has driven home Madigan. UCI 4, ASU 3. From the press box, I can see the " 'Eater Nation" in the first base-side stands erupt, furiously waving their gold "Rip 'Em Eaters" towels like lost hikers trying to flag down a helicopter.
Madigan's father told me he's been to the Little League World Series, MLB's World Series and, now, the CWS. Nothing, he told me, compares to the feeling you get in Omaha. After two days here, I get it. Everywhere you go, people are smiling – at you, at each other, even to themselves. With the artery-clogging food like barbecue beef and funnel cake, it's like state fair without the whiny kids and the fatigue.
You walk around for an hour or so, check out the souvenir booths, sit down and watch a game for a couple of hours, walk around a bit more and take off to a steakhouse. It was 90 degrees and 43 percent humidity for the 1 p.m. first pitch but I feel strangely comfortable. People seem unhurried. A crowd of 20,000 college baseball fans makes for a societal mass that seems vital without being elbow-to-elbow frenetic.
I was over at the Titan House, a wood-frame bungalow Cal State Fullerton alumni traditionally rent. Fullerton has been to Omaha 15 times. Fullerton is royalty in Omaha, in a way, frankly, its not in Orange County, where its alums are ubiquitous and its position as a fairly typical state college is taken for granted. People who've never been west of the Rockies walk around Omaha wearing blue-and-orange caps with the big "F" script, just like they wear the purple LSU hats or the burnt orange of the Texas Longhorns, a couple of other pedigreed baseball programs.
In Orange County, UCI is the world-class research school with a degree of smugness about its stature. The roles are reversed in Omaha. There's more of a been-here-before sensibility among the Fullerton folk, who graciously if not proudly acknowledge UCI's achievement, like you would a kid brother's. It's quite a charming dynamic to witness, actually. Whereas the UCI people are as wide-eyed as I am.
In fact, I was simply wide-eyed at the idea Orange County was providing two of the eight CWS teams. I could find only two instances in its 61-year history in which a county sent two teams: Los Angeles County in 1998 (Long Beach State, USC) and Santa Clara County (San Jose State, Stanford) in 2000. So we've got 250 UCI fans, mostly family and former players, and 300 or so from Cal State Fullerton. A throng no, but still there's a delegation of "The O.C." halfway across the continent in "The O.N." this week, and I wanted to be part of it.
Taking theircue from the Fullerton fans, the UCI fans rented a house across the street from the stadium, a few doors down from the Titan House. I started my Game Day reporting from the " 'Eater Nation" yesterday morning, lured in part by the cigar smoke emanating from Brian Gorgen of Mission Viejo, uncle of the UCI starting pitcher Scott Gorgen. "Thanks, don't mind if I do," I replied lighting up one of his robustos.
The entire Gorgen clan, which totals 19, is staying at the Omaha home of Beth Brown, a childhood friend of Scott's mom. Among them, notably, is Matt Gorgen, who is Scott's twin and a pitcher for UC Berkeley. According to their dad, Chris, (Mater Dei, '75), Matt was scheduled to report this week to his team in the Cape Cod League, the top collegiate summer program. He asked his coach if he could report late so he could watch his brother pitch in the CWS. No, the coach said. "Do what you have to do," Matt told him, but he was going to Omaha. Matt no longer has a summer league team.
As for me, I guess you won't be surprised to find out it took me less than 12 hours here to find my own trouble, almost getting barred from the "Anteater Nation" house. But that story, and how I've been sucked into Omaha city politics, will have to wait until tomorrow.