Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12545
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: news
Verispan: Novartis Advances to No. 2 with Medical Directors
NewsObserver.com 2008 Jan 23
http://www.newsobserver.com/1566/story/897681.html
Full text:
Novartis received its best overall ranking by managed care medical directors in the past 10 audit cycles in Verispan’s fall 2007 Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit.
The overall ranking is calculated by Verispan based on five assessment areas: clinical objectivity, value-added services, disease management, account personnel and corporate approach.
Since spring 2003, Novartis had ranked third, fourth, or fifth; the company had not ranked better than No. 3 overall.
Between spring and fall 2007, Novartis’ net score improved in two of the five assessment categories. The company’s most notable improvement appeared in disease management, where Novartis improved its net score by 4 points.
One medical director who listed Novartis as best for disease management commented, “Excellent hypertension and oncology programs.” Others said, “Excellent implementation and help for in-house programs,” and “good to work with; delivers what is promised.”
The other assessment category in which Novartis improved was value-added services. Medical directors praised the company in the following ways: “Great quality-oriented medical director educational series,” and “very objective offerings; (they are) increasing their variety of programs.”
For the seventh consecutive audit cycle, medical directors ranked Pfizer No. 1 overall. The company finished first in three of the five assessment categories placed second in the remaining areas, including corporate approach, where it had fallen to sixth in spring 2007. Comments from medical directors included, “Major involvement in disease management to promote extensive array of products,” and “willingness to work with us and our ethics committee to develop usable programs.”
About the Audit
Verispan’s Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit is based on the responses of medical directors who represent a large portion of American lives covered by HMOs. These medical directors reported promotional activity by pharmaceutical firms over an 8-week period in fall 2007. They also rated pharmaceutical companies on their ability to meet the managed care industry’s needs in five areas: clinical objectivity, value-added services, disease management, account personnel and corporate approach.
For more information on the Managed Care Medical Director Promotional Audit or any other Verispan managed care product, please contact Keith Mandia or Jacqueline Ferenz at (800) 982-5613; e-mail: keith.mandia@verispan.com or jacqueline.ferenz@verispan.com.
About Verispan
Verispan, a healthcare informatics joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. and McKesson Corp., provides a broad array of information products and services to the healthcare industry, including sales targeting and compensation products; market research audits; healthcare profiles; comprehensive managed care offerings; data integration, warehousing and mining; data analysis and consulting; direct mail; list services; disease management studies; clinical trial investigator targeting and protocol recruitment evaluation; healthcare outcomes; and cost/benefit analyses, among many others. Verispan is also the nation’s leading provider of patient-centric longitudinal data, with dozens of products used by clients spanning the industry.
Headquartered in Yardley, Pa., Verispan employs over 500 dedicated healthcare information professionals. The company’s Web site is www.verispan.com.
