July 2010 News in Healthcare Marketing

Our Conversation with ASPR's Brett Walker

Physician Recruiting is one of the fastest growing areas in healthcare today. The more severe the physician shortage becomes, the harder healthcare providers have to work to recruit qualified care givers.

As the Association of Staff Physician Recruiters prepares for its National Conference in San Antonio August 15-18, we sat down with Brett Walker, the Association’s President and Director of Physician Recruitment at Indiana Clinic to discuss the conference, recruitment issues, and where the industry is heading.

Click here to see Brett’s comments on a number of subjects that anyone involved in Physician Recruiting would be interested to know.

Follow CAN-SPAM and Avoid Big Fines.

The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 is a common sense set of laws for sending non-solicited e-mail marketing messages. The rules make perfect sense, and most reputable marketers are already willingly in compliance. However, since the penalties for violating the rules can be severe, it is a good idea to check your campaign against the Act’s requirements every so often.

The main points of the law are:

• Include opt-out instructions in your message for those who wish to stop receiving your e-mails.

• The sender’s physical address must be clearly displayed.

• Do not mislead readers with your subject line or headers within your message.

• It is illegal to send e-mails to e-mail addresses that have been harvested from websites.

• The law implicates spammers, and those who procure their services. If you fail to prevent spammers from promoting your products and services you can be prosecuted.

• Includes both criminal and civil penalties and allows suits by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), State Attorneys General, and Internet Service Providers.

For each and every violation of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, a business or person engaging in commercial e-mailings can be fined up to $11,000. Read more about the act, and how to remain in compliance, click here.

What Physicians Say about Pharmaceutical Marketing

DMD’s recent physician survey revealed some interesting statistics in regard to how email compares to other medical media information sources. Over 79% of those surveyed received emails featuring information from pharmaceutical companies and more than 40% of responders receiving pharma emails reported that they opened over half of all they received within the past 30 days.

They expressed a preference for receiving invitations to online educational programs over drug or clinical information and would rather receive pharma information via email rather than visiting a website or viewing medical journal advertisements.

Put this insight to good use when you plan your next marketing campaign to physicians. Click here for DMD’s Physicians at Email counts by specialty to help customize an audience just right for you.

If you are interested in the details of our survey, click here and we will be happy to provide you with the results.

Tips for a Hotter than Usual Summer

Most of the nation has had a warmer than normal start to summer, and we have just begun the season. The last few have tended to be cooler than average for most places, so it may be a good time to remind ourselves of some basic summer safety tips.

• Hydrate long before you need it. We process more water while enjoying summer than other activities. Be sure to drink plenty before, during and after your outdoor activities. Dehydration is a large contributor to heat exhaustion. Remember also make sure the kids drink plenty of water as well.

• Maintain your energy level by limiting your intake of fat and sugar. Instead, consume carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables.

• We love the sun, but it can be dangerous. Wear loose fitting clothing, sunglasses and sunscreen to minimize the dangers of UV rays.

• Know your body. If you are not feeling right, get into the shade, drink, you guessed it, more water, and rest a while. Don’t try to push yourself through it. Heat stroke is dangerous, and not worth the risk, especially when a little caution can keep you safe.