First a little context - I am a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist working at a hospital in Philadelphia. Recently, I reconnected and was having dinner with a childhood friend, who happened to have founded a medical market research company many years ago (full disclaimer, the friend is Paul Golota, co-founder and executive vice president of MedSurvey). When we started discussing his line of work, he asked me if I have ever participated in paid medical market research surveys. My answer was “yes, but I rarely do it anymore.” After discussing my string of bad experiences with survey companies, he asked me if I would consider authoring a blog post about my hesitation to participate and possibly outline a few suggestions that would make participating more appealing. This is an attempt to do just that and give the market research industry a physician’s perspective on participating in paid medical surveys.

Continue Reading

I remember a time, not too long ago, when cell phones were only useful for a few things: short phone calls (no unlimited voice plans), text messages (no pictures), and the occasional game of snake on the small monochromatic screen. Fast forward a decade, and our phone today has more in common with our laptop than it does with our phone from 2005. The incredible processing power, beautiful high-resolution displays, and a fast internet connection have all been critical to the proliferation of smartphones over the past decade, but no feature was more instrumental in mass adoption than the touch interface.

Continue Reading

Not even a decade ago, the healthcare technology and data landscape was much different than today. Can you remember a time before you could look up your symptoms online and spend the evening panicking that you may have a life threatening condition? There were no electronic scripts or health records (that mattered), no appointment scheduling or reminder services, no way to quickly research a medical condition, a drug, or the physician you are seeing next week, and there was certainly no way for the public to access data on how healthcare professionals refer patients, prescribe medication, or the adverse events reported for any given drug. While we are still in the very early stages of a healthcare data revolution, the recent advances have made a significant impact in how we understand and consume healthcare, whether we realize it or not.

Continue Reading

Even though I am only 30 years old, I consider myself a veteran of the market research industry. I started my career in market research around the same time I was able to buy my first alcoholic drink (what a timely coincidence). I had no clue what market research was at the time; however, thanks to my thirst for knowledge, a passion for technology, the patience of awesome clients, and many late nights, I evolved into somewhat of an expert over the years. In that time, I have seen the industry grow by leaps and bounds with online panels, social media, smartphone applications, and other advanced technologies. It would be, however, dishonest to say that all of the changes have had a positive effect on the industry.

Continue Reading