Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Digital Pharma West 2010: Day 2


There has been a lot of talk about transparency in the past couple of days. The observations made in this post may test the comfort level of some when it comes to being transparent… Day 2 of Digital Pharma West 2010 was actually day one since technically the first day was some pre-conference sessions. But regardless, the topics and discussion for the Tuesday sessions were also very interesting and pretty good. The morning sessions, in my opinion, had to do a lot with sales. But, what do you expect from a marketing conference?

I talked about this in a previous post, but I just find it interesting that success stories in this industry are ones which are of orphan disease conditions (in other words, important but less common disease conditions) in which there is only one medication to choose from for that condition. In other words, it is a success because there is a monopoly in that area.

This is so interesting to me. It’s kind of like the cable television model of comcast and time warner. Of course this model is going to be a success – there is no other competition. Also something interesting was the continued use of phrases like “Disease State Marketing.” I don’t know about you, but that kind of sends chills up my spine. But, what do I know, I’m just a physician…

One of the last sessions of the afternoon talked about physician behavior while online. By the title, this was very intriguing to me. (BTW, I’m not going to mention the presenter or the company by name here. But, this will be an interesting test of their social media presence, since I anticipate to be corrected on any inaccuracies in the following…)

Anyway, from how I understood the presentation, they tracked where physicians went on the internet while at home (using proprietary technology, of course, placed on their home computer). From this, they accumulated data and are extrapolating – that THIS is how physicians behave overall while online. When they tried to get access to physician’s office computers to do the same thing, the company was shown a big “HIPPA” sign and that stopped any tracking at the office. Understandable.

As the graphs and the data were being shown to the audience, the entire crowd seemed very interested – that is, except two physicians in the audience – me and @Doctor_V. Check out the tweets that occurred during the presentation by clicking here.

Now, even though I’m pretty down on the presentation, I do give credit to this company for at least attempting to get this data. And, to their defense, they stated that they just started accumulating data in the past year. So, definitely this is a continuing work in progress. Plus, the feedback following the presentation was not all positive, and the company stated that they can further granulate the data to answer more specific questions that the audience had.

For example, one of the pieces of data that were shown was the low tendency of physicians to use “Social Media.” The audience brought out in the Q&A that there are social media pieces within some sites – like medscape. How can this data be captured?

However, an underlying premise of this study is physician behavior online at home trends toward overall physician behavior – meaning that the websites that they go to at home are presumably the same ones that they go to overall. I don’t think that this can be very accurate. Another piece missing is physician internet use while on a mobile device, like a smartphone. I think this data is needed, but how to capture that is difficult (I understand that).

What’s a conference without controversy, right? The dialogue here has been excellent. Like I said previously, I’m learning lots about an industry that I know little about. This knowledge gives me perspective in how things work from their end. The final day of Digital Pharma West is highlighted by a panel discussion which includes me and @Doctor_V. Should be a good time!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Dr. A Show 172 Wrap-Up: Bryan Vartabedian




Thanks so much to Dr. Bryan Vartabedian for being on Doctor Anonymous Show 172. He is founder of the website 33Charts.com in which he does commentary on medicine and social media issues.

He is known on twitter as @Doctor_V and we are going to be presenting at the Digital Pharma West conference in San Francisco on June 30, 2010. In the video above, we discuss some possible reasons why physicians have been slow to adapt to social media platforms. I hope to post other brief video segments when I get a chance to edit them.

You can listen to the entire audio podcast in the player below. You can also download the entire audio podcast and listen anytime by clicking here. If you enjoy the show, check out the Facebook page for the show and you can even download other shows over at the iTunes page. Check out other of my videos on my YouTube page.

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Digital Pharma West 2010


I've never been to this conference before, so I really didn't have any expectations coming in here. The only thing I knew that the target audience for this meeting are those in the pharma industry. If you didn't already know, I was asked to be on a panel discussion later this week. But, I wanted to check out the other parts of this conference to see what it was all about.

Even though this was only day one, I have definitely learned a lot. The morning session did reveal some interesting stats which I didn't know about before:
*Almost 75% of physicians own a smart phone
*84% of health care professionals access their smartphones in between pt consultations
*By 2013, mobile internet users will exceed desktop internet users
*1 in 3000 commercial messages, including detailing, results in a change in behavior
*1 in 3 interactions with a respected colleauges results in a change in behavior

Of course, what really interested me was the discussions that took place in regards to social media and pharma. What I'm learning is that like other industries, for those at the highest executive levels, social media is still a mystery. For example, there was along discussion on the question, "Is there ROI (return on investment) in Social Media?" (You can get a flavor of the tweets that were made from this twazzup link via Phil Baumann. Follow the tweets with the hashtag #digpharm)

One segment of the discussion which interested me was reviewing pharma websites which the audience felt were social media successes. The discussion was how these sites "created" patient communities. I disagree with this evaluation. I could be wrong, but I think these sites tapped into an already established disease specific patient communities. The question for industry is after getting these people signed up for their site, what is the next step? The discussion continues...

Monday, June 28, 2010

Obsessed



After getting back from dinner tonight, I was just channel surfing and found the a show on A&E television called "Obsessed" - whose 2nd season started tonight. The show shares stories from people who have mental health issues like obsessive/compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and other anxiety-type disorders.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the show from the start of the episode. But, what I saw was definitely powerful and gripping television. You hear from the patient, their families, along with the professional whom they are working. I thought that the stories were packaged well and in a fair light. I'll be curious to see more of this show.

During the course of watching this show tonight, there are a couple of thoughts that I had. First, I was thinking that even back in college, there was a very negative stigma toward people with mental health issues - both in real life, along with in the media like on television or in movies. But, in the past few years, I believe that the stigma has been changing has the public has learned not only about the diagnoses, but also the stories behind the diagnoses.

The second thought that I had was about the people who are profiled in these stories. I ask myself what would motivate people to be on a show like this - especially this one. I mean, the people with these diagnoses have anxiety. Yet, they agree to be on national television which in some people, would cause even more anxiety. It's just interesting to me. What do you think about these last two thoughts?

Headache Awareness



June 6-12, 2010 was National Headache Awareness Week. If you would like more information, definitely check out the website for the National Headache Foundation. Above are two TV interviews that took place this week on local morning TV news talking about headaches. Check out Headache video 1 and Headache video 2 above. If you find these helpful, I encourage you to check out my other TV interviews at MikeSevilla.TV.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Dr. A Show 172: Bryan Vartabedian



BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 9pm ET

I invite you to join me this week for Doctor Anonymous Show 172 with guest Dr. Bryan Vartabedian who is a pediatric gastroenterologist at Texas Children's Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine. He is known on twitter as @Doctor_V and is author of the blog 33Charts.com where he discusses medicine and social media topics. (also check out his interview above at this year's SXSH2010 and my video promo below)

Next week in San Francisco, the Digital Pharma West conference will take place at the Parc 55 Wyndham hotel. Bryan and I will be on a panel there, talking about physicians, social media, and marketing. The panel includes Jason Appel, Scott Ellis, and Dean Sawyer. Here are some of the questions (according to the copy of the pamphlet I have):

*Why are there so few physicians in the social space?
*Communicating directly with docs online: What is working and what isn't?
*How to walk the delicate line between providing physicians with educational information versus marketing messages
*How emerging technology is intergrated into the physician workflow and how can pharmaceutical marketers best participate


If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Dr. A Show 171 Wrap-up: Dr. Kim Yu



Thanks to Dr. Kim Yu for being my guest for Doctor Anonymous Show 171. She is a Family Physician in solo private practice in the Metro Detroit area. The first part of the interview talks about how she came to find Family Medicine as a specialty. We then talked about her life as a solo physician and her interest in areas like minority medicine topics. We concluded the interview with talking about social media topics.


I also encourage you to check out the video segments in this post including the opening moments to the show, Dr. Yu's comments about being a solo physician, and our discussion about medicine and social media.

You can listen to the entire audio podcast in the player below. You can also download the entire audio podcast and listen anytime by clicking here. If you enjoy the show, check out the Facebook page for the show and you can even download other shows over at the iTunes page. Check out other of my videos on my YouTube page.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Going To Summer Camp 2



I did a couple of more TV interview segments talking about what medical issues to think about before sending your child to summer camp. If you didn't already, I encourage you to check out the TV interview segment from earlier this week from a previous post. If you interested, I encourage you to check out other TV interviews at MikeSevilla.TV

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Dr. A Show 171 Tonight!




BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, June 17th, 2010 at 9pm ET

I hope you can join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 171 with guest Dr. Kim Yu who is a Family Physician in Michigan. Earlier this year, Dr. Kim was named one of "Metro Detroit's Best Doctors" by StyleLine Magazine. She is also in solo private practice - which I have no idea how she does that - and balances work and home life. She's also been involved with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

When it comes to social media, I got Dr. Kim to join twitter. If you follow her on twitter by clicking here, maybe we can get her to use twitter more - hehe. (also check out the video post above talking about show 171)

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Going to Summer Camp


After a long weekend on call, I had a great interview at the TV studio today. The topic for this segment is medical issues to think about before sending your child to summer camp. Over the past couple of weeks or so, at the office, we've been seeing a lot of kids needing physicals and paperwork getting ready for summer camp.

A year ago, H1N1 was more in the news and I remember some isolated outbreaks that closed some summer camps. So, I'm still recommending immunization. I get questions from parents about meningitis and MMR vaccines. If in the recommended age group, I definitely recommend these as well.

Probably one of the most important issues I talk with parents about is the management of chronic medical problems - like asthma. For example, what would happen of your child's asthma got worse during camp? Do you, your child, your doctor, and your camp have a plan if this happens? This is definitely something to talk about with your physician.

If you enjoy this segment, I encourage you to check out more of my TV interviews about health topics, by clicking here, or by heading over to MikeSevilla.TV. I also invite you to check out the Facebook page of my podcast where I interview the best people in medicine and social media on my podcast called The Doctor Anonymous Show.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Dr. A Show 170 Wrap-Up: Ray Saputelli



Thanks again to Ray Saputelli for being my guest on Doctor Anonymous Show 170 last night. Ray is the Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians. Their organization is going to be having their annual meeting next week in Atlantic City. Check out the "trailer" for their meeting that is on the meeting website.



Our discussion started out by why every American deserves a Family Physician (check out the video segment here). We talked about their upcoming meeting next week and along with how they utilize social media at the association organization level (check out the video segment here). The opening moments of the show can be caught on video here. I also pasted the video segments on this post.



As always, you can listen to Doctor Anonymous Show 170 on the audio player that can be found in the sidebar. Or, if you like, you can download the show and listen anytime, just by clicking here. I do want to apologize for the technical problems that occurred at the end of show 170 where the show abruptly ended for some reason. Not really sure what happened with that...

I also encourage you to check out past shows that you can download at DoctorAnonymous.Org. Don't forget to check out the Facebook page for the show and press the huge "LIKE" button at the top of the facebook fan page. Thanks for your continued support of the show!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Dr. A Show 170 Tonight


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, June 10th, 2010 at 9pm ET

I invite you to join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 170 with guest Ray Saputelli who is the Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians. The NJAFP has their Summer Celebration, annual meeting, and Scientific Assembly from June 18-20, 2010 in Atlantic City.

Topics tonight include how NJAFP utilizes social media to communicate with and among members - and also with the general public. We'll also discuss Family Medicine, advocacy, and whatever other topics come up. (also check out the video below where Ray is reporting from the 2009 NJAFP meeting)

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Dr. A Show 170 Preview


This week, The Doctor Anonymous Show 170 welcomes Ray Saputelli who is the Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians. The NJAFP will be having their annual meeting (which they call their Summer Celebration) and scientific assembly on June 18-20, 2010 in Atlantic City. (See the video promo above)

With respect to social media, NJAFP is utilizing a lot of it in promoting and communicating their annual meeting. In addition to their organization's website, they have a blogspot blog for their meeting, a website specifically devoted to the meeting itself, a twitter account, a you tube page, and a facebook page. So, on the show, we'll be discussing utilizing social media at the organizational level, Family Medicine, advocacy, and whatever else comes up.

I hope you can join us on Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time for Doctor Anonymous Show 170. Even if you cannot join us live, you can download the recorded podcast over on the show's iTunes page. Also, don't forget to check out the Facebook Fan page and hit the "Like" button while you're there. See you for the show!

Monday, June 07, 2010

Show 169 Wrap-up


Thanks to Kat for co-hosting with me on Saturday night's special 2 hour show. Also thanks to Dr. Geek for calling in and talking about his recent participation in Warrior Dash last month. Gerry was also a guest on Show Number 156 back in April. Following this, Kat and I discussed that Sunday, June 6, 2010 was National Cancer Survivors Day. Thanks also to Kimmie for calling in for the last part of the show. Good times for Show 169.

You can listen to Doctor Anonymous Show 169 in the player below. As always, if you like, you can download the audio podcast and listen anytime by clicking here. I also encourage you to download other Dr. A Shows over on the show's iTunes page. Also, don't forget to check out the Facebook Fan page for the show and hit the huge "Like" button. Thanks so much for your continued support for the show!

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Friday, June 04, 2010

Dr. A Show 168 Wrap-up: Dr. Deb Clements



Thanks again to Deb Clements, MD for being my guest on Doctor Anonymous Show 168. She is the Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center. I started the interview by asking her what makes her passionate about Family Medicine. We then discussed her love of medical education and a little about where she works in a university type setting and a little about the residency program.

We then discussed her visit through Haiti. This opportunity was made possible through the organization called Heart To Heart International. I'm familiar with this group and they do excellent work. If you're looking for a possible international health experience, I would definitely check out their website.

In the video above, Deb and I discuss what it was like being on the ground there. I know that you can really never know unless you're there. But, Deb did a great job of describing what it was like. In one part of the interview, she said that the location she was staying had internet access, but no hot water. Can you imagine that?

You can listen to the entire audio podcast of Doctor Anonymous Show 168 in the player below. Or, if you like, you can download the show and listen anytime by clicking here. I also encourage you to download other Dr. A Shows over on the show's iTunes page. Also, don't forget to check out the Facebook Fan page for the show and hit the huge "Like" button. (also check out the opening moments to the show in the video below) Thanks so much for your continued support for the show!



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Thursday, June 03, 2010

Dr. A Show 168 Tonight: Dr. Deb Clements


BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 9pm ET (1am UTC)

Join me tonight for Doctor Anonymous Show 168 with our guest Dr. Deb Clements who went to Haiti last month. Make sure you check out her video first hand account of how things went. In addition to talking about Haiti, we'll also talk about Family Medicine and social media topics.

Dr. Deb (pictured 2nd from the left above) is the Program Director for the Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center and member of the Board of Directors of the Kansas Academy of Family Physicians. (also check out the video promo for the show below)

If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Dr. A Show 168 Preview: Dr. Deb Clements



BlogTalkRadio Listen Live

This week, on Doctor Anonymous Show 168, I will be welcoming Family Physician Dr. Deb Clements who spent time in Haiti last month delivering health care to the people there. Check out her first person account in the video above. Dr. Clements is the Program Director at the Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

So, I hope you can join me on Thursday, June 3rd, 2010 at 9pm Eastern Time/8pm Central Time (1am UTC). If you are new to the show, I encourage you to catch us live. There is a great chat room that also goes on. You can even see my shining face on the webcam. In addition, you can call into the show to say hello. Can't catch us live? That's ok. You can listen anytime after the show as it is saved as a podcast so you can listen anytime!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Play/Chat" button. Then, of course, press the "Play/Chat" button.

Stop The Medicare Meltdown



People are probably sick of hearing about this, and I know that I am sick of talking to people about it. But, today, June 1st, 2010, is the next deadline where there is a 21% cut in Medicare payment to physicians. Last Friday, the House of Representatives voted to freeze the cuts.

However, the Senate was not able to take up the legislation. The Senate won't be back in session until June 7th. Just like they did in the past the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold claims for the first 10 days in June in anticipation that there will be a retroactive fix when the Senate returns to session.

Everyone agrees that this has been and will be a crazy process until a permanent fix is done by Congress. There is a petition that is being circulated urging Congress to make that permanent fix. You can add your name right now by clicking here to Stop The Medicare Meltdown. I also encourage you to check out the video above from a Columbus, Ohio news station with comments from our friends at the Ohio State Medical Association. Congress, stop the madness!