AHA LAUNCHES OPEN-ACCESS JOURNAL
The American Heart Association has launched the open-access Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease (JAHA). The journal is published online, at jaha.ahajournals.org/, and carries free, peer-reviewed research on heart disease and stroke. Online advertising, reprints, and sponsorships will be available through Blackwell-Wiley. “We envision JAHA as a forum for high-quality, original articles that cover the full range of cardiovascular science, including basic science, translational science, clinical trials, and epidemiological and outcomes research,” said Joseph A. Vita, M.D., JAHA editor-in-chief. Articles in the premier issue included, “Severity of stroke predicts death risk,” “Aspirin therapy pairs well with walking rehab in patients with blocked leg arteries,” and “More evidence-based treatments mean better heart failure survival.”
JTE MULTIMEDIA AND SHARECARE
JTE Multimedia (Berwyn, PA) and Sharecare.com (Atlanta, GA) have partnered to expand their collective reach and provide medical information to help physicians solve clinical problems and improve patient care. The agreement yokes Sharecare, created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz, and JTE Multimedia’s collection of medical journals, Postgraduate Medicine, Hospital Practice, and The Physician and Sportsmedicine. Each journal’s content will be immediately available as part of the network of health experts, care providers, organizations, and brands that contribute to Sharecare.com. Each journal issue contains original research, academic review articles, and editorials to assist practicing physicians in making decisions by including the latest techniques and treatment options for treating their patients.
RX FOR PSE FAILED TO CUT OREGON METH USE
A new Oregon study found that a seven-year-old law requiring prescriptions for sale of medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) has not made methamphetamine harder to get or reduced the number of people using it. Though methlab incidents in the state declined more than 90 percent between 2004 and 2010, most of this decline occurred before the prescription-only law went into effect in 2006. Moreover, during the same period, six neighboring states (including Washington and California) experienced similar meth-incident reductions—without imposing a prescription requirement. Oregon did see a 23% decline of methamphetamine admissions to substance abuse centers from 2006 to 2009, but this was essentially the same as in the rest of the United States. In the meantime, according to the Cascade Policy Institute, “legitimate users of pseudoephedrine in Oregon incur additional costs, [because the law] requires a doctor visit to get Sudafed and similar products that are available over-the-counter in 48 other states.” (See cascadepolicy.org.)
GENOMIC HEALTH FORMS GENETICS SUBSIDIARY
Genomic Health (Redwood City, CA) will establish a subsidiary designed to bring genomic information into clinical practice, helping to improve “the quality of diagnosis, communication, and support for millions of patients and their families faced with common and rare genetic conditions.” The subsidiary is expected to provide its first commercial service in 2013. (See www.genomichealth.com.)
eHEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS REVAMPS WEBSITE
eHealthcare Solutions (Ewing, NJ) has launched its newly redesigned website to better support all its key audiences. This Premium Advertising Network serving the pharmaceutical/healthcare vertical now boasts a site that offers a fresh look, improved navigation, and an enhanced user experience for its advertiser and publisher partners.
D&R ACQUIRES LATHIAN
D&R Communications (Shrewsbury, NJ) acquired e-promotion provider Lathian Systems (Lake Forest, CA), creating a new entity, D&R Lathian, to provide a full range of services for multichannel marketing. D&R Communications, founded in 1999, is a custom direct marketing agency. Lathian, originally MyDrugRep.com, is a pioneer in interactive e-details. The merged company will combine custom strategic mail, edetailing, and electronic push capabilities. Lathian’s Quang Pham will join D&R founders David Schoonmaker and Reide Rosen as a partner.
HEALTHY ADVICE NETWORKS BUYS PATIENTPOINT
Healthy Advice Networks (Cincinnati, OH), a specialist in patient and physician engagement programs at the point of care, announced its acquisition of PatientPoint. The union brings Healthy Advice Networks’ added abilities in care coordination services, electronic check-in compatible with existing electronic health records (EHRs) and practice management platforms, revenue cycle management to optimize reimbursement and billing, health outcomes support, and streamlined certification to support emerging care models like Patient-Centered Medical Homes and Accountable Care Organizations. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
ADFLOW HEALTH NETWORKS TEAMS WITH RITE AID
AdFlow Health Networks (AHN, Fort Washington, PA), technology specialists in digital messaging for consumer health engagement and marketing, will place biometric screening kiosks—Personal Health Centers—in all Rite Aid locations. According to AHN, an estimated 71 million consumers each year use analog blood pressure machines in retail pharmacies. Moving to interactive, digital kiosks will allow marketers to engage more directly with shoppers, the company said. (See www.adflowhealth.com.)
SODA DIGITAL MARKETING OUTLOOK
The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) has released the 2012 edition of The SoDA Report. The report includes results of the organization’s annual survey (reported in an attractive but curiously hard-to-quantify series of graphs), perspectives from industry insiders and marketers, case studies, and technology backgrounders. (See the report at www.slideshare.net/sodaspeaks/ the-soda-report-11690932.)
SOCIAL MARKETING APP
VerticalResponse (San Francisco, CA), a provider of self-service marketing solutions for small businesses, launched the iOS mobile application for its Roost by VerticalResponse social media marketing platform. The app—available free at the Apple iTunes Store—lets small businesses create, schedule, manage, and measure their social media marketing campaigns from a single dashboard. The package lets users post updates and photos to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts; tag posts by campaign name; get up-to-date overviews and schedules; and plug in to detailed analytics on individual posts. (See www.roost.com/app.)
