July 27, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
Academic institutions across the United States are placing physicians affiliated with those institutions under an “industry capitation.” What this essentially means is that there are limits to what such physicians can accept from biopharmaceutical companies for services rendered to those companies.
In other words, a physician working with an academic medical institution can only accept a specified amount of remuneration from a biopharmaceutical company for participating in company-sponsored activities, such as advisory boards, speaking engagements, consultative sessions, and travel reimbursement to scientific conferences. Therefore, when an internationally renowned thought leader reaches that maximum allowable limit, he can no longer provide any consultative services for the company.
What’s next? Deciding how many automobiles a thought leader can personally own? Limiting the number of secondary residences a physician can purchase? Deciding which companies they are permitted to work with?
To be sure, an academic institution wants to establish some ethical rules for their affiliated physicians and have some reasonable assurances that these physicians do not compromise their objectivity by exhibiting a conflict of interest, especially one that appears in the front page of a nationally recognized newspaper. But where do you draw the limits? Who decides what the right amount of remuneration is for services rendered for a known thought leader interacting with a biopharmaceutical company?
As long as ... read more »
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academic institutions academic medical centers advisory boards biopharmaceutical biotechnology captitation consultation key opinion leaders medical devices medical ethics pharmaceutical physicians scientific conferences speaking engagement thought leaders United States
July 23, 2010 ·
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Press Release Out Today from the Offices of Thought Leader Select
July 22, 2010 (CHAPEL HILL, NC)—Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina company dedicated to delivering sophisticated key opinion leader research solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry, announces new key opinion leader research for an established Mexican pharmaceutical company.
The pharmaceutical company, a long-time presence in the Mexican market, has contracted the firm for key opinion leader identification, profiling, and engagement strategies in support of a novel prescription medication for the relief of muscle and joint pain. Thought Leader Select will assess the skills and experiences of a host of rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons throughout Mexico. The pharmaceutical firm will engage the identified medical experts for one-on-one consultations, advisory boards, and speaking engagements, as well as potential clinical studies for new treatment indications for the drug.
In addition to profiles and activity plans for the leading Mexican physicians, Thought Leader Select will also deliver access to its exclusive web-based expert tool for optimizing physician teams for a variety of development activities.
“Our customized services, well-known throughout the United States and Canada, work for companies operating domestically in Mexico as well as multi-nationals doing business throughout Latin America,” stated Dr. Daniel Bagi, head of Latin American business development at Thought Leader Select, from his office in Mexico City. “The launch of this project establishes Thought Leader ... read more »
TAGS: advisory boards biopharmaceutical biotechnology Canada clinical studies Daniel Bagi Europe key opinion leader KOL consulting KOL engagement KOL identification KOL profiling KOL strategies Latin America medical conferences medical expert Mexico muscle and joint pain North Carolina orthopedic surgery pain relief pharmaceutical prescription medication Research Triangle rheumatology speakers bureaus thought leader Thought Leader Select treatment indications United States
July 20, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
There have been some recent announcements in the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease that will help patients determine the onset of early-stage disease. By combining imaging technology with some in vitro diagnostics that looks at specific biomarkers, physicians can provide some patients early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease. But there is still one important issue to deal with at this time. There is no really effective cure for this dreaded disease.
So the question is: when do you want to know? As medicine advances and newer and more effective diagnostics tools become readily available, the ability to detect diseases earlier can mean we have more time to treat such disorders. On the other hand, if there are no effective means of treating these diseases, do we really want to know? Proponents of earlier diagnosis state that knowing what is inevitable helps a person better prepare for such eventualities, such as getting one’s will in order, deciding to do many things that were put off for years, travel more to visit loved ones, etc. Whereas opponents state that knowing about an impending disease that cannot be treated or controlled only leads to heightened anxiety and depression. So what’s the right answer? Of course, it depends on the person.
If individuals are free to choose when to ... read more »
TAGS: Alzheimer's disease anxiety biomarkers depression early detection health care providers healthcare costs healthcare delivery system imaging technology in vitro diagnostics medical community medicine nursing home physicians thought leaders
July 16, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
We all know that the cost of providing healthcare has been steadily rising throughout the world over the last few decades. While there are many nations that have very little healthcare services, there are those with an over-abundance of such care delivery. People everywhere have begun to see healthcare as an entitlement, rather than a privilege. And why is this so?
After World War II, many governments quickly realized that a healthy workforce is a productive workforce, and as such, began to adopt various forms of subsidized healthcare to offer to their citizens. Most countries introduced a form of universal healthcare provided by a single payer, the government. These central governments for the most part decided what products and services they would offer to their people, based on what they could afford with their budgets. For some countries, this was very little, and only the privileged few, while other countries offered everyone some form of healthcare coverage. The United States was different. They rejected the notion of a government-organized healthcare system and opted for the privatization of healthcare. After all, the U.S. was founded as a free nation that broke the shackles of the British monarch. And besides, the medical profession did not want to be constrained by the tyranny of a controlling government ... read more »
TAGS: diagnostic tests disease prevalence health status healthcare healthcare costs healthcare delivery healthcare services infant mortality life expectancy malpractice insurance malpractice lawsuits managed care medical community physicians quality of life single-payer healthcare surgical equipment universal healthcare WHO World Health Organization
July 14, 2010 ·
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Brian Castle joined Thought Leader Select in January of 2010, as director of global marketing and client relations. Brian has 12 years of experience leading teams in business development, sales, marketing and customer services. He spent 11 years in the financial services industry, managing business units for several top banking institutions. Upon leaving the financial sector, Brian used his expertise in business development, communications and marketing to help business and non-profit clients develop and execute marketing, social media and branding strategies. In his new role at Thought Leader Select, Brian is helping the company expand its sales and marketing efforts and create a larger presence in the KOL identification and profiling marketplace.
The Thought Leader Select Blog sat down with Brian, the powerhouse behind Thought Leader Select’s social media strategy, to learn more about his role within the company, what drives him at work and the extracurricular passions that make him unique.
TLS Blog: Good morning, Brian. What made you sign on with Thought Leader Select?
Brian Castle: I spent most of my career working in the financial services industry. When the industry started experiencing its recent turmoil, I decided it was time to make a change. So I reached out to several business owners and started collaborating with them on a host of projects in marketing, business development, social media, and public ... read more »
TAGS: banking biotechnology business development communications customer services financial services health care hockey key opinion leaders KOL deployment KOL development KOL engagement KOL identification KOL mapping KOL profiling KOLs Kristen Smithwick Lisa Smith marketing medical device non profit objective research Paul Meade pharmaceutical pop culture public relations RBC rock star sales social media Thought Leader Select thought leaders wachovia wells fargo
July 8, 2010 ·
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In a recent study commissioned by a global pharmaceutical and medical device company, Thought Leader Select delivered an objective research assessment of the top 35 medical centers of excellence for the treatment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across the United States and Canada. For the assessment, Thought Leader Select analyzed information in several key areas, including basic and clinical research, publications, residency programs, and treatment guidelines involvement.
Within the scope of the overall assessment, the client company commissioned a more focused look at the top centers of excellence for research in the ADD/ADHD field. The top center’s profile included 11 ongoing clinical trials to evaluate the potential for new medicines to effectively treat ADD and ADHD. Previously, the center completed nine major studies evaluating the effectiveness of various treatment methods for the conditions, and the center had generated 18 clinical trial publications over a seven-year period.
In addition to the center’s array of landmark studies and clinical trial participation, the Thought Leader Select assessment also noted the center’s dominance in the area of publishing. For this category, the company used keywords relevant to the client’s focus within the therapeutic area to determine medical journal article relevancy. The center had generated a total of 94 publications in the treatment area of ADD/ADHD since 2001, with 67 of ... read more »
TAGS: ADD ADHD attention deficit disorder attention deficit hyperactivity disorder basic and clinical research biotechnology Canada centers of excellence clinical trials drug development medical centers medical devices medical journals pharmaceutical publications residency programs therapeutic area Thought Leader Select treatment guidelines United States
July 7, 2010 ·
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New press release out today from the offices of Thought Leader Select:
July 7, 2010 (CHAPEL HILL, NC)—Thought Leader Select, a North Carolina company dedicated to delivering sophisticated key opinion leader research solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry, announces record year-over-year growth for the first six months of 2010.
In the first six months of the year, Thought Leader Select has eclipsed revenues for the first half of 2009 by 75 percent. In addition to the year-over-year growth comparison for the first half of each year, the company has also topped the annual mark it achieved for all of fiscal year 2009. Based on annualized revenue figures, the company has already grown by 35 percent through June 30, with anticipated business expected to double year-over-year revenues by the conclusion of 2010.
The company attributes its growth to several factors, including stellar work by its business development team, continued repeat business from key clients, significant investments in its web-based technology used for assembling medical expert teams for a variety of pre-launch activities for pharmaceutical clients, as well as the hiring of new research managers to increase its capacity to deliver timely assessments of key opinion leaders across multiple therapeutic areas and disease states.
“While many companies in our sector are struggling to remain competitive, we are thankful that our company has continued to develop its relationships ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology health care providers key opinion leaders KOL engagement KOL identification KOL Incubator KOL profiling KOLs Kristen Smithwick Lynda Scott medical experts Neil Mellor Paul Meade pharmaceutical physicians Professional Impact Network mapping Rhonda Napier Thought Leader Select thought leaders
July 6, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
One word that optimally summarizes long-term care in the United States is fragmentation. Like a microcosm of the overall fragmented healthcare system in the U.S., long-term care suffers from similarly fragmented clinical care, living care, and financing. As the population ages and Baby Boomers retire and take on a host of chronic illnesses, the problems of long-term care need to be solved fairly quickly. And who better to fix the long-term care fragmentation than the “screenagers?” What’s a screenager? Read on.
While the Baby Boomers did not create a fragmented healthcare delivery system, they certainly contributed to its broader and deeper fragmentation. They are a generation that demands instant gratification, has high expectations, and suffers from an entitlement mentality. As children of the Depression generation, they were given everything their parents were denied growing up; thus, they began to expect more. Baby Boomers will not tolerate growing old and not having the best of everything–which, for this discussion, includes long-term care. While the Baby Boomers are too impatient to wait for the fragmentation of the long-term care system to integrate itself, they are certainly too busy to do it themselves.
So, who will come to their rescue? Appropriately, the saviors of the Baby Boomers are the generations that follow them– Generations X and Y–or, as ... read more »
TAGS: Baby Boomers chronic illness electronic medical records EMR fragmentation Generation X Generation Y healthcare healthcare delivery healthcare integration iPads iPods long-term care patients personal computers personal health records PHR physician-patient relationship physicians public health retirement screenagers smartphones technology US healthcare system
July 1, 2010 ·
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Industry Insights from Paul Meade, M. Sc, MPH
In this Age of Information, many people believe that having up-to-date information at their fingertips is beneficial to managing their businesses. This can’t be truer if you have to make up-to-date decisions several times a day. But sometimes having real-time updates is like putting high-octane gasoline in your car when all you really need is regular. Unless you need real-time information to make daily or even hourly decisions, one should ask, what value is there to having such instant information? Some companies offer real-time information on thought leader profiles. Why? Are decisions to engage in thought leader consultations really that time-critical? Does any pharmaceutical executive need instant updates on key opinion leaders to make critical decisions to the overall strategy of a product’s annual plan? Does anyone have that much flexibility in a product marketing plan to make significant changes on a daily basis?
To be sure, busy thought leaders are actively conducting research, publishing articles, and speaking at medical meetings. In fact, these are ongoing activities for many of the top thought leaders in any therapeutic area. But clinical studies are conducted over months and years, not hours or days. Scientific articles can take over a year to get published in leading journals once the research has been completed. Significant medical conferences are ... read more »
TAGS: biotechnology brand planning brand strategy clinical research clinical studies clinical trials key opinion leaders KOL activities KOL engagement KOL identification KOL profiling KOLs marketing planning medical conferences medical journals Paul Meade pharmaceutical product planning real-time information scientific articles Thought Leader Select thought leaders
