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Flake-Wilkerson Market Insights Merges With Market Strategies International
October 2, 2007—Market Strategies International (MSI), a leading full-service market research firm, announced that it has merged with Flake-Wilkerson Market Insights (F-W), a full service market research firm specializing in large scale customer satisfaction and loyalty assessments.
Flake-Wilkerson will become the Communications Industry Group within Market Strategies International, complementing existing industry groups focused on Energy, Financial Services, Global Life Sciences, Healthcare and Technology. The principal partners of F-W, Karen Flake and George Wilkerson, will join the Executive Committee of MSI. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“In the evolving research industry, this merger combines the strengths and resources of two firms which are truly dedicated to solving clients’ needs,” comments Karen Flake. “The F-W team is excited to combine our thought leadership with MSI colleagues whom we have admired over the years. Together, we will bring our clients a wider range of products and solutions along with our ability to respond quickly to requests.”
The merger with Flake-Wilkerson follows the July merger of technology specialist firm, Doxus with Market Strategies International and brings the combined companies 2007 revenues forecast to approximately $90M.
“This merger represents another important step in our progress toward offering our clients the best market research and consulting services in the industry” notes Dr. Andrew J. Morrison, CEO of Market Strategies International. “Flake-Wilkerson has established itself with key telecommunications clients as the premier provider of dedicated Integrated Research Centers which provide a wide range of tracking and custom research services to those clients. We believe that the Integrated Research Center platform and services can be of benefit to clients in our other industry groups. Coupled with Market Strategies’ advanced analytical capabilities and products, we can deliver a complete market research solution to all of our clients.”
Flake-Wilkerson has been headquartered in Little Rock, AR, with offices in Albany, NY, Nashville, TN, Denver, CO, Los Angeles, CA, Stamford, CT, and Atlanta, GA. MSI will continue to operate in all locations.
Market Strategies International was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Livonia, MI, with regional offices in Portland, OR, New Providence, NJ, Alexandria, VA and Atlanta, GA.
Market Strategies International offers market research solutions and strategic consulting to help clients successfully address their business challenges, with emphasis on customer satisfaction measurement, market opportunity assessment, communications assessment, issue and policy strategy, e-commerce assessment and brand development and management.
Market Strategies International is supported by a significant financial investment from Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS), a leading private equity firm which focuses on the media, marketing, information and education industries. VSS Managing Director Chris Russell said “We are very pleased to be funding the growth of MSI. With these two transactions, MSI is moving towards our shared goal of becoming one of the top market research firms in the world”. Veronis Suhler Stevenson (www.vss.com) is a private equity firm that invests buyout and structured capital funds in the media, communications, information and education industries in North America and Europe. VSS provides capital for buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings and strategic acquisitions to companies and management teams with a goal to build companies both organically and through a focused add-on acquisition program. To date, VSS equity and structured capital funds have invested in over 54 platform companies, which have in turn completed over 230 add-on acquisitions resulting in a portfolio with realized and unrealized enterprise values in excess of $12 billion.
For more information about Market Strategies International, please contact Andrew Morrison at 734.542.7670 or andrew.morrison@marketstrategies.com.
For more information about Veronis Suhler Stevenson, please contact Alex Stanton at 212.780.1900 or alex@creshaw.com.
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Market Strategies International’s Latest Medicare Part D Tracking Study Indicates Beneficiaries Facing Extensive Barriers to Maintaining Rx Regimens
Beneficiaries Either In Or Anticipating the Coverage Gap Are Adopting Tactics To Delay Or Minimize Gap’s Impact - Some May Adversely Affect Their Health
July 26, 2007—Market Strategies International (MSI), a full-service custom and syndicated research and strategic consulting firm, announced key findings from its latest tracking study of Medicare beneficiaries. MSI’s study, which focused only on those beneficiaries who already hit the coverage gap or anticipate reaching the gap this year, found that those who have reached the gap reported spending much more on out-of-pocket costs than what those who anticipate hitting the gap expect to spend. Beneficiaries who anticipate hitting the gap underestimate the impact it will have on their out-of-pocket costs. Actual prescription costs are roughly 1.5 times higher among those who have reached the coverage gap compared to estimates among those who expect to reach the gap.
As a result, it's not surprising that beneficiaries have modified their regimens when hitting the gap. “Unfortunately,” stated Jack Fyock, Ph.D., Head of MSI’s Medicare Strategy Division, “a substantial number of these modifications include behaviors that may put their health at risk. Noncompliant behaviors could lead to more adverse events for those skipping doses or not filling prescriptions.” “Additionally,” noted Fyock, “these health risk behaviors could dramatically impact the overall healthcare cost to Medicare.”
The good news is that Part D is clearly filling one of the intended objectives of providing most beneficiaries with the opportunity to meet their prescription needs. One in seven beneficiaries, regardless of whether or not they have reached the coverage gap, is filling more prescriptions under Medicare Part D. Beneficiaries taking more than five medications are more likely to report filling a greater number of prescriptions now than prior to enrollment in a Part D plan and, not surprisingly, believe they are spending a lot more now than prior to Medicare Part D. Most beneficiaries are not encountering any problems in getting their prescriptions filled, and those who do, are still able to get their prescriptions filled.
Overall, beneficiaries were moderately satisfied with their current prescription drug plans. Beneficiaries’ satisfaction scores on all five measures are similar to those of beneficiaries who had encountered the gap in MSI’s 2006 study. Those who anticipate reaching the gap in 2007 have similar satisfaction scores to those who reached the gap in 2006. “Not surprisingly, said Fyock, “those in better health, with higher incomes, and taking fewer medications have higher levels of satisfaction. Higher satisfaction among Medicare Advantage PD beneficiaries may reflect the ‘one-stop’ nature of their Medicare coverage.”
For those beneficiaries who hit the coverage gap in 2006, twenty percent of them actually switched plans for 2007, while over fifty percent considered switching. Most of those who switched plans did so because of their prior plan’s high cost or its formulary coverage. “Roughly ten percent of all beneficiaries consider other healthcare coverage each year,” according to Ellen Gordon, Ph.D. and Research Director for this study, “therefore, the fifty percent figure may reflect more unease, greater uncertainty or increased dissatisfaction with their Part D plans.” Gordon noted, “ Those enrolled in stand-alone PDPs, who took more prescriptions, or had higher levels of education were more likely to compare companies and, not surprisingly, these groups were more likely to indicate that they had switched plans in 2007.”
This study is MSI’s seventh wave of research, with over 9,000 total Medicare beneficiaries. For additional information on this study, please contact Peter Carlin at 908.739.4501 or peter_carlin@marketstrategies.com
MSI’s study featured 750 interviews conducted with individuals age 65 and older, recruited from an e-panel. To qualify for the survey, all beneficiaries had to be enrolled in a PDP or MA-PD plan. In addition, beneficiaries were screened to ensure they either experienced the coverage gap in 2006 or 2007 or anticipate experiencing the coverage gap in 2007. The survey was fielded from May 30 to June 7, 2007. Generally, a 95% confidence interval can be obtained by adding or subtracting 3.2% from a proportion based upon the full sample.
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Market Strategies International’s New ASCO 2007 Image Study Ranks Genentech (US) and Roche (International) As Highest Overall Performers
US Oncologists Rank Genentech, Pfizer, Amgen, Sanofi-Aventis And GSK as Top Five, While International Oncologists Rank Roche, Pfizer, Novartis, AstraZeneca and Sanofi-Aventis as Top five
July 25, 2007—Market Strategies International (MSI), a full-service custom and syndicated research and strategic consulting firm, announced key findings from its new study, MSImageSM: ASCO 2007. The study revealed that Genentech and Roche were rated as the top performers at ASCO 2007 by practicing US and international Oncologists, respectively. Pfizer finished second, while Amgen and Sanofi-Aventis made the top five in both the US and international rankings as well. Novartis Oncology finished sixth in the US, but third internationally, while Bayer HeathCare broke into the top ten for the first time, finishing eighth in the US and sixth internationally.
Oncologists were asked to rate companies on a number of overall “top-of-mind” conference metrics, as well as performance measures, focused solely on their exhibit booths. Genentech dominated the US rankings by having the most visited commercial booth, ranking number one on five of the 11 booth measures and by being identified as the company that did the best job of meeting physicians’ needs for information on its current and pipeline products. “Although Genentech did not dominate the ‘new’ news this year at ASCO 2007,” noted Peter Carlin of MSI’s Global Life Sciences Division, “it remains the most dominant oncology company.
” Roche also benefitted from Genentech’s dominance by ranking first in overall performance by international Oncologists, a clear signal that physicians recognized Roche’s relationship with Genentech. “Both companies outstanding performance at ASCO 2007, however,” said Carlin, “should not overshadow those companies that appear to be moving up the oncology image rankings. Pfizer and Bayer, for example, capitalized on their renal cell carcinoma focus while Amgen and Sanofi-Aventis remained strong top five companies.” Novartis Oncology showcased its strong pipeline while GlaxoSmithKline built upon the success of Tykerb from 2006.
Pfizer’s jump from sixth in 2006 to second in the US and international rankings was probably due to its efforts at positioning Sutent as a multi-targeted agent, as well as its growing oncology portfolio. “Pfizer is starting to show traction in oncology,” according to Carlin, “and once it fully understands that the oncology marketplace is driven by different key drivers than its mass market sectors, it will begin to more aggressively challenge the top companies.
” Among international Oncologists, Roche ranked in the top five on almost all booth measures while also finishing first on overall performance. International physicians also spent the most time at Roche’s booth and rated it first for best overall information on current and pipeline products. While at company booths, however, international Oncologists rated Novartis as having the highest quality of information on current products and Eli Lilly for having the most courteous sales reps.
Both US and international oncologists identified Nexavar as the product for which their impressions improved the most during ASCO 2007, likely generated by the new survival data presented at this meeting. Based on the number of renal cell carcinoma studies presented at ASCO, a significant number of Oncologists expect a major change in the current standard of care for kidney cancer.
“The next few years will be exciting ones for oncology companies, physicians and patients as manufacturers try to deliver on their pipelines,” commented Carlin. “ASCO is the most important oncology venue for publicizing new data and the competition will intensify among the top companies. BioOncology companies like Genentech, Amgen, Celgene and Millennium will face strong challenges from big Pharma’s deep pockets and ASCO will be the central battleground for these battles.”
The syndicated study features 100 web based interviews conducted with US Oncologists and 100 web based interviews conducted with international Oncologists attending the American Society of Clinical Oncologists Convention. Interviewing was conducted one week after ASCO 2007.
To learn more about MSImageSM: ASCO 2007 and to obtain a copy of the report, please contact Peter Carlin at 908.739.4501 or peter_carlin@marketstrategies.com
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Doxus Merges with Market Strategies International
Partnership to Grow Leading Market Research Firm with New Products and Services
July 13, 2007—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI), a leading full-service custom and syndicated market research firm, announced that it has merged with Doxus, a custom research firm specializing in the technology sector. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Additionally, MSI formally announced its name change to Market Strategies International to reflect its expanded reach.
Doxus will become the Technology Industry Group within MSI, complementing existing industry groups focused on Energy, Financial Services, Global Life Sciences, Healthcare and Government, Foundations and Academic Institutions. The principal partners of Doxus, Robert Stone and Theo Downes-Le Guin, will remain in their current roles within the Technology Industry Group and will join the Executive Committee of MSI.
Dr. Andrew Morrison, MSI Chairman and CEO, believes the Doxus partnership will significantly augment MSI’s current senior staff and client services. “The Doxus team represents highly skilled and experienced market researchers who know the technology industry intimately. We are excited to add another strong sector to our existing industry groups.”
Headquartered in Livonia, MI, with regional offices in Portland, OR, New Providence, NJ and Alexandria, VA, Market Strategies was founded in 1989. Prior to the merger, Market Strategies was ranked the 24th largest market research firm worldwide according to the 2006 Honomichl Top Global 25. Market Strategies offers market research solutions and strategic consulting to help clients successfully address their business challenges, with emphasis on customer satisfaction measurement, market opportunity assessment, communications assessment, issue and policy strategy, e-commerce assessment and brand development and management.
For more information please contact Andrew Morrison at 734.542.7670, andrew_morrison@marketstrategies.com.
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Market Strategies’ New Energy/Environment Performance Index Is Call to Action for Energy Industry
July 10, 2007—Market Strategies International (MSI), a leading full-service custom research and strategic consulting firm, announced findings from a new study focused on public perceptions of the energy industry and its ability to balance energy supply and environmental responsibilities.
The MSI study, conducted amongst more than 1,000 consumers in the United States, found that the public is intensely interested, but not particularly well-informed, about the current energy situation in the U.S. and the solutions needed to address energy needs in the future. The critical implication for energy companies is that they face a challenging road ahead concerning public and legislative battles to advance their goals.
“Meeting the significant challenges that lie ahead where energy demand and environmental concerns intersect will require mutual understanding and a shared set of assumptions between the public and the energy industry,” says Jack Lloyd, Vice President of MSI’s Energy Team and lead author of the study. “Right now, however, there are significant gaps between what the public believes about energy and the environment, and the reality of the situation. Industry and consumers currently are not speaking the same language,” notes Lloyd.
One of the primary objectives of the MSI study was the development of an Energy/Environment (E2) Index, similar to the Consumer Confidence Index, to measure and track public perceptions of the industry’s performance in balancing its economic and environmental roles. While 100 would represent a “perfect score” on the index, the energy industry is currently rated at 44 overall.
“There’s certainly room for improvement in public perceptions,” states Lloyd. “In many respects,” adds Andrew Cober, MSI’s Research Director for the study, "the energy industry is a victim of its own success. Electric utilities, coal companies and oil and natural gas suppliers have reliably delivered energy to consumers for decades, so the public has not really been educated on how the industry meets growing demand while working to protect the environment.” “Now, among other issues,” notes Cober, “we face tough choices with respect to access to natural resources, rising energy costs, needed infrastructure upgrades, a renewed focus on environmentalism and concerns over climate change. The days of letting energy take care of itself seem to be over.”
The survey findings indicate that 33% of the public is “very interested” in environmental issues, but only 15% feel “very informed.” “This isn’t solely an issue for traditional energy suppliers,” says Lloyd. “Currently, the public overestimates the amount of electricity being generated from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, by 400%. That puts an unrealistically high expectation on these resources to solve the challenge of growing demand. Conversely, consumers underestimate the amount of electricity generated from coal by about 50%, and their perception is that coal use will be decreasing in the coming decades, while the Department of Energy (DOE) projects it to increase for the next 30 years” notes Lloyd.
Additionally, the public gives the energy industry no credit for improving environmental performance over time. MSI’s survey shows that on average, the public sees the electric power, coal and oil and natural gas industries as performing about the same as they were a decade ago with respect to the environment. States Cober, “Directional drilling, reformulated gasoline, major reductions in particulate emissions in electricity generation, along with other important achievements in balancing energy production and usage with environmental responsibility, are going largely unrecognized by the energy-using public.”
Additionally, notes Lloyd, “According to the DOE, electric utilities account for almost three-fourths of all voluntary actions taken so far to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the US, but the public is completely unaware of this effort.”
For more information on this study, please contact Jack Lloyd at 734.779.6841 or jack_lloyd @marketstrategies.com.
A total of 1,012 interviews were completed between May 15th and 19th, 2007 with consumers across the nation. Survey respondents were recruited using one of the nation’s leading online internet panels. Participants reflect key characteristics of the U.S. population and data have been weighted by census region, gender, race/ethnicity and age to bring sample characteristics into alignment with the overall population. Nevertheless, online panel respondents are self-selected and do not constitute a truly random probability sample.
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Market Strategies, Inc. Publishes Innovative Benchmarking Study of IVR/ASR Menus and Systems for Energy Utilities
June 19, 2007—Market Strategies International (MSI) announced the publication of an innovative, comparative benchmarking study on Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and Automated Speech Recognition (ASR) menus and systems for energy utilities. The study provides benchmark rankings and ratings for 56 energy utilities’ IVR and ASR menus and systems (gas, electric, combination) which are measured on functionality, usability and aesthetics. Also, for the first time, these ratings will be compared to MSI’s recently completed IVR benchmarking for banks, credit cards and auto finance companies.
“The uniqueness of this study is that it benchmarks utilities on how well they achieve a balance between having internally-focused functional efficiency and customer-focused user attributes,” says Mark Camack, Market Strategies’ Vice President and IVR-ASR Practice Lead. “The large majority of individual attributes rated in this study are based upon objective criteria established by MSI’s system evaluators, who are veterans of call centers and utilities, and as market researchers who have interacted with thousands of callers to multiple industries on this topic.” He added, “A continued area of focus is speech recognition, which is a topic of great interest to energy utilities, and one fraught with implementation and usability design flaws. An energy company is not a bank when it comes to the need to serve…public safety is paramount, and speech recognition systems must always work.”
The study includes “best-in-class” system attributes and recommendations for system enhancements in areas such as Welcome Greetings, Language and Business/Residential Splits, Account Identification, Menu Structure and System Navigation, as well as solutions for reducing average call time and system bypass. The 2007 study will also discuss “call shedding” to the Internet – that is, prompting callers to self-service options on the Web – and first call resolution or “call containment” best practices, along with privacy trends. Companies not included in the original 56 benchmarked companies can be added by simply buying the report, as the evaluation process can be replicated.
The report is offered for $1,995. Subscription of the study will include several additional features. Purchasing companies will receive a free, proprietary teleconference and analysis tailored to that company’s IVR/ASR menu structure with MSI’s expert system evaluators.
For more information, including a list of included companies in the benchmarking study, please visit the Recent Studies page or contact Mark Camack at mark_camack@marketstrategies.com or call 503.416.8507.
This expert study was conducted and written by MSI’s four senior IVR-ASR system evaluators and usability specialists. Evaluations were conducted on 56 energy utility phone systems from January through March, 2007. All systems were called and transcribed. MSI uses a proprietary rating system with equivalent maximum scores for functionality, usability and aesthetics for all companies, regardless of utility type, which makes all ratings directly comparative. Results are qualitative, as they represent the expert opinions of MSI’s trained IVR-ASR evaluation specialists. Objective evaluation criteria were used with the exception of aesthetics, which contributed a maximum of 50 points to a total maximum of 250 points (100 points maximum each for functionality and usability).
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DEFG-MSI 2007 Annual Survey Results: Alternative Energy Sector Poised for Growth and Rated as a Buy
May 30, 2007—The Distributed Energy Financial Group LLC (DEFG) a specialized consulting and financial services firm focused on the energy technology sector, and Market Strategies Inc. (MSI), the leading energy sector market research firm, released the results today of the Third Annual Alternative Energy Market Survey. The DEFG-MSI survey has become an important benchmark for the sector, with over 450 industry leaders responding to an on-line survey in March and April 2007.
“The alternative energy sector is definitely shifting into a higher gear,” stated Jamie Wimberly, CEO of DEFG LLC. “For sustained success, though, the survey pointed to the need for scale and a more intensive focus on marketing. Government policies will remain a driver as well.”
Key findings from the 2007 survey include:
- Respondents are strongly bullish about industry growth prospects with 83 percent of respondents predicting revenue growth in 2007
- As an investment, more than half call the alternative energy sector a “buy”
- Key success factors going forward are industry standards and reduced production costs – both scale issues.
- Renewable technologies, demand management and energy efficiency are now driving industry growth
- Wind turbines, photovoltaics, alternative fuels, and demand management have strong growth potential this year and through 2012
- Opportunities for growth appear to be increasing in the government and residential segments, slowing in large Commercial and Industrial
- Respondents believe the key issues facing alternative energy executives are consumer cost-effectiveness/value proposition and consumer education
- Advanced metering and high-efficiency equipment are seen to provide customers the most value when used with utility-sponsored demand response programs
- In 2007 “tax credits” is seen as the most important government policy
“With regard to the customer value proposition, the respondents this year focused on the need for providing a short payback,” stated Jack Lloyd, Vice President of MSI. “This should be easier with growing awareness of and concern over higher energy prices. For residential customers, vendors need to make their offering simple and easy to use, according to the survey respondents.”
A copy of the entire survey report is available to the media at no charge by contacting Jamie Wimberly at jwimberly@defgllc.com. For interested others, a summary is available on the DEFG website: www.defgllc.com.
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Market Strategies’ Latest Study Indicates 23% of Consumers Believe They May Have Been a Victim of Credit Card Fraud
“Pay-At-The-Table” Shows Remarkably High Level of Interest as Payment Alternative
May 1, 2007—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI) announced key findings from its 2007 MSInsight®: Financial Services study of nearly 1,000 consumers concerning key issues impacting the financial services industry. Among many of the key findings uncovered by this comprehensive study, MSI found that 23% of consumers believe they may have been a victim of credit card fraud. Furthermore, consumers feel that traditional payment systems, such as credit and debit cards, are not adequately addressing their concerns.
Additionally, MSI’s study revealed that alternative payment systems, such as “Pay-At-The-Table,” have a remarkably high level of interest amongst consumers with an overwhelming majority of 85% indicating their likelihood to use this option at restaurants.
“Initially,” noted Mark Willard, Sr. Vice President and head of MSI’s Financial Services division, “we were surprised that the number was this high. However, we believe that this finding signals a strong and real shift in consumer sentiment about how financial services companies must find new and effective means to address their customers’ security concerns.” Willard added, “Consumers are telling us in no uncertain terms that security concerns are deep seated and peace of mind is so critical to them that they will forego traditional payment systems in exchange for the added security offered through such options as Pay-At-The-Table.”
While Pay-At-The-Table systems were originally designed to enhance the speed of customer transactions, MSI’s study reveals that consumers now recognize its usability in delivering an emotional benefit of added security. “As is often the case with new products,” commented Willard, “there is now an opportunity to fully leverage Pay-At-The-Table systems since its intended end use of speed has been expanded to provide much sought after security.”
This study is MSI’s first wave of financial services research. Upcoming research will focus on Customer Experience Measurement and Customer Feedback Systems in place in the financial services industry.
For additional information on the 2007 MSInsight®: Financial Services study, please contact Mark Willard at 734.542.7644 or mark_willard@marketstrategies.com.
MSI’s study featured 999 online surveys conducted with individuals age 18 and older between December 28 and 29, 2006. All respondents were the primary or joint financial decision-maker and currently have a checking or savings account. The data was weighted on selected measures to match the overall demographics at the aggregate level. Significance testing was done throughout the study at the 5% significance level. Generally, a 95% confidence interval can be obtained by adding or subtracting 3.1 points from a proportion based upon the full sample.
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Market Strategies’ 2007 MSImageSM Study Announces Genentech Once Again As Best Performing Company With Oncologists
Genentech also leads with oncology practice managers while Novartis and Amgen in virtual tie for first with oncology nurses
April 23, 2007— Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI), a full-service custom and syndicated, global research and strategic consulting firm, announced key findings from its latest study, 2007 MSImageSM: Oncology Stakeholders. MSI’s annual study reveals that Genentech displays the highest “image” with Medical and Hematological Oncologists, repeating its performance from 2006. Genentech also places first with oncology practice managers, but fourth with oncology nurses. The latter two groups were studied for the first time in 2007. Novartis leads with nurses, with Amgen a very close second and AstraZeneca third. These four companies, along with Sanofi-Aventis, complete the top-five for all groups, except nurses who place Roche fifth.
Among Oncologists, Celgene was another big winner as it moved up three places to sixth overall, while companies like Bayer and Genzyme jumped several places, although still fell outside the top ten companies overall.
All three oncology audiences were asked to rate the importance of a wide array of product, sales, marketing and corporate performance measures, and then rank how 23 different companies fared in their performance within these important activities. Market Strategies then applied its proprietary, advanced analytical capabilities to derive which performance measures were most important to oncology stakeholders in formulating their perceptions about each company.
Peter Carlin of MSI’s Global Life Sciences Division, stressed that “image leadership helps companies better understand several key issues; how they performed on those measures of greatest importance to their customers, informs companies what their customers think of them and their competitors and, most important, where companies should place their resources in order to enhance customer satisfaction and overall image equity among their customers.” “It is our point of view,” said Carlin, “that leading image companies also may realize benefits in terms of customer loyalty, purchase intentions, willingness to collaborate with a company, as well as a wide array of other potential benefits. Image leadership is all about customer excellence.”
Oncology nurses value information and responsiveness as well, however, education, conferences, and other events specifically targeted to them have a significant impact on a company’s image. Additionally, nurses desire representatives who “value their time.” For practice managers, who handle the financial aspects of the oncology practices (reimbursement to physician, source of patient payment, billings, etc.), several specific attributes revolving around support of their efforts, such as “clearly communicating company support services,” are highly valued. Additionally, seeing “reimbursement specialists” that are responsive and understand practice and patient access to medications are considered “entry ticket” items for practice managers; that is, these are “must haves” for any company to be viewed positively.
For further information on Market Strategies’ 2007 MSImage: Oncology Stakeholder study, please contact Larry Levin at 610.277.3932 or larry_levin@marketstrategies.com.
Market Strategies will be evaluating company performance with Hematologists in May, 2007.
This syndicated study features 365 interviews conducted via Internet with Medical and Hematological Oncologists, 100 with oncology nurses and 60 with oncology practice managers between February 13 and 28, 2007.
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Nearly 50% of Retail Clinic Patients Needing a Referral for Follow-up Care are Being Referred to a Specific Practice or Physician by Name
Additional Findings From Largest National Study Ever Conducted Among Current AND Potential Users of Retail Clinics Indicates Possible Restructure of Traditional Patient Care Delivery System
April 19, 2007—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI) announced additional key findings from its 2007 MSInsight: Retail Clinic Revolution study of 600 retail clinic users and 900 potential users. One of the most surprising findings uncovered by the MSI study is that strong referral networks are now forming between retail clinics and traditional healthcare systems operating around them.
“This finding suggests that retail clinics have found value in being able to refer their challenging patients to local healthcare providers and are actively involved in doing so,” stated John Thomas, MSI Vice President and head of its Healthcare Delivery Systems Division. Oftentimes, these referrals are directly to a specific specialist. Added Thomas, “Our findings indicate that retail clinics and local healthcare providers - in many cases, specialists - are working closely together to ensure that the patient receives the best and most complete care available. This can be a true win-win relationship for both retail clinics and specialists.” Noted Thomas, “Through these relationships, retail clinics are proving to their patients that they are focused on ensuring they receive the best all-around care and local providers now have access to a volume of patients that they might not have had without the retail clinic in place.”
Additionally, MSI’s study reveals that affiliation with local hospitals, physicians, specialists or physician groups is seen as a very positive attribute for retail clinics. “In fact, our study found that nearly eight in ten consumers would be at least somewhat more likely to use a retail clinic that was affiliated with a hospital or health system,” added Thomas. “What this tells me is that consumers enjoy the convenience and flexibility offered by the retail clinic, however, they are also seeking the comfort in knowing that their retail clinic is somehow connected to the traditional healthcare system. This is important for both retail clinics as well as hospitals to know,” stated Thomas. What remains to be seen is what impact retail clinics will eventually have on the issue of over-crowded emergency rooms, a key challenge facing many healthcare providers today. “We believe that one of the true barometers of retail clinics impact on the traditional healthcare system in this country will be a real reduction in non-emergency ER visits that can be attributed to the existence of retail clinics in the area,” said Thomas.
MSI’s comprehensive research findings suggest that a consumer-driven transformation of healthcare is underway and that retail-based clinics are here to stay.
This study is MSI’s first wave of retail clinic research. Upcoming monographs will focus specifically on additional retail clinic stakeholders, such as; physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, hospitals and medical group practices.
For additional information on the 2007 MSInsight: Retail Clinic Revolution study, please contact John E. Thomas at 734.542.797 or john_thomas@marketstrategies.com
MSI’s study featured 1,500 online surveys conducted with individuals age 21 and older between February 7 and February 19. Of the 1,500 completed surveys, 900 were conducted among consumers who have not yet utilized a retail clinic and 600 were conducted among consumers who have recently utilized a retail clinic. Data collection was stratified across ten major US cities where retail clinics have opened recently. The data was weighted to match the overall demographics in each market, as well as the proportion of users to non-users identified in the screening process. Significance testing was done throughout the study at the 5% significance level.
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One in Ten Retail Clinic Users Replacing Their Primary Care Physician With Retail Clinic for Treatment of Common Ailments
Largest national study ever conducted among current AND potential users of retail clinics discovers substantial interest in retail clinics to receive basic care, as well as more complex care treatment; significant implications for physicians, hospitals, insurers, pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies
April 2, 2007—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI) announced key findings from its 2007 MSI Retail Clinics Revolution study of 600 retail clinic users and 900 potential users. As the presence of retail clinics continues to grow exponentially (WSJ, 7/26/06) MSI’s comprehensive, in-depth study of users and potential users has become critical. Among many of the myth-shattering findings uncovered by this largest ever study of its kind, MSI found that 12% of retail clinic patients with a primary care physician agree with the statement “retail clinics have mostly or completely replaced my primary care physician for the type of treatments offered at retail clinics.”
“Actually,” noted John E. Thomas, MSI Vice President and head of its Healthcare Delivery Systems Division, “we were surprised that the number was this high. However, we believe that this finding signals a strong and real shift in consumer sentiment about the patient-physician relationship.” Thomas added, “Consumers are telling us in no uncertain terms that convenience is so critical to them that they will forego traditional primary care providers in exchange for access to the kind of quick and convenient basic care services offered by retail clinics.”
Additionally, the MSI study reveals that consumers who have used retail clinics are open to treatment for a wider range of “non-cold” type medical treatments, such as; migraines, high cholesterol and hypertension. Furthermore, 30% of all consumers believe that retail clinics should compete with primary care physicians by offering a broader variety of more complex care and diagnostic services.
“Although the current business model of most retail clinics is to stay focused on common ailments that can be easily treated by a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant, consumers are telling us that they would accept and most likely utilize store-based clinics for a wider variety of medical treatments than what is currently available,” stated Thomas. “This finding clearly has significant implications for not only the retail clinic operators and their host facilities, but also for physicians, medical groups, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. All signs still point toward continued growth of this new consumer-driven healthcare offering,” said Thomas.
MSI’s comprehensive research findings suggest that a consumer-driven transformation of healthcare is underway and that retail-based clinics are here to stay.
This study is MSI’s first wave of retail clinic research. Upcoming monographs will focus more specifically on additional retail clinic stakeholders, such as; physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, hospitals and medical group practices.
For additional information on the 2007 MSI Retail Clinics Revolution study, please contact John E. Thomas at 734.542.797 or john_thomas@marketstrategies.com
MSI’s study featured 1,500 online surveys conducted with individuals age 21 and older between February 7 and February 19. Of the 1,500 completed surveys, 900 were conducted among consumers who have not yet utilized a retail clinic and 600 were conducted among consumers who have recently utilized a retail clinic. Data collection was stratified across ten major US cities where retail clinics have opened recently. The data was weighted to match the overall demographics in each market, as well as the proportion of users to non-users identified in the screening process. Significance testing was done throughout the study at the 5% significance level. Generally, a 95% confidence interval can be obtained by adding or subtracting 2.5% from a proportion based upon the full sample.
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Market Strategies, Inc. Announces Top Quartile From 3rd Annual Energy Utility IVR/ASR Benchmarking Report
March 13, 2007— On Tuesday, March 13th, at the EUCI Energy Utility Call Center Conference on First Call Resolution in Las Vegas, Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI) announced the Top Quartile results for our third annual Energy Utility IVR-ASR Benchmarking Report (see alphabetical list below). Full details and results will be released at a webinar in April, date and time to be announced. The report is scheduled to be released on May 1. The report will be priced at the same level as 2006: $1,995 for any order received before the publication date; $2,495 on or after May 1. Payment is only requested after receipt.
For more details, feel free to contact Mark Camack, Vice President of Energy Research & Consulting and head of MSI's Usability practice. He can be reached at: mark_camack@marketstrategies.com, or (503) 416-8507.
Alphabetical List of MSI's 2007 Top Quartile:
Citizens Gas
Cleco
Connecticut Power & Light
Consumers Energy
Duquesne Light
FPL
Knoxville Utility Board (KUB)
Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC)
LG&E (Louisville Gas & Electric)
MidAmerican Energy
Northwest Natural (Gas)
Pacific Power (PacifiCorp)
Portland General Electric (PGE)
Southern California Edison
Southern California Gas Company ("The Gas Company")
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ASH Attendees Indicate “Changes in Current Standard of Therapy” for Multiple Myeloma and Myelodysplasia Driven by Information on Celgene’s Revlimid and Millennium’s Velcade
Genentech The Clear Winner in Overall Booth Attributes While Amgen, Novartis, Celgene, Ortho-Biotech and Millennium Also Had Some Impressive Results
February 14, 2007—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI), an international, full-service custom and syndicated research and strategic consulting firm, recently announced findings from MSConvention: ASH 2006, its annual analysis of physicians’ perceptions and attitudes at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Convention. The research was conducted by MSI’s Global Life Sciences division and based on responses from 103 Hematologists and Hematological Oncologists who attended ASH.
The major therapeutic “news” this year concerned the advances and treatments for Multiple Myeloma, new product developments and data on Myelodysplasia/MDS, Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Lymphoma. One third of the physicians who attended indicated that their “standard of care” for Multiple Myeloma (33%) and Myelodysplasia/MDS (36%) would change due to the new information disseminated at the convention. Celgene’s Revlimid was the product mentioned most often as the drug that may change the standard of care for MDS; Revlimid and Millennium’s Velcade were mentioned most often for Multiple Myeloma; while Revlimid and Rituxan were mentioned most often for Lymphoma.
“A key finding here,” says Peter Carlin, Senior Vice President of Market Strategies’ Global Life Sciences division, “is that the world of Hematology is changing as quickly as the world of Oncology. Similar to what we found out in our research after ASCO,” said Carlin, “an increasing number of smaller biotech companies with significant products are beginning to drive behavioral changes among physicians.” “More importantly, these companies are being very successful in fighting for a share of voice at these important physician meetings,” noted Carlin.
Some of the other highlights of the ASH convention were:
- Genentech was the most prominent firm at the convention. Physicians who attended the meeting reported Genentech as having the greatest “overall presence” at ASH with their exhibits being visited second highest (71% of physicians), behind Amgen at 75%. Genentech ranked in the top three companies for almost all booth performance rankings and received the highest ratings on quality of current marketing information.
- Amgen, Novartis, Celgene and Millennium completed the list of “top five” companies with a high overall presence at ASH. Amgen also was viewed as the best “CME” company and had the highest booth attendance and top score along with Genentech for providing the impression of an integrated hematology company. Amgen ranked second in corporate symposia and updates on current products.
- Novartis, along with Amgen, performed best with respect to new products in development and Novartis came in second after AstraZeneca for quality of information on future products. Novartis received high ratings for overall booth appeal, quality of patient support information, and easy access to scientists.
- Celgene performed well with respect to corporate symposia, updates on current products, and information on new products in development. Celgene was third for overall booth attendance and was a close second on providing the impression of an integrated hematology company.
- Millennium’s booth did relatively well with respect to attendance and overall appeal; Millennium scored at, or above average, with respect to updates on current products, professional/courteous booth representatives, and providing the impression of an integrated hematology company.
- Ortho Biotech came in at, or slightly under, the average with respect to updates on current products, quality of information on current products, booth attractiveness, and providing the impression of an integrated hematology company.
- Berlex performed above average on most of the booth attributes including overall booth appeal, quality of information on current products, booth attractiveness, professional and courteous reps (2nd place), access to scientists, and the quality of its patient support information.
To learn more about MSConvention: ASH 2006 and to obtain a copy of the report, please contact Peter Carlin at 908.739.4501 or peter_carlin@marketstrategies.com.
The syndicated study features 103 web based interviews conducted with Hematologists attending the American Society of Hematology Convention. Interviewing was conducted one week after ASH 2006.
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Market Strategies’ Study on Nephrologists Names Amgen as Most Preferred Biopharmaceutical Company
Roche’s New Erythropoietin, Pending FDA Approval for Renal Anemia, is Nephrologists’ Most Anticipated New Therapeutic Agent
October 24, 2006—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI), a full service custom and syndicated research and strategic consulting firm, announced key findings from its recently released study evaluating Nephrologists’ perceptions of biopharmaceutical companies. Over 200 Nephrologists were asked to rate the importance of more than 30 sales, product/R&D and corporate activities, and then rank how well 15 companies fared in their performance within these measures.
Market Strategies’ MSImage: 2006 Nephrology Study is designed to help marketers understand not only how Nephrologists rank companies they are familiar with, but also provide insight concerning which performance measures are most important to their customers. Understanding how sales, product/R&D and corporate activities impact satisfaction and image enables marketers to better target their resources and decide where to focus their resources.
“Amgen is the clear leader according to both office and hospital-based Nephrologists, excelling in virtually every stated and derived attribute measured,” noted Larry Levin, Sr. Vice President of MSI’s Global Life Sciences Syndicated Division. “This seems closely correlated with the fact that EPO formulations are, by far, the therapeutics viewed as having the ‘most impact on the care’ of their patients. In addition to Aranesp and Epogen, Sensipar adds to this highly valued product portfolio,” stated Levin.
Relatedly, Cera, a new erythropoietin agent from Roche (pending approval by the FDA for renal anemia), was mentioned by 30% of Nephrologists as the future product that will “have the biggest impact on the care of patients.” For current products, EPO entries occupied 4 of the top 5 spots for “biggest impact,” with Amgen’s Sensipar as the exception.
After Amgen, Pfizer, Ortho Biotech, Genzyme, Novartis, Abbott and Shire formulate a “second tier” for overall image among office-based Nephrologists, though performance and perceptions do vary by performance measure or activity measured. Pfizer and Novartis do not have any specific renal care products, but Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients often have severe co-morbidities in such disease areas as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipedemia where these two firms have strong franchises.
With regard to office-based Nephrologists, the following perceptions of the major companies are noteworthy:
- Pfizer is first or second in most sales force metrics and second in company “trust.” Sales force ratings for “respect competitive products,” and “respect of physician and staff time” have Pfizer at the top.
- Ortho Biotech’s ranking is very strong for most sales force and corporate attributes, and ranked second for “strong reputation in Nephrology.” Ortho Biotech was ranked number one for “offering preferred contracting rates.”
- Novartis’ best showings are in the R&D area, placing second or third in “innovative R&D programs, dependable clinical trials and development of beneficial products.” Anticipation of Rasilez (aliskiren), an antihypertensive with end organ protection, is probably a strong factor here. A third place ranking in “trust” is also noteworthy.
- Abbott is fairly consistent with most ratings between 4th and 7th. Highest scores are noted for “valuable information at major Nephrology conferences” and sponsorships of “helpful events.”
- Genzyme’s overall sixth place derived ranking is buoyed by its third place showing for “strong reputation” in Nephrology, “increasing strength” in Nephrology, and support at conferences and “helpful events.”
- Shire stands out with its second place standing for “increasing its strength in the field of Nephrology.” Shire also ranks third for MD participation in clinical trials, and adequate samples and fourth in patient education.
- Although Roche is not thought of yet as a top “Nephrology company,” its long acting EPO formulation could alter this shortly. Cera was viewed as the most anticipated product by Nephrologists.
For additional information on our MSImage: 2006 Nephrology Study, please contact Larry Levin at 610.277.3932 or larry_levin@marketstrategies.com.
This syndicated study features 202 interviews conducted with office (n=161) and hospital (n=41) Board Certified Nephrologists via the internet. Data collection was conducted in August, 2006. Significance testing was done throughout this study at the 90% statistical significance level. For the sample total, a 90% confidence interval can be obtained by adding or subtracting 4.2 % from a proportion based upon the full sample.
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Market Strategies’ Latest Medicare Part D Tracking Study Indicates Continued High Satisfaction Amongst Enrolled Beneficiaries
However Beneficiaries Who Reached or Expect to Reach “Coverage Gap” in 2006 are Very Dissatisfied and Will Likely Change Plans
October 19, 2006—Market Strategies, Inc. (MSI) announced key findings from its latest tracking study of more than 8,000 Medicare beneficiaries. MSI’s study found that Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) enrolled beneficiaries continue to experience few problems in obtaining their medications and, overall, express strong satisfaction with the Part D program. Driving beneficiary satisfaction is their positive perspective on the value of their plan, limited number of obstacles faced in obtaining prescription drugs and lower out-of-pocket expenses realized since joining the Part D program.
On the other hand, for beneficiaries who have reached or expect to reach the coverage gap, dissatisfaction runs deep and there is little likelihood that they will remain with their current plan when it comes time to re-enroll for 2007.
“Quite frankly,” noted Peter Carlin, Sr. Vice President of MSI’s Global Life Sciences Division, “the level of dissatisfaction amongst those in the coverage gap is as astounding as the overall satisfaction of those beneficiaries who are not in the gap.” MSI’s study also found that all beneficiaries appear willing to switch to less expensive medications. “Beneficiaries in our study are willing to try generics or other brand drugs to reduce their out-of-pocket costs. It’s very clear that few of the beneficiaries who are switching to a lower cost drug have any enduring loyalty to their brand drug,” stated Carlin.
“Not too surprisingly, low cost is a driving force behind satisfaction numbers,” according to Jack Fyock, Ph.D., and Head of MSI’s Medicare Strategy Division. “As a result, PDPs may be more like commodities amongst beneficiaries and subject to high turnover rates should another plan offer a lower priced option, or if plans increase their monthly premium or co-pay costs substantially in the upcoming year.”
“The findings also suggest that Humana enjoys higher satisfaction levels than other companies. Humana’s higher satisfaction scores are likely due to two key factors; low monthly premiums and their focused strategy to keep beneficiaries informed about their coverage. Humana’s higher satisfaction ratings also could be related to their pricing structure and the possibility that healthier beneficiaries opted for a lower-cost plan at the end of the enrollment period,” Fyock stated. “As May 15th approached, a greater number of healthy beneficiaries who wanted to avoid the lifetime penalty may have joined Humana due to their low costs, and our data suggests that this strategy may have paid off since Humana had fewer members enter or approach the coverage gap where satisfaction levels plummet.”
“Finally, current projections estimate that 10.4 million beneficiaries enrolled in a PDP. Given the higher rates of dissatisfaction among those who have entered or anticipate entering the coverage gap, we can expect that upwards of 650,000 beneficiaries will likely be very open to messages about switching their coverage to a new plan or new company,” stated Fyock.
This study is MSI’s sixth wave of research, reaching over 8,000 total Medicare beneficiaries. For additional information on this study, please contact Jack Fyock at 703.229.5206 or jack_fyock@marketstrategies.com.
MSI’s study featured 1,000 interviews conducted with individuals age 65 and older via telephone between August 12 and August 25. Significance testing was done throughout the study at the 5% significance level. Generally, a 95% confidence interval can be obtained by adding or subtracting 3.2% from a proportion based upon the full sample.
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