Healthy Advice Networks is betting doctors need one more video screen to look at during office hours.
A provider of in-office patient education materials, Healthy Advice is currently in the process of installing 1,800 LCD screens in the back office area of a physician’s practice. The screens will be mounted “near the nurse’s station,” and will deliver medical news and information in real-time from over 40 medical journals, as well as customized pharma advertising, according to Deborah Schnell, president, sales and strategic planning, at Healthy Advice Networks. The service is called Practice Wire.
Content licensing deals include top journals like JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine, as well as FDA updates and breaking news. Pharma ads are customizable down to the office level, and can include a rep’s name, formulary coverage, drug rebates, and other information. Schnell says the company has already recruited 1,800 physicians for the initial installation, and hopes to add another 2,200 in 2011. “Each office can also customize the offerings provided through the network, to reflect individual preferences or practice guidelines,” said Schnell. Drug promotions served through the Practice Wire service are meant to facilitate a sales detail, or provide access where it isn’t otherwise available, according to Schnell.
Separately, the company announced the launch of Healthy Advice magazine on February 2, a consumer health title to be delivered and accessed exclusively at primary care offices. Published three times a year, the first issue features an article about urinary tract infections, weight loss tips and a healthy habits quiz, among other things. Multiple-page ads for Merck’s Singulair and Abbott’s Trilipix are also found in the issue.
