We are swimming in fresh data these days, so this is a quick heads up on what we have and what you can expect from us in the next few months. Today we are featuring the first report based on the AMA/Forrester 2005 Physicians And Technology Study. We covered topics from handhelds to EMRs to pharma marketing practices to clinical process flow and will be publishing much more in the weeks ahead. We also have new data back from the Employee Benefit News/Forrester Benefits Strategy & Technology Survey, so you can look for more employer insights into CDHP and other topics shortly. Last, we have new consumer surveys in and are reporting today about the critical issue of complexity and how healthcare companies can better serve consumers. To help you get the most from these great sources, try signing up for a ForrTel, an interactive conference call and Webinar, during which we will discuss the data we have and how clients can access cuts and insights for their own use.

Health Plans' Portal Imperative
Separate sites for brokers, employers, providers, and members are the norm for health plans today, but these portals rarely deliver a customizable interface that surfaces entire end-to-end processes. Plans' deployment of portal technology has been stymied by privacy and security regulations and nonstandard, tough-to-surface business processes. The fact is, portal technology is ripe to streamline cumbersome and time-consuming multistep processes, such as giving brokers customized access to the forms they use most, reducing employers' internal service costs, saving doctors' office staff time, and providing transactional transparency that empowers members. To reap the benefits of portal technology, plans should start with applications that make the most business sense -- like developing quotes for brokers -- the segment and focus on the needs of each user group, and prioritize process and workflow improvement opportunities.

What Health Decisions Perplex Consumers?
Online healthcare decision support tools, from drug comparison tools to health plan cost calculators, are hot as health plans and employers strive to help consumers make cost-conscious health choices. But consumers are overwhelmed by the complexity of even the most common healthcare decisions. Forrester's Consumer Technographics data reveal the factors that contribute to consumers' confusion, which decisions they find most complex, and where they turn for information. To help consumers navigate their health-related decisions, consumers need clearly delineated financial and clinical options and a minimum of medical jargon. And while conversations with healthcare providers and family members are still the most common source of support and information, consumers also find that online health sites and discussion boards are valuable.

Smart Spending Plans For Pharma IT
Pharma's IT spending plans for 2005 should reflect business priorities like keeping pace with drug tracking and monitoring regulations, replenishing the new drug pipeline, containing the cost of clinical trials, and fostering collaboration among remote research teams. Forrester recommends that pharma invest in six key technology areas to support these initiatives. Among them are RFID data management tools, content management for more than the drug submission process, and tools that facilitate collaboration among distributed teams. One choice for collaboration just got more interesting with Microsoft's acquisition of Groove networks. Our advice: Walk before you run to the Groove/Microsoft solution.


Will Health Plans Profit From HSAs?
Forrester forecasts that the number of health savings accounts (HSAs) will top 6 million in 2008. As the number of consumers using HSAs to complement their high-deductible health plans ¿ and as a retirement investment ¿ grows, so too will the revenue associated with setting up, administering, and managing these accounts. Health plans must decide whether to partner with banks and debit card vendors to provide members with HSA functionality or become custodians themselves. The choice involves millions in potential revenues gained or lost.

Usability Holds Back MD Handheld Usage
Data from the American Medical Association/Forrester Research 2005 Physicians And Technology Study of 1,331 US physicians indicates that some doctors are more tech-savvy than others. Forrester looked specifically at handheld usage to see which categories of doctors lead and lag and to uncover the tasks doctors tackle with PDAs. Residents use handhelds more than older docs, and general practitioners outstrip surgeons; female doctors and doctors at small office practices rely less on PDAs. Administrative tasks, such as managing appointments and contacts and checking medical information top the list of how doctors we surveyed use their handhelds.

We are very interested in your feedback on our research. Do you have topics to recommend, data you would like to have, or technologies you want assessed? Drop me a line at bradholmes@forrester.com so we can connect.


Brad Holmes
VP and Research Director,
Healthcare and Life Sciences

Research Referenced In This Issue Health Plans' Portal Imperative: Where's The Payoff? (35811) Millipore.com: Redesign That Supports Customer Goals Drives Up Sales And Traffic (36413) Pharma's Consumer Email Marketing Repair Kit (35269) Smart Spending Plans For Pharma IT (36497) Usability Holds Back MD Handheld Usage (36530) WebMD Buys The Quality-Data Leader (36663) What Health Decisions Perplex Consumers? (36441) Will Health Plans Profit From HSAs? (36469) Will The Life Sciences Industry Groove On Microsoft's New Acquisition? (36660)

EMAIL: Email this issue to a colleague.

PRINT: View a printer-friendly version of this issue.

VIEW ARCHIVE: View past issues of First Look.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Call the Client Resource Center
1 866/FORRESTER (1 866/367-7378) or +1 617/613-5730.

EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS: If you'd like to subscribe or unsubscribe to First Look, please go to your Email Subscriptions page.