Telecom 2005 Spending Trends In Healthcare
Healthcare institutions are making significant new investments in infrastructure like networking and communication technologies, according to Forrester's Business Technographics® May 2005 North American And European Network And Telecommunications Benchmark Study. We asked IT execs -- including those at hospitals -- responsible for telecom systems and services about their actual and planned spending. Most firms have boosted their telecom budgets by a measly 3.3% this year, but hospitals' budgets have grown by 5.4%. Vendors hoping to win hospitals' business must first demonstrate their understanding of the healthcare industry's regulatory and business requirements.

Pharma Marketers Show Mixed eDetailing Results
Pharma marketers have been giving eDetailing a trial run, but most firms haven't nailed down the formula for eDetailing success. Despite the fact that our interviewees report both positive and negative pilot results, most pharma marketers expect to expand their eDetailing initiatives in 2005. eDetailing vendors that want to earn their share of pharma's increased spending should focus on bolstering their panels with improved recruitment.

What Employers Want From B2B Plan Sites
Benefits execs aren't just looking for B2B plan sites to support enrollment and payment transactions. Forrester's recent survey of 226 employee health benefits executives shows that these execs prioritize tools that help them help employees pick a provider and manage their benefits. To answer employers' demands, health plans' service executives must extend employers' access to member self-service tools. Plans should also work on their online reporting to support benefits managers' business needs in order to make the plan's B2B site a vital resource for employers.

Rx Comparison Tools Come Of Age
Prescription drug decisions are perplexing to consumers. Weighing clinical effectiveness information and cost disparities is no walk in the park. In recent years, health plans have added decision-support tools to their Web sites, but these tools haven't put a stop to the confusion. Consumer Reports has introduced a Web site that helps consumers without drug coverage decide which medications will get the results they need at the best price. Forrester compared this new tool to other third-party vendors Rxaminer, RxEOB, Subimo, and WebMD to see which heed consumers' call for a balance of clinical content and cost information. Whether they use these vendors or in-house solutions, health plans and PBMs must make sure to use the Scenario Design methodology to deliver a seamless user experience.

Healthcare Organizations Require Unique ROI For Service Desk Implementations
Healthcare requires very different success metrics and ROI calculations for service desk software, compared to other industries. Hospitals and other provider organizations ask that their service desks improve the quality of patient care and increase physician retention. But service desk vendors with specialized products for vertical industries are few and far between. Until vendors deliver vertical solutions, healthcare companies must articulate project goals in their RFPs and ask that vendors supply industry-specific customer references.

Pharma Firms: Ready For Collaborative Portals?
Forrester developed a diagnostic tool to help pharma firms determine their readiness to implement collaborative process portals. These next-generation portal projects -- not simple information access sites -- will streamline collaboration and increase drug target discoveries. Firms with distributed R&D teams will reap the benefits of secure meeting spaces, channel partner interactions, and, ultimately, Innovation Networks.

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 Practice Leader,
Healthcare and Life Sciences

Research Referenced In This Issue Healthcare Organizations Require Unique ROI For Service Desk Implementations (37075) Innovation Networks (34580)    Pharma Firms: Ready For Collaborative Portals? (37071) Pharma Marketers Show Mixed eDetailing Results (37123) Rx Comparison Tools Come Of Age (36317) Scenario Design: A Disciplined Approach To Customer Experience (35020)    Telecom 2005 Spending Trends In Healthcare (37229) What Employers Want From B2B Plan Sites (37069)

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