Pulse-Learning will provide GPs with 200-plus clinical, commissioning and practice business modules as well as an automatic CPD log function.

Brought to you by the 2010 Medical Publication of the Year*, all the content on Pulse-Learning is written by UK clinical experts with the needs of UK GPs firmly in mind.

Jo Haynes, Group Editor of Pulse, said: ‘We’re proud to be launching Pulse-Learning as a one-stop shop to meet all GPs’ CPD needs. They can use the site to identify their clinical weak spots, fill their knowledge gaps and keep track of all their CPD credits.’

Pulse-Learning offers two different packages. Free membership provides the GP with access to up to 10 free modules at any one time; a personal CPD log to store their CPD certificates, supporting evidence and bonus impact credits; and our unique learning needs assessment test to identify their knowledge gaps.  Premium members will have access to the full range of more than 200 modules, including interactive case-based scenarios to challenge the GP’s knowledge on a particular topic.

GPs can use Pulse-Learning to prepare for appraisal and revalidation, reassured that the content is up-to-date, relevant and full of practical take-home points. With an annual premium membership costing only £49.95**, Pulse-Learning is the cost-effective, user-friendly resource from a source that GPs trust.

Contact details:

Bec Rabe
Marketing Executive
UBM Medica UK
T 020 7921 8708  | E bec.rabe@ubm.com
A UBM Medica, Ludgate House, 245 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 9UY

* Awarded by the British Medical Journalists Association 2010
** Don’t forget that this is a legitimate tax-deductible expense for GPs. So the true cost to you is significantly less (especially if you are a higher-rate taxpayer).

The '1-Click Movement for Millions' campaign is designed to spark widespread national engagement and save lives both locally and around the globe. For every new healthcare professional who creates a free account on one of UBM Medica's online properties, the company will donate $10 to Doctors Without Borders; the program's goal is to donate a minimum of $25,000 for the month of June. '1-Click Movement for Millions' promotes "doing social good" through this simple and important initiative via social and traditional media, and fully leverages UBM Medica's network of online and print journals, in addition to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

"It is rare to be part of an initiative that has widespread social benefit, and touches so many people in such positive ways. We are proud to rally our properties to collectively improve the lives of millions around the world through this campaign," said Sally Shankland, CEO, UBM Medica US. "As UBM Medica's core focus is based on improving medical care, we found in Doctors Without Borders/MSF a natural partner and extension of our mission. This program is exciting for all involved as it will reverberate across health care specialties around the world, and its impact will benefit many for years to come," added Shankland.

"As our organization relies on financial support and donations of time from individuals, foundations, and corporations to aid those in need, we are doubly grateful UBM Medica has selected us as the partner and beneficiary of the '1-Click Movement for Millions' program," said Jennifer Tierney, Director of Development, Doctors Without Borders/MSF-USA. "Along with the direct financial support it provides, this program also significantly raises our organization's awareness among UBM Medica's vast networks of health care professionals who in turn may become future volunteers in our organization. This has immeasurable value for us," added Tierney.

To learn more about the '1-Click Movement for Millions' program, please visit www.1c4m.com

About Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition and exclusion from health care or natural disasters. In 1999, MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. For more information visithttp://www.doctorswithoutborders.org.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today's healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of UBM plc (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach—online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases and other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. US websites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com, DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, OBGYN.net,PhysiciansPractice.com and SearchMedica.com. Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London. For more information, visit http://www.ubmmedica.com/.

Media Contact
Michael DeMilt
Sr. Director, Marketing and Communications
201-984-6224
michael.demilt@ubm.com

C+D’s newly-revamped website at www.chemistanddruggist.co.uk reaches over 50,000 unique users per month and is fast becoming an active community for the pharmacy sector.
In the coming months C+D has plans for closer integration of online and print journalism for the pharmacy community with the expansion of C+D events  accessible via the website and improved feedback channels for audience interaction on news and comment online and via social media.

To find out more click here to view the webcast >>

To contact C+D regarding features please email Jennifer.Richardson@ubm.com

To contact C+D regarding advertising please email Daniel.Spruytenburg@ubm.com

The WorkWorld Media Awards concentrate on economic and employment journalism, and Gareth beat off competition from national newspapers and broadcast media to win the award, which recognises the best newcomer.

Gareth was awarded for “his high quality, punchy, often exclusive reporting” by one of the Judges and was listed among many other well-known journalists as winners on the night including Daniel Finkelstein of the Times and BBC, and Zoe Williams of the Guardian.

This recent win is in addition to Gareth’s New Business News Journalist of the Year at the Periodical Training Council awards.

For all the latest GP clinical and practice business news including GP commissioning updates visit www.pulsetoday.co.uk and see what all the fuss is about.

MIMS Australia announces the launch of the first Australian medicines app for iPhones - iMIMS

Providing access to the medicines information they trust at the place and time they need it, is the value iMIMS will bring to healthcare professional.

Sydney, Australia, 10^th January 2011 - MIMS Australia has developed iMIMS, an iPhone version of the most trusted Australian Medicines Database which is now available on the Apple App Store.

Margaret Gehrig, National Business Manager from MIMS said: “After the launch of our smartphone app in 2009, our customers asked us to provide an iPhone version that was downloadable onto their iPhones and we recognised this was a need we had to address”

iMIMS is the latest iteration of this trusted information and decision support resource for health professionals. “Listening to our customers has meant we have developed iMIMS to include functionality and content not seen before in mobile products.” said Ms Gehrig.

A major addition is the inclusion of the pill identifier module with over 2500 pill images as well as the full product information (PI), abbreviated PI and Drug Interaction to check for interactions between two or more medications. With monthly updates available for download, end users can be confident they are seeing the most current information available to them. MIMS is about making patient safety the priority in a world of increasing drug complexity.  MIMS decision support tools, at the point of care, assists clinicians to make more informed decisions relating to medication management.

ENDS

ABOUT MIMS AUSTRALIA www.mims.com.au

MIMS is the leading supplier of quality, independent medical information to Australian healthcare professionals. Today, MIMS not only offers traditional print information sources, we also reflect the rapidly changing advances in information delivery with new platforms from mobile devices to the internet. But for all the changes, one thing remains the same - the editorial integrity and independence of all the healthcare knowledge delivered through the MIMS products.

We supply the most current, practical and accessible knowledge to assist healthcare professionals practice effectively in the real world.

Our strategy is to work directly with healthcare providers and with the leading healthcare IT suppliers to make the best evidence-based decision support tools available at the point of care. MIMS is unique in its ability to combine internationally referenced alert tools with comprehensive local product information, all delivered to our clients and partners through a common interface.

MIMS is a subsidiary of a global group of medicine reference organisations, UBM Medica, part of United Business Media Plc - an international media and business Information Company employing more than 5,000 people in over 30 countries around the world.

For further information please contact:

MIMS has been publishing healthcare information for professionals for 47 years

UBM Medica announced today that it has launched PhotoClinic Mobile, an iPhone and iPad application which enhances physicians’ clinical proficiency through easy-to-find diagnoses and treatments. 

Drawing from the popular DermClinic and PhotoClinic sections found on ConsultantLive.com, this application features images, submitted by primary care clinicians, all specially selected by the Consultant editorial staff for both their teaching value and seasonality. PhotoClinic Mobile is an easy-to-use tool intended to help physicians diagnose and treat their patients, right at the point-of-care.

Ninety-four percent of physicians are using smartphones to communicate, manage workflow, and access medical information, according to a report from Spyglass Consulting Group (2010 “Spyglass: Physician smartphone usage on the rise, along with concerns”).  The study also displayed trends on how physicians are progressively adopting mobile communications at point-of-care to improve collaboration, productivity, patient care, and safety.

“Physicians are becoming increasingly dependent on mobile devices, such as the iPhone,” says UBM Medica CEO, US, Sally Shankland.  “With this app, UBM Medica continues to provide innovative solutions that enable physicians to increase their effectivenes, both at the point of care and beyond.

With PhotoClinic Mobile, users are able to:

• Search the image database by diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, key words, anatomy, and image type (clinical photo, x-ray, MRI, CT scan).
• Browse through the images library.  
• Submit their own photos to the editors at ConsultantLive.
• Send photos and diagnoses to colleagues.

To download the application, also available for iTouch and iPad, visit: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photoclinic-mobile/id398992941?mt=8 .

For more information about PhotoClinic Mobile, please contact Amy Sklar at amy.sklar@ubm.com or 508-416-3431.

 About ConsultantLive.com

ConsultantLive.com features breaking medical news, searchable full text article index, clinical symposia, photoclinic, e-Photo Quiz, "What’s Your Diagnosis," interactive polls and over 30 hours of free CME.  The site offers a host of features that keeps its visitors informed and entertained.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today’s healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach—online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases and other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. US websites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com, DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, OBGYN.net, PhysiciansPractice.com and SearchMedica.com.  Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London.  For more information, visit http://www.ubmmedica.com/.

 OBGYN.net is a women’s health website for obstetrics and gynecology professionals and patients.  The site provides article-based and multimedia content generated by both contributors and users.  OBGYN’s archived, searchable online forums – some of which have been running for over 10 years – comprise approximately one million posts and include professional peer-to-peer discussions and consumer-to-physician/expert forums, as well as patient-to-patient support forums.  OBGYN.net has a registered population of approximately 140,000 and attracts more than 500,000 unique visitors a month.

 Sally Shankland, CEO UBM Medica US said:

 “We’re very pleased to bring OBGYN.net into UBM Medica’s network of resources for healthcare professionals and consumers, which are dedicated to improving quality of care.    OBGYN.net is an integrated online community of healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and the women they serve.  The mission is to share knowledge in order to advance women’s healthcare globally.  UBM Medica is committed to both fostering and further developing OBGYN.net’s ability to improve women’s lives every day.” 

 Roberta Speyer, co-founder of OBGYN.net with husband and business partner Bruce Speyer, made the following comment:

 "We started OBGYN.net in 1996 with the support of doctors participating in an email only listserve, OBGYN-L, founded by then Baylor third year Chief Resident Geffrey Klein, M.D. Over the years, with the help of the top medical professionals in the obstetrics and gynecology field, it has grown to become the premiere global resource for Ob/Gyn and women's healthcare. Our role has been as stewards of this vibrant community, and our goal has long been to find the best safe haven to pass the baton of stewardship to. We looked for a solid healthcare focused company with roots in medical publishing. UBM Medica was the unequivocal best choice. UBM Medica is in the position to bring OBGYN.net into the future and help her continue to grow and blossom through all the best content and technology applications available, including in new areas such as virtual events and mobile. Bruce and I, and everyone at OBGYN.net, are delighted to be working with Sally and her team to continue the OBGYN.net tradition of community, content and caring."

 The acquisition of OBGYN.net expands UBM Medica’s network of health care communities dedicated to improving quality of care.  UBM Medica’s communities include Primary Care, Oncology, Psychiatry, Radiology, and Pediatrics.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today’s healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach—online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Communities are served through electronic databases including drug databases, web sites, journals, magazines, directories, mobile applications, live conferences and meetings, and other valuable resources.  UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical, medical device, technology, hospital and related industries. US websites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com, DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, PhysiciansPractice.com and SearchMedica.com.  Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London.  For more information, visit http://www.ubmmedica.com/.

Media Contacts

Amy Erdman, Director of Marketing, Research and Circulation, UBM Medica US

amy.erdman@ubm.com

Direct Telephone 203 523 7041

Peter Bancroft, Director of Communications, UBM

communications@ubm.com

Direct Telephone 44 20 7921 5961

The new CliniCal iPhone app marks a step towards providing paper-based clinical diagnosis tools and management resources in a mobile format for the busy healthcare professional. All clinical tools in the app are validated by thorough research and are recognised in national and international guidelines for your confidence and convenience. After download and registration, the CliniCal app has the ability to complete all calculations remotely. This means that wherever you are; whether it be on a train or remote the calculator app is ready to use.

UBM Medica's dedication to providing quality information, publications and educational seminars is translated into the CliniCal iPhone app. The easy to use interface with both browsing and searching capabilities enables you to use both SI and US units with a function to convert between both metrics. The app also lets you save your favourite calculators and browse through the recently used calculators, making diagnosis quick and efficient.

The wide range of medical calculators available from CliniCal aims to make it easier for GPs to get quick access to the many calculators through only one app.  Some of the most popular and frequently used medical calculator apps on CliniCal are:

• ABCD2 score to identify patients at high risk of a stroke after a transient ischaemic attack
• Centor criteria (adults and children) to quickly diagnose the presence of Group A streptococcal pharyngitis
• CHADS score to predict the risk of a stroke in patients with non-rheumatic atrial fibrillation
• Ottawa ankle rules to decide if an X-ray is needed to assess for a possible bone fracture
• Wells criteria to assess the risk of DVT

Now with over 50 million iPhones now in circulation and Apple’s iPhone 4 now available in more than 20 countries, business professionals to physicians and students are turning to the iPhone for their mobile services. On top of this, reportedly over three billion apps have been downloaded from the revolutionary App Store by iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide since its launch, these statistics further confirm that the iPhone app has become the new means to access entertainment, information and education.

The CliniCal app is the second iPhone app brought out by UBM Medica, with SearchMedica, the comprehensive online medical search engine also available from iTunes App Store at www.apple.itunes.com

Download FREE CliniCal now at iTunes AppStore: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/clinical/id391971694?mt=8

Physicians Practice, a division of UBM Medica, will hold Physicians Practice LIVE, a virtual conference and exhibition for physicians and administrators, for the second time this year on September 22. This exciting event will provide a full day of practice management seminars, networking with colleagues and industry experts, and an opportunity to see the latest in practice management products and services, all for free. The virtual learning environment gives attendees a cost-effective way to get crucial practice management information without having to leave their office.

“With sweeping changes underway in the world of medical practice management, physicians and administrators are looking for real-time solutions to pressing challenges, such as how to deal with the new ICD-10 coding rules; how to respond to government demands for greater accountability in billing practices; and whether now is finally the time to purchase an EHR system,” says Bob Keaveney, editorial director of Physicians Practice. “That’s why our first Physicians Practice LIVE event, in April, was such a huge success, with more than 2,000 registrants. Physicians Practice LIVE is a wonderful opportunity for our audience to directly access the experts and key thinkers shaping the world of practice management — without the burden and expense of travel.”

The September virtual event will feature six content seminars with topics including Coding: ICD-10; Stop Losing Money; Negotiating with Payers; Understanding Emerging Regulations; Billing Challenges; and Moving to a Paperless Process. In addition, attendees can visit the Resource Center to download white papers, podcasts, and other valuable tools. And the Networking Lounge will provide an environment for attendees to chat through instant messaging about topics affecting their practice.

Attendees can also visit the Exhibit Hall where industry-leading vendors will be on hand to demonstrate the latest in practice management products and services. Nearly 25% of attendees at the April virtual event registered specifically to speak with the exhibitors, making the Exhibit Hall a popular feature of Physicians Practice LIVE. There are different levels of sponsorship opportunities available for vendors, including booths on the exhibit floor, and sponsorship of the content seminars. Also in the Exhibit Hall will be the Ask an Expert and Ask a Coding Expert booths where attendees can chat directly with industry experts to get answers to their most pressing practice management questions.

Physicians and practice administrators won’t want to miss this opportunity for free practice management information and networking, all from the convenience of their office. To register for Physicians Practice LIVE, or for more information, go to:
PhysiciansPractice.com/Live.

About Physicians Practice

For 20 years, healthcare executives have turned to Physicians Practice to help them cultivate physician relationships. Physicians Practice journal maintains approximately 50 hospital partnerships and is distributed to more than 200,000 practicing physicians. We create award-winning content and multimedia services to help community-based doctors in the United States strengthen their practice operations, which ultimately improves patient care. Physicians Practice is owned by UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media plc. Visit PhysiciansPractice.com for additional information about our acclaimed healthcare business education solutions.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today’s healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media plc, delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach — online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases, other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London. For more information, visit ubmmedica.com.

For More Information:

Exhibitor/Sponsorship Contact:
Eric Temple-Morris
Group Director, Business Development
503-203-1060
eric.temple-morris@ubm.com

Media Contact for Physicians Practice
Kristin Pichon
Event Manager
410-818-2711
kristin.pichon@ubm.com

Based on the global evidence, this new Formulary provides 310 medications which can be used to treat specific conditions, with information on how they should be administered and in what dose.  World health advises that 'accurate dosing of medicines for use in children is essential, particularly those between 0-12 months.

This means that for the first time medical practitioners worldwide have access  to standardised information on the recommended use, dosage, adverse effects and contraindications of these medicines for use in children.

A number of individual countries have developed their own formularies over the years, but until now there was no single comprehensive guide to using medicines in children for all countries'.

The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) in Melbourne sourced and prepared all the clinical information for each of the 310 medications with expert clinical review by RCH and WHO.

"MIMS was proud to be able to provide the editorial review and prepare the publication for print" said Margaret Gehrig, National Business Manager for MIMS.

"Partnering with the RCH and WHO and helping to prepare such important information that will enable medical practitioners, especially in developing countries, to be better informed on medication administration has been a great experience," she said.

Dr Brian Lilley, the Directory of Pharmacy at the RCH has welcomed the project. 

"Working on such a key project that will improve the treatment of children around the world has been rewarding and exciting."

Noel Cranswick, Clinical Pharmacologist at the RCH agrees.

"It's vital that there is consistent global approach to ensuring the correct dosage of medicines is given to children. This is especially important in Third World countries where there is little access to up-to-date resounces."

ABOUT MIMS AUSTRILIA (www.mims.com.au)

MIMS is the leading supplier of quality, independent medical information to Australian healthcare professionals. Today, MIMS not only offers traditional print information resources, we also reflect the rapidly changing advances in information delivery with new platforms from PDAs to the internet. But for all the changes, one thing remains the same - the editorial integrity and the independence of all the healthcare knowledge, delivered through the MIMS name. We supply the most current, practical and accessible knowledge to assist healthcare professionals practice effectively in the real world.

Our strategy is to work directly with healthcare providers and with leading healthcare IT suppliers to make the best evidence-based decision support tools available at the point of care. MIMS is unique in its ability to combine internationally referenced alert tools with comprehensive local product information, all delivered to IT partners through a common interface. MIMS is a subsidiary of UBM Medica, part of United Business Media Plc an international media and business information company employing more than 5,000 people in over 30 countries around the world.

ABOUT the ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL (www.rch.org.au)

The Royal Children's Hospital is a specialist paediatric hospital and provides full range of clinical services, tertiary care and health promotion and prevention programs for children and adolescents.

The hospital is the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria, and also cares for children from Tasmania and southern New South Wales and other states around Australia and overseas.

As a major paediatric facility in Victoria, the RCH provides clinical, academic and advocacy services for children and young people throughout the state.

It is internationally recognised as a leading centre for research and education. In its role as a leading paediatric teaching centre, the hospital has affiliations with the University of Melbourne and LaTrobe University and links with other universities in post graduate studies.

The RCH has strong commitment to research. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is based at the RCH hospital providing a bench to bedside process within our site.

Patients are referred to the RCH from all over Australia and the Asia-Pacific rim countries.

The hospital was established in 1870 and has been located on its present site at Parkville in Melbourne, Australia since 1963. In 2006/2007 it treated approximately 35,000 in-patients, 190,000 children attended outpatient appointments and 60,000 children presented at our emergency department.

To meet healthcare providers ever-growing need for quick access to relevant clinical information, UBM Medica has launched an iPhone Application for SearchMedica, the medical professional's search engine.

Nearly two-thirds of physicians currently use smartphones and that number is projected to increase to 81% by 2012, according to a recent report by Manhattan Research (2010 "Future of Physician Media"). Additionally, 95% of physicians using smartphones download medical reference applications and access reference materials from their mobile devices more frequently than those using desktops or laptops (2010 Mobile & Social Media Study: Physicians' View of Emerging Technologies).

"The use of handheld devices such as the iPhone, is booming among practice clinicians and medical students. iPhone access increases the utility of SearchMedica, the unique search engine designed specifically to meet the search needs of medical professional community," says UBM Medica CEO, US, Sally Shankland. "With the new app, doctors are no longer confined to using SearchMedica in the office or clinic. They can use it anywhere a clinical question arises."

With the SearchMedica application, users are able to:

• Access the most recent, relevant, and authoritative information, approved by a board of specialist physicians, in any of eleven speciality channels.
• Target searches to journal articles, evidence-based content, guidelines, trials or patient information.
• Locate frequently searched topics with the Recent Searches option.
• Quickly load content in a format designed specifically for the iPhone.
• Easily view search results with automatic rotation to landscape and portrait viewing.
• Maintain the most current version of SearchMedica through automatic updates.
• Share the app with a friend via email.

To download the application, visit http://www.searchmedica.com/tools/iphone.html

For more information about SearchMedica, please contact Amy Sklar at amy.sklar@cmpmedica.com or 508-416-3431

About SearchMedica

About UBM Medica

ASADA’s new website features a new online resource that will help Australian athletes, doctors, coaches and support personnel to anonymously and immediately find out if their medications and substances are permitted or prohibited in sport.

The website provides specific information against the sport type and gender of the athlete, as the status of medications and substances can be different from sport to sport.

National Business Manager for MIMS, Margaret Gehrig said that having the MIMS medicines data base integrated into the ASADA website will provide athletes and their support personnel with 24 hour access to an online medication information service.

MIMS editors add new medicines, along with their sport status, to the database each month and reclassify medicines annually against the revised WADA prohibited list.

Designed primarily to provide relevant anti-doping information, ASADA’s new website has improved design and navigation features making it easier to find relevant information. This essential resource is also an excellent way for students, media and other interested groups to find out more about anti-doping issues.

“MIMS Australia has worked with ASADA for many years so it has been exciting to see them make use of the integrated data to launch this terrific resource,” said Ms Gehrig,.

Staff at ASADA has access to MIMS Online, a leading source of online medicines information for the Australian health care professional. ASADA also accesses MIMS DrugAlert Online, an evidence based drug interaction checker designed to assist with the quality use of medicines. 

ASADA Chairman, Richard Ings said that ASADA views its relationship with MIMS as crucial to achieving its commitment of delivering the most up-to-date information about medications to athletes.

“Athletes and their athletic careers rely on having access to accurate information about medications to ensure they do not breach the World Anti-Doping Code,” said Mr Ings.

Priority conditions are selected on the basis of current and estimated future public health relevance, and potential for safe and cost‐effective treatment. An additional and complementary list presents essential medicines for priority diseases, for which specialized diagnostic or monitoring facilities, and/or specialist medical care, and/or specialist training are needed. In case of doubt medicines may also be listed as complementary on the basis of consistent higher costs or less attractive cost-effectiveness in a variety of settings.

Work has already commenced on the project with completion expected by mid 2010.   MIMS National Business Manager, Margaret Gehrig said ‘The MIMS Australia and Royal Children's Hospital work with WHO is a very exciting project that will ensure access to essential medicines information for healthcare professionals working with children in a wide range of countries including third world countries' .  She added" we are extremely pleased to be partnering with the Royal Children's Hopsital to complete this very important piece of work".

Pulse reporter Gareth Iacobucci has picked up a major award at the annual Periodical Training Council awards. Gareth, who has worked at Pulse for two years, won New Business News Journalist of the Year at the awards, with the judges praising his impressive investigative work. He was also placed on a final shortlist of four for the overall title of New Journalist of the Year, which covered all business and consumer titles.

Richard Hoey, editor of Pulse, said: 'I'm delighted for Gareth. He marries a flair for investigative journalism with good old fashioned hard work, and has been rewarded with some of Pulse's best scoops of the year. This award is thoroughly deserved.'

Gareth Iacobucci said: 'I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of myself and the whole Pulse team. I feel very humbled to have been acknowledged in this way by the PPA, and believe this serves as a great testament to all of our hard work over the past year.'

Pulse is the weekly medical news and educational magazine for UK GPs.  Visit www.pulsetoday.co.uk to find out more about Pulse.

Siobhan Murphy, Country Manager, UBM Medica, the publishers of MIMS said, “We are delighted to be partnering with EBSCO to provide Victorian health care workers with access to our premier product, MIMS Online which includes the new updated drug/drug interaction checker, DrugAlert.  MIMS for PDA will also give health professionals working in the Victorian Department the convenience of accessing MIMS while on the go: at the bedside, in the home”.  She continued, “A key part of MIMS strategy moving forwards is to work more closely with the end users of our products, to understand better their day to day needs so we can design products that are easy to use, practical and promote the safe use of medicines.”  

Peter Smith, Vice President / General Manager, EBSCO Australia / New Zealand, commented “EBSCO are delighted to be awarded this contract and to be working closely with Clinicians Health Channel users and MIMS to ensure that they receive first class service”.   

MIMS Australia is the leading supplier of quality, independent medical information to Australian healthcare professionals, known for its high level of editorial integrity and independence. MIMS Australia offers traditional print information sources as well as information in a range of platforms that reflect current advances in information delivery, from PDAs to the Internet.

MIMS Australia is part of a global group of companies. The parent company, UBM Medica Pty Ltd, operates two other business units within its Australian group. They are:

Medical Observer - a free weekly print newspaper distributed widely to medical practitioners, which is supported by an informative website; and

myDr.com.au — a comprehensive consumer health website providing up-to-date, Australian healthcare information.

About EBSCO 

EBSCO is the world’s leading provider of print and electronic subscription information.  EBSCO offers access, authentication and management solutions to a variety of customer organisations including individual libraries, library consortia, and state-wide information services.  In addition to managing the purchase and delivery of content, EBSCO’s solutions encompass content platforms, searching and linking technologies, resource discovery services, access and identity management and other electronic resource management services.

EBSCO is currently the major supplier of clinical health content and related technologies to Victorian health libraries, as well as most state and/or national consortia in Australia and New Zealand. 

EBSCO has been in operation globally for 65 years; 28 years in Australia with three local fully serviced offices.  

Margaret Gehrig National Business Manager MIMS Australia (02) 9902 7776

Peter Smith Vice President  EBSCO Australia New Zealand (02) 9922 5600

Phil Johnson, managing director of UBM Medica UK, said: ‘Ian has a hugely impressive track record over many years in the medical market and has held very senior positions at RBI and Elsevier.  His market knowledge, business acumen and ability to innovate are second to none and make him the ideal person to help us take the business forward.

'This important appointment is another clear reflection of United Business Media's commitment to the UK medical publishing market and its far-reaching ambition.' 

UBM Medica UK is part of United Business Media's international publishing division and publishes the weekly magazine Pulse, which has been the leading GP title for nearly 50 years. It also publishes the top magazine for community pharmacists, Chemist and Druggist (C+D), and the monthlies Practical Commissioning, Over The Counter and the monthly Price List, as well as websites and email newsletters.  In addition, UBM Medica organises a wide range of events and training courses for GPs, pharmacists and their staff, including the National Association for Primary Care's flagship annual meeting and the prestigious C+D Awards. 

Ian will take up his new position on 15th September 2009.

For more information please contact Phil Johnson on 020 7921 8106 or 07879 888330. Ian can be contacted on 07919 552473   

UBM Medica expands its presence in the Spanish healthcare informatics market 

United Business Media Limited today announces it has acquired Iasist on behalf of its healthcare division UBM Medica (www.ubmmedica.com) from Inflexion Private Equity and members of the business's management team for a total cash consideration of €6.4m.

Iasist (www.iasist.com) is a provider of benchmarking data and software to regional health authorities, hospitals and other health service providers, principally in Spain and Portugal. Iasist collects data from over 180 hospitals and primary healthcare providers – serving more than six million people – to form a proprietary database of clinical outcomes on which its products and services are based. Iasist provides most of its services on the basis of one to three year subscription contracts.  Historical renewal rates are in excess of 85%. Hospitals and health authorities use Iasist's services to monitor clinical performance and develop improvement plans. Iasist also provides consultancy services to help hospitals interpret and act on its information and analysis.

Iasist's services will expand UBM Medica's range of healthcare data solutions. In the medium term, we expect that the combined product range will allow UBM Medica to accelerate its growth in the hospital sector.

Iasist employs 34 staff, principally in Barcelona. Iasist's management team, including its founder Mercè Casas, will remain with the business following its acquisition and integration into UBM Medica. In 2008 Iasist generated revenues of €4.5m. The acquisition is anticipated to exceed UBM's 8% post-tax cost of capital acquisition criterion in its first full year of ownership.

Henry Elkington, Chief Executive Officer of UBM Medica said:

"The acquisition of Iasist will significantly expand UBM Medica's range of healthcare data services, both in Iberia and beyond. Iasist is the market leader in Iberia and is highly regarded by its customers. We are delighted that Mercè and her team are coming on board and look forward to working with them to enhance and expand the range of benchmark services we offer. This acquisition demonstrates UBM's continuing commitment to developing and growing its business in healthcare data."

Notes to Editors

1. About United Business Media

UBM focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetisation of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists – with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

For more information, go to www.ubm.com

2. About UBM Medica

UBM Medica is one of the world's leading providers of drug information to healthcare professionals, with trusted brands such as Vidal (www.vidal.fr), MIMS (www.mims.com), Glebe Liste Pharmindex (www.gelbe-liste.de) and Vademecum (www.vademecum.es). UBM Medica provides reference data, decision support solutions, news and education to communities of general practitioners, specialist doctors, pharmacists, nurses and patients across 26 countries. We produce a range of professional media including data-rich directories, electronic and online products, journals and face-to-face meetings. The established and trusted reputation of our brands means that many of them are embedded in the daily workflow of the healthcare communities they serve.

For more information, go to www.ubmmedica.com. 

Baltimore, Maryland, June 10, 2009 — Physicians Practice and the Pocono Medical Center have joined forces to help provide area physicians and their staff more time to devote to patient care. This new partnership is a unique program designed to help doctors in and around Monroe County, Pennsylvania better handle the cumbersome and time-consuming issues of managing a busy practice. Through this new alliance, Pocono Medical Center will use Physicians Practice’s extensive resources to deliver essential practice management tools to help local physicians manage the business aspects of medicine more efficiently and effectively.

Physicians’ need for practice management information is an ever-increasing one. According to Pricewaterhouse Coopers, every hour a physician spends with a patient results in 36 minutes of paperwork. Additionally, the cost of running a medical practice has increased and now consumes as much as 62 percent of the revenue (2007 Medical Group Management Association Cost Survey), while reimbursement continues to decline from year to year (2006 and 2007 Physicians Practice Fee Schedule Surveys). Furthermore, according to the 2008 Future Physicians of America Survey, nearly 70 percent of medical students do not feel adequately prepared for managing or owning a practice in the future. 

In the new partnership, Pocono Medical Center will sponsor the distribution of Physicians Practice journal to approximately 500 local doctors in Monroe County, Pa., and surrounding counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Physicians Practice will be mailed monthly, ten times a year, beginning in July, and will serve to help physicians and their office staff address the numerous challenges faced by today’s medical practices. The journal will also feature a section sponsored and written by Pocono Medical Center, highlighting the hospital’s latest clinical offerings as well as articles of interest to physicians in the region.

 “We are proud to offer this invaluable resource to our local physicians,” said Kathleen E. Kuck, President and CEO of Pocono Health System/Pocono Medical Center. “The partnership with Physicians Practice reflects our commitment to ensuring the success of our physicians and, therefore, better healthcare for our community.” 

“It is great to be able to partner with the Pocono Medical Center to bring practice management information and resources directly to local physicians,” says Marcy Holeton, Senior Vice President and General Manager of UBM Medica US. “Our expertise in practice management and technology will help Pocono Medical Center medical practices to spend less time on business and more time with patients.”

For more information on the benefits of partnering with Physicians Practice to improve patient care, visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com, and select For Hospitals.

About Physicians Practice

For more than 18 years, healthcare executives have turned to Physicians Practice to help them cultivate physician relationships. Physicians Practice maintains approximately 60 hospital partnerships and the journal is distributed to more than 255,000 practicing physicians. We create award-winning content and multimedia services to help community-based doctors in the United States and Canada strengthen their practice operations, which ultimately improves patient care. Physicians Practice is owned by UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media. Visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com for additional information about our acclaimed healthcare business education solutions.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today’s healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, division of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach—online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases and other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. U.S. Web sites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com, 

DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, PhysiciansPractice.com, and SearchMedica.com. Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London.  For more information, visit www.ubmmedica.com.

About Pocono Medical Center

Pocono Medical Center is an acute-care hospital accredited by the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), the national organization responsible for rigorous review of hospital procedures and policies.  PMC provides high quality, state-of-the-art acute medical care and is committed to patient satisfaction, education, and promotion of wellness.  Pocono Medical Center includes the Dale and Frances Hughes Cancer Center, the Clementine Abeloff Community Health Center, the Mattioli Emergency Center, the ESSA Heart and Vascular Institute and numerous other inpatient and outpatient services.  PMC is part of the Pocono Health System (PHS).  

PMC is also associated with Pocono Health Foundation; PMC Physician Associates: Hospitalists; PMC Physician Associates: Infectious Disease; PMC Physician Associates: Dental Care; PMC Physician Associates: General Surgery; Pocono Occupational Medicine; PMC Physician Associates: Orthopaedic Surgery; PMC Physician Associates: Pediatrics; PMC Physician Associates: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Pocono Ambulatory Services; Pocono Healthcare Management, including the following services: PMC Physician Associates: Hematology and Oncology; PMC Physician Associates: Internal Medicine; PMC Physician Associates: Family Medicine; PMC Physician Associates Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pocono Healthcare Partners, a joint venture providing Advanced Radiology Services and the Center for Women’s Well-Being.

Hospital program contact:

Steve Gottshall

Associate Publisher

847-242-9552

steven.gottshall@ubm.com

Media contact for Physicians Practice:

Amy Tubman

Senior Marketing Manager

410-818-2705

amy.tubman@ubm.com

Media contact for Pocono Medical Center:

Geoffrey M. Roche 

Coordinator, Community and Government Relations

570-476-3767 

groche@pmchealthsystem.org

Physicians Practice captured three Gold Awards in the ASHPE 2009 Awards Competition, including:

Additionally, PhysiciansPractice.com, was granted a Bronze Award for Best Overall Web Publication. The site provides physicians and their staff with multi-media resources to help them better manage the business aspects of medicine more efficiently and effectively.

Marcy Holeton, Senior VP & General Manager of UBM Medica US adds that, "the ASHPE awards not only reflect our continued dedication to providing quality content in the Physicians Practice journal, but they also demonstrate the rapid advancements we've made online. As we further amalgamate our print and web publications, Physicians Practice will continue to lead the way with unique and innovative products in the rapidly advancing environments of practice management and technology."

"We're very proud of the team of dedicated journalists and business experts we've assembled here at Physicians Practice," said Executive Editor Bob Keaveney. "We're helping our community of physicians, administrators, and others involved in managing practices to be more efficient, which in turn helps them focus on what they really love -- taking care of their patients. That's our mission, and it's gratifying that a respected organization such as ASHPE would recognize us for achieving it."

Physicians Practice also received numerous awards in 2007 for outstanding editorial content, research, and design, and was named Publication of the Year by ASHPE in 2006.

About Physicians Practice

For more than 18 years, healthcare executives have turned to Physicians Practice to help them cultivate physician relationships. Physicians Practice journal maintains approximately 60 hospital partnerships and is distributed to more than 255,000 practicing physicians. We create award-winning content and multimedia services to help community-based doctors in the United States strengthen their practice operations, which ultimately improves patient care. Physicians Practice is owned by UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media. Visit www.PhysiciansPractice.com for additional information about our acclaimed healthcare business education solutions.

About UBM Medica

Addressing today's healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach--online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases and other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. US websites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com,  DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, PhysiciansPractice.com and SearchMedica.com. Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London. For more information, visit www.ubmmedica.com.

UBM Medica Announces the Health Empowerment Initiative

Norwalk, CT, USA (May 27, 2009)

UBM Medica announced today that it has developed the Health Empowerment Initiative - a dynamic and innovative online healthcare education program for patients and their caregivers.

“As many studies have shown, a lack of ‘adherence’ to therapy can lead to poor outcomes,” said UBM Medica CEO, US, Sally Shankland. “Identifying patient knowledge gaps and providing patients with educational information to bridge those gaps can improve adherence and outcomes. While patient education information has become ubiquitous, in fact, it’s not as effective as it could be. We offer a new science-based approach to patient education that stems from the same rigor we apply to educating physicians. UBM Medica understands how to identify specific learning gaps, how to close those gaps, and how to leverage the connection between education and behavior. And our programs apply rigorous outcomes analytics to demonstrate success.”

UBM Medica has conducted research to identify specific areas in which patients’ understanding of their medical condition is lacking. These “knowledge gaps” are barriers to patients better managing their condition—whether this involves taking a medication as prescribed, eating a well-balanced diet, or altering behaviors. UBM Medica’s research revealed some alarming facts about patients’ perceptions of medical conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and congestive heart failure.

One of the key findings of this study is that many patients appear to underestimate the potential consequences of their condition, even though many believe themselves to be well informed about the risks. For example, 60% of respondents do not know that hypertension is an important risk factor in the development of complications from diabetes.

UBM Medica’s research also confirms the importance of the Internet in patient education. In fact, the research found that the Internet is second only to the person’s physician as “the most helpful” source of health-related information. Accordingly, the Health Empowerment Initiative’s education programs include interactive Web sites that expand the participants’ understanding of specific healthcare topics and help motivate them to take steps to improve their own health.

UBM Medica is a recognized leader in medical education; in medical publishing; and in online media, including e-learning and Web site design and production. The company has combined its expertise with in-depth understanding of adult learning principles to develop online education programs that not only provide valuable healthcare information, but also:

- Engage participants so they learn more effectively, and help build and maintain commitment.
- Test and certify knowledge gained, and measure outcomes.
- Improve the overall effectiveness of healthcare.

For more information on the Health Empowerment Initiative (www.healthempowermentinitiative.com), contact Amy Sklar at amy.sklar@ubm.com or 508-416-3431.

About UBM Medica
Addressing today’s healthcare information needs, UBM Medica, a division of United Business Media Limited (UBM.L), delivers strategic, integrated communications solutions and comprehensive reach—online, in print, live, and via custom programs. Improving the effectiveness of healthcare through information and education, UBM Medica provides unbiased clinical, practical, and business information for physicians, providers, payers, and patients around the world. Through journals, magazines, directories, drug databases and other electronic databases, Web sites, face-to-face meetings, and other valuable resources, UBM Medica also delivers comprehensive communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and related industries. US websites include PsychiatricTimes.com, CancerNetwork.com, DiagnosticImaging.com, ConsultantLive.com, PhysiciansPractice.com and SearchMedica.com.  Employing more than 1,400 people with offices in 29 countries, UBM Medica is headquartered in London.  For more information, visit www.ubmmedica.com.

UBM Medica's Integrated Data Solutions are already used in approximately 700 hospitals in France, 120 in Germany and Eastern Europe, and over 80 across the Asia Pacific region.  These solutions, combined with local data in Arabic, will power MAIDIS' e-prescribing software and Electronic Medical Record in the UAE. The integration of UBM Medica's data will help healthcare professionals in the UAE to embrace their expanding roles and meet the changing needs of their hospitals. Overall medicine management will also be improved by access to better prescribing documentation and traceability.

As a result of this agreement, healthcare professionals using MAIDIS software will have access to an accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date drug reference base. In addition MAIDIS users will have access to a world class set of advanced decision support tools that provide alerts and information regarding interactions, allergy, contra-indications, over-dosage and many other aspects of medicines use.

UBM Medicaand MAIDIS have been partners in France since 2004 and are expanding their relationship in the Middle East as demand for e-prescribing solutions grows.

Henry Elkington, CEO of UBM Medica said: « This new partnership demonstrates that we can address the needs of all solution providers in their international development  by providing them with a common international platform combined with local data to deliver trusted decision tools»

Wagdy Zahran, MAIDIS international CEO said: "This partnership with UBM Medica allows MAIDIS to get the most advanced solutions to improve prescription safety and reduce medical errors. This integrated approach of medicine management will also help to monitor costs and resources. " 

1. About UBM Medica

UBM Medicais one of the world's leading providers of drug information to healthcare professionals, with trusted brands such as Vidal (http://www.vidal.fr), MIMS (http://www.mims.com), Glebe Liste Pharmindex (http://www.gelbe-liste.de) and Vademecum (http://www.vademecum.es). UBM Medica has a strong local presence in 24 countries across Europe and Asia/Pacific. UBM Medica's global expertise and strong local presence enables it to deliver unique drug information solutions. UBM Medica's strategy is to work directly with healthcare providers and with the leading healthcare IT suppliers to make the best evidence-based decision support tools available at the point of care. UBM Medica is unique in its ability to combine internationally referenced alert tools with comprehensive local product information, all delivered to IT partners through a common interface.

In addition to drug information UBM Medica also provides information and education to healthcare professionals and patients around the world via a unique portfolio of media products including magazines, newspapers, websites and events.

For more information, go to http://www.ubmmedica.com.

Contact : Sam Elliott,  Sam.Elliott@ubm.com

2. About MAIDIS 

MAIDIS is an international software vendor company specialized in the field of healthcare and proposes the most innovative, reliable, modular and flexible solutions on the market today. These solutions, using the most advanced technology available, are based on more than 20 years of experience and know-how in the healthcare field. MAIDIS offers also services like installation, support and training.

MAIDIS is located in France and in the United Arab Emirates. MAIDIS solutions are used today by about 20,000 users (doctors, nurses, administrative staff and secretaries) on more than 2,500 sites.

For more information go to http://www.maidis.com

Contact : Benoit Van Den Bulcke (benoit.vandenbulcke@maidis.fr)

UBM Medicais one of the world's leading providers of drug information content to healthcare professionals (http://www.ubmmedica.com), with trusted brands such as Vidal (http://www.vidal.fr), MIMS (http://www.mims.com), Glebe Liste Pharmindex (http://www.gelbe-liste.de) and Vademecum (http://www.vademecum.es). UBM Medica has a strong local presence in 24 countries across Europe and Asia/Pacific. UBM Medica's global expertise and strong local presence enables it to deliver unique drug information solutions. UBM Medica's strategy is to work directly with healthcare providers and with the leading healthcare IT suppliers to make the best evidence-based decision support tools available at the point of care. UBM Medica is unique in its ability to combine internationally referenced alert tools with comprehensive local product information, all delivered to IT partners through a common interface.

UBM Medicahas supplied iSOFT with drug information systems for over 40 years and this extended relationship is a testament to how well the two companies have worked together to develop their respective businesses in Australia and Asia. Both companies are looking to expand their relationship into new territories around the world as demand for evidence-based decision support tools continues to grow.

Healthcare providers increasingly recognise the need for comprehensive, up to date information to support the treatment decisions of their healthcare professionals.

Henry Elkington, CEO of UBM Medica said: "The award of this contract demonstrates that we are addressing the needs of one of the most dynamic multi-national healthcare solution providers. By providing trusted local data with best-in-class decision support tools we are enabling solutions that will be recognised and welcomed by clinicians. In addition, by delivering data through a common interface we can speed up and simplify deployment for the solution provider."

"We are delighted to be able to build on our existing relationship with iSOFT and look forward to supporting the growth and development of their business around the world."

Dr Michael Dahlweid, iSOFT's Chief Medical Officer said: "The agreement with UBM Medica will provide improved and real-time access to UBM Medica's sophisticated knowledge bases. When interacting with iSOFT products, these decision support tools will provide the capacity to alert clinicians to interactions between medicines, food, health conditions and patient allergies and more, making patient safety the priority in a world of increasing drug complexity."

"This new service will strengthen the quality of the drug content available within iSOFT products giving our customers ready access to the very latest drug and allergy information ensuring that prescribing clinicians have up-to-date and fully integrated drug information to enhance patient treatment and safety."

Notes to Editors

1. About UBM Medica

UBM Medica provides information and education to healthcare professionals and patients around the world. It has a unique portfolio of professional media products including newspapers, magazines, drug directories, electronic databases, websites and events.

For more information, go to http://www.ubmmedica.com.

"Medical professionals who use SearchMedica constantly provide feedback, and in the last year we continued incorporating that input and made a great deal of improvements and changes to SearchMedica," said Edward Grossman, senior vice president of digital media and acquisitions for SearchMedica. "We always appreciate hearing from medical professionals about how they use SearchMedica in their practice, but receiving this honor from the Web Marketing Association shows the greater online community also acknowledges SearchMedica's progress in presenting Web content more practically to medical professionals."

More than 2,400 sites from 45 countries were evaluated across 96 industry categories during this year's WebAwards. Each site was evaluated by three or more expert judges based on Design, Innovation, Content, Technology, Interactivity, Copywriting and Ease of Use. SearchMedica consistently scored well above industry and WebAward averages on all seven criteria.

[It is] hard to judge a search engine, but [SearchMedica] can be added into one's own site, and the design is good," said one WebAward judge of SearchMedica. "The returned search seemed useful and the related topics correct. Strikes me as a brilliantly made...and immensely useful site. Too clever for me."

The highest score in any given category wins Best Web site of that industry, while other high achievers in the same category are awarded the Outstanding Website WebAward or the Standard of Excellence WebAward.

"While we are honored to be recognized as the best in the industry, it is even more encouraging to hear the judges say SearchMedica is 'too clever,'" Grossman continued. "We created SearchMedica in response to the frustrations of doctors trying to search for clinical information on mainstream search engines amidst all the consumer clutter. This means we have accomplished what we set out to do. Without a medical background, not much of what a user finds through SearchMedica.com will make much sense."

In 2007, SearchMedica.com received a Standard of Excellence WebAward for its outstanding user experience.

- ENDS - 

SearchMedica.com indexes only authoritative medical information, approved for inclusion by medical editors and a physician editorial board. Medical professionals receive more relevant, smaller sets of search results from SearchMedica.com than from mainstream engines, which contain consumer-oriented, paid testimonials and other types of unreliable information. Since SearchMedica.com is advertiser supported, medical professionals pay nothing to use the search engine. All SearchMedica search results are independent and unbiased. They contain well-known, credible journals, peer-reviewed research and evidence-based articles written for practicing healthcare professionals. SearchMedica is currently available at http://www.SearchMedica.com.

The Web Marketing Association (WMA) was founded in 1997 to help set a high standard for Internet marketing and web development. Staffed by volunteers, this organization is made up of marketing, advertising, public relations and web design professionals from around the world who share a passion for improving the quality of advertising, marketing and web site development on the Internet today and in the future.

The primary tool used to raise the standard of excellence in the Internet is through professional competitions. The WebAward Competition is the premier showcase for Web site development in more than 96 industry categories.

Lisa Taylor, digital director of SearchMedica UK, said: ‘This is a great addition to the information already available through SearchMedica.co.uk and it enables our users to get all the information they need from multiple, authoritative sources in one search.’

- ENDS -

About Searchmedica.co.uk
SearchMedica.co.uk is a specialist search engine for GPs and other healthcare professionals, designed to offer easy access to relevant medical information online. SearchMedica.co.uk saves time when searching, helping healthcare professionals focus on patient care.

For more information, visit www.searchmedica.co.uk/content/about_us/about_us.ftl

or www.ubmmedica.com

Alternatively, please contact:
Lisa Taylor
SearchMedica
Tel +44 (0)20 7921 8716
lisa.taylor@ubm.com

About eMC
The electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) is the largest and most comprehensive source of Government-approved information about UK medicines.

The eMC is owned and managed by Datapharm Communications, a not-for-profit company funded by subscriptions from about 150 UK pharmaceutical companies.

Datapharm’s aim is to improve public health and safety by providing up-to-date, accurate and comprehensive information about medicines to healthcare professionals, patients and the general public through a range of medicine information services.

Datapharm collaborates with organisations including the National Health Service (NHS), the Department of Health and patient groups such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in the delivery of good quality, reliable and up-to-date medicine information services.

For more information, visit www.emc.medicines.org.uk/

Alternatively, please contact:
Eve Laird
Datapharm, publisher of the eMC
Tel +44 (0)1372 371411
elaird@medicines.org.uk

The SearchMedica medical search on GPnotebook provides a bespoke facility that refines the medical information into key categories.   A GP can now look up information concerning a subject such as obesity with access to associated patient leaflets, guidelines and drug information on GPNotebook

The development is centred on making it quicker and easier for GPs to access relevant and trusted information online.

- ENDS –

About SearchMedica
SearchMedica.co.uk is a specialist search engine for GPs and other healthcare professionals, designed to give them easy access to relevant medical information online. SearchMedica.co.uk is about saving time when searching helping healthcare professionals to focus on their patients.

SearchMedica.co.uk is run by UBM Medica, part of United Business Media, and was created using search technology from Convera.

For more information visit www.SearchMedica.co.uk or www.ubmmedica.com

About GPnotebook
GPnotebook is a clinical medical encyclopaedia providing free access to over 30,000 pages of professional quality information. The development of GPnotebook started as collaboration between a group of medical students at Oxford and Cambridge Clinical Medical Schools 15 years ago and now provides concise coverage of the whole of clinical medicine.

For more information visit www.gpnotebook.co.uk or contact Jim McMorran at support@gpnotebook.co.uk

The new version features redesigned home and results pages making the search engine easier and more intuitive to use.

SearchMedica’s unique results categories – designed to make searching quicker for busy health professionals - are now more prominent above the natural search results and the look and feel of the site has been updated to streamline the search process.

Try a search on the new-look SearchMedica.co.uk.

Behind the scenes, SearchMedica’s architecture has been overhauled to make new developments quicker to introduce. These include a new ‘Results from’ feature showcasing results from SearchMedica’s key partners such as Pulse, the Practitioner, C+D and GPnotebook, as well as a list of authoritative sites recommended by SearchMedica’s editorial team, including OnMedica and Doctors.net.

Lisa Taylor, digital director of SearchMedica UK said: ‘The information needs of healthcare professionals continue to change with the evolution of the industry and we must adapt to meet those needs. The latest developments to SearchMedica will improve the user experience. They also enable us to provide UK healthcare professionals with information more quickly, so that they may treat their patients with the most authoritative and recent information at their disposal.’

“SearchMedica is proud to supplement ModernMedicine.com in its effort to provide quality, credible healthcare information to medical professionals,” said Cyndy Finnie, senior product manager for SearchMedica. “SearchMedica is committed to connecting physicians and other healthcare professionals to these trusted resources, ultimately improving patient care.”

As part of this strategic partnership, SearchMedica.com will power ModernMedicine’s Web searches, driving reliable medical search results to the ModernMedicine.com search results page. In turn, ModernMedicince.com will offer users access to credible professional medical search results on SearchMedica.com.

“ModernMedicine.com provides healthcare professionals with instant answers to clinical and practice management questions from highly credible and trusted sources,” said David Hoo, vice president of marketing for Advanstar Life Sciences Marketing. “The partnership with SearchMedica enhances our content and features and fits with our new digital strategy to bring timely, high quality content to the medical community aggregated from strategic partners as well as our own brands.”

ModernMedicine provides healthcare professionals with access to a robust, cross-specialty library of content that is complemented by interactive tools and features. The beta version registered more than 25,000 users in 2007 with minimal promotion. As of February 29, 2008, registration had surpassed 50,000, and the site is now being further expanded with a goal of registering 150,000 users or more.

In addition to ranking search results according to relevance as many search engines do, SearchMedica also organizes results into such categories as practical articles and news, research reviews and editorials, evidence-based articles and meta-analyses, practice guidelines, clinical trials for patients, continuing medical education, and alternative or complementary medicine. This segmented organization makes it easier than ever for healthcare professionals to pinpoint the information they seek.

About SearchMedica.com:

SearchMedica.com indexes only authoritative medical information, approved for inclusion by medical editors and a physician editorial board. Medical professionals receive more relevant, smaller sets of search results from SearchMedica.com than from mainstream engines, which contain consumer-oriented, paid testimonials and other types of unreliable information. Since SearchMedica.com is advertiser supported, medical professionals pay nothing to use the specialty search engine. All SearchMedica search results are independent and unbiased. They contain well-known, credible journals, peer-reviewed research, and evidence-based articles written for practicing healthcare professionals. SearchMedica is currently available at www.SearchMedica.com.

About ModernMedicine.com:

ModernMedicine.com (www.modernmedicine.com) is an online service of Advanstar Communications Inc. (www.advanstar.com), a leading worldwide media company providing integrated marketing solutions for the Fashion, Life Sciences and Powersports industries. Advanstar serves business professionals and consumers in these industries with its portfolio of 47 events, 60 publications and directories, 95 electronic publications and Web sites, as well as educational and direct marketing products and services. Market leading brands and a commitment to delivering innovative, quality products and services enables Advanstar to “Connect Our Customers With Theirs.” Advanstar has approximately 1,000 employees and currently operates from multiple offices in North America and Europe.

"While medical professionals can access much of the same information offline, they are choosing to leverage technology to access medical literature in a more convenient and timely manner," said Cyndy Finnie, senior product manager for SearchMedica. "Many factors can motivate medical professionals to conduct a search, including the desire to stay informed about new developments or learn more about high profile topics, like the CDC study released last October that suggested Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (i.e. staph) infections were more common than previously thought. 

"Seasonality also plays an important role, with special observations like awareness months and special events causing spikes in search volume," she added. "But regardless of the factors driving the searches, the SearchMedica data enables us to identify the medical terms and conditions that are top-of-mind among medical professionals."

The top five Q4 cancer-related searches by medical professionals were:

1. CNS metastases (Q3-’07 – breast cancer)
2. Prostate cancer (Q3-’07 – lung cancer)
3. Ovarian cancer (Q3-’07 – vertebroplasty metastases)
4. Medullary thyroid cancer (Q3-’07 – leukemia)
5. Pancreatic cancer (Q3-’07 – recurrent ovarian cancer)

The top five Q4 general medicine-related searches by medical professionals were:

1. Hypertension (Q3-’07 – cortisol)
2. Osteoporosis (Q3-’07 – HbA1c/glycated hemoglobin)
3. Diabetes (Q3-’07 – dopamine)
4. MRSA (Q3-’07 – aphthous ulcers)
5. Hypothyroidism (Q3-’07 – hypertension)

The top five Q4 psychiatric searches by medical professionals were:

1. Bipolar (Q3-’07 – mood stabilizer)
2. Borderline personality disorder (Q3-’07 – unipolar vs. bipolar depression)
3. OCD (Q3-’07 – asperger’s)
4. ADHD (Q3-‘07 – hypomania)
5. Depression (Q3-‘07 – bipolar)

SearchMedica provides clinicians with a specialist’s view of the Web and an easy-to-use interface leveraging the medical expertise of thought leading medical editors as well as practicing physicians to ensure that every result is clinically sound. For instance, a Google search on the term "bipolar," a mental disorder frequently in the news as of late, returns approximately 21 million results, most of which are inconsequential to clinicians. The same search nets a more manageable 40 thousand results on SearchMedica Psychiatry from some of the most credible online sources of medical literature for physicians and practitioners. The results can be even more targeted by allowing clinicians to refine the search via content category – peer-reviewed research, evidence-based medicine, etc.

According to Finnie, healthcare professionals who register may receive updates about new content and tips on how to use various advanced tools within SearchMedica. In addition to ranking search results according to relevance, SearchMedica also organizes results into categories such as practical articles and news, research reviews and editorials, evidence-based articles and meta-analyses, practice guidelines, clinical trials for patients, continuing medical education, and alternative-complementary medicine.

For the full SearchMedica Clinical Search Terms Quarterly Report, email requests to ksmith@preturn.com.

SearchMedica.com recently was acknowledged for its outstanding user experience as a recipient of a 2007 Standard of Excellence WebAward.

“The ‘Clinical Search Terms’ quarterly reports list the disorders, diseases, conditions and treatments that are top of mind with medical professionals,” said Cyndy Finnie, senior product manager for SearchMedica. “We’ve compiled all of the SearchMedica.com oncology, primary care and psychiatry searches that took place in the third quarter to help other medical professionals stay informed of the latest patient care trends impacting their peers and clarify the online behavior of medical professionals for those that can apply these findings to improve communication efforts aimed at medical doctors and other healthcare professionals.”

In the third quarter of 2007, the top cancer related searches among medical professionals were:

1. breast cancer
2. lung cancer
3. vertebroplasty
4. metastases leukemia
5. recurrent ovarian cancer

The top psychiatric searches among medical professionals were:

1. mood stabilizer
2. unipolar vs. bipolar depression
3. asperger’s
4. hypomania
5. bipolar

The top general clinical searches among medical professionals were:

1. cortisol
2. HbA1c/glycated hemoglobin
3. dopamine
4. aphthous ulcers
5. hypertension

“Despite having perhaps the greatest wealth of trusted information resources available to them offline, doctors go online in droves to research topics covered extensively in those same resources. When we asked 6,000 doctors, 77 percent of primary care physicians said they turned to the Web frequently to find medical information,” added Finnie. “Considering the misleading, erroneous and consumer-oriented information online underscores the importance of SearchMedica; it provides a trusted gateway to credible information for medical professionals who use SearchMedica.”

SearchMedica provides clinicians with a specialist’s view of the Web and an easy to use interface. SearchMedica.com leverages the medical expertise of thought leading medical editors as well as practicing physicians to ensure that every result is clinically sound.

For instance, a Google search on the term “teen suicide,” a topic that has been in the news often as of late, returns approximately 722,000 results, most of which are geared toward parents and patients. The same search nets 150 results on SearchMedica from some of the most credible online sources of medical information for physicians and practitioners.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to register to receive updates about new content and tips on how to use various advanced tools within SearchMedica. In addition to ranking search results according to relevance, SearchMedica also organizes results into categories such as practical articles and news, research reviews and editorials, evidence-based articles and meta-analyses, practice guidelines, clinical trials for patients, continuing medical education, and alternative-complementary medicine.

SearchMedica.com recently was acknowledged for its outstanding user experience as a recipient of a 2007 Standard of Excellence WebAward.

About SearchMedica.com:
SearchMedica.com indexes only authoritative medical information, approved for inclusion by medical editors and a physician editorial board. Medical professionals receive more relevant, smaller sets of search results from SearchMedica.com than from mainstream engines, which contain consumer-oriented, paid testimonials and other types of unreliable information. Since SearchMedica.com is advertiser supported, medical professionals pay nothing to use the specialty search engines. All SearchMedica search results are independent and unbiased. They contain well-known, credible journals, peer-reviewed research, and evidence-based articles written for practicing healthcare professionals. SearchMedica is currently available at http://www.searchmedica.com/.

27 July 2007

Extends UBM Medica's drug information systems business in Australia

United Business Media Plc today announces that its healthcare division UBM Medica has acquired the Australian Prescription Products Guide for A$1m (£0.4m).

The Australian Prescription Products Guide is a key drug information brand for the Australian pharmacy market. This acquisition will extend the reach of UBM Medica's drug information systems business, which is currently focused on medical practitioners, into the pharmacy market.

The acquisition is subject to the approval of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

These businesses will become part of UBM Medica France, where they will complement the existing major drug directory business, Vidal – with reciprocal promotion and access to advertisers, government and health professionals. There is scope to expand the major brands into customised services and content-based marketing. UBM acquired UBM Medica during 2004.

The purchase price is €36 million in cash, and the completion of the transaction is subject to satisfactory completion of the contract and related conditions. In 2004 the business generated approximately €60m of turnover and €6m of profit before tax. The proposed acquisition should increase earnings by more than 2% in its first twelve months.

Notes to Editors:

Trade Press
The three main titles are the pre-eminent daily doctors' paper, Quotidien du Médecin, a weekly, Le Généraliste, and a bi-weekly for pharmacists, Quotidien du Pharmacien. Together, the doctors' titles held a 54% share of the advertising market in 2003. In 2004 Quotidien du Pharmacien took the leading position in its market.

Trade shows
This division contains a biennial hospital trade show, Hopital Expo, and the major annual doctors' conference and exhibition, Medec.

Henry Elkington, 41, is currently UBM’s Director of Corporate Development, having joined UBM in August 2005. Henry spent 16 years at The Boston Consulting Group, where he advised on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and post-merger integration in a range of industries including pharmaceuticals, media and telecoms. He became a partner and director of BCG in 1996, before establishing his own consultancy practice in 2004.

In addition to this appointment, UBM’s healthcare activities worldwide will be consolidated into UBM Medica to create a fully integrated global healthcare media division with 2005 pro forma revenues* of around £170m. In addition to its existing market-leading European and Asian medical media businesses, UBM Medica will take responsibility for UBM’s US and UK healthcare activities. The newly-consolidated UBM Medica division will bring together expertise in healthcare print, events and electronic media. The division will benefit from shared market-specific skillsets such as excellence in print and online in France, UK, USA, Australia and a number of Asian countries; market-leading Drug Information Services expertise in France, Spain and across Asia; as well as strengths in Continuing Medical Education in the US. This consolidation will enable UBM Medica to better serve the growing needs of its pharmaceutical customers and its physician audience worldwide.

In a parallel development, UBM Medica will focus its activities exclusively on the needs of its principal market - the global technology industry. This follows significant expansion of the business over the last twelve months with the acquisition of BlackHat, Light Reading, MediaLive, Shorecliff and TechOnLine for a total of $120m. UBM Medica will transfer its US-based medical publishing and continuing medical education businesses to UBM Medica. UBM Medica’s exhibitions businesses in the beauty and cruise shipping markets will be transferred into UBM’s CMPi division. Reflecting the focus on its core markets, CMP Media will in future operate as CMP Technology. The division’s 2005 pro forma revenues* were around £200m.

David Levin, United Business Media’s Group Chief Executive Officer said:

“I am very pleased to appoint Henry to lead our expanded and focussed healthcare business. We considered some excellent external candidates for the post but Henry’s considerable knowledge and understanding of the healthcare sector as well as his terrific wider business experience and expertise made him the first choice. Having spent almost a year as UBM’s Director of Corporate Development, Henry is ideally placed to lead UBM Medica and I look forward to working with him in his new role.

The wider organisational changes to UBM Medica and the formation of a focussed UBM Technology division also announced today are designed to create business organisations that better reflect the global nature of the healthcare and technology customers that these divisions serve. These changes are part of our continuing strategic evolution of United Business Media as a media business dedicated to serving the needs of specific B2B communities across integrated media platforms.”

* includes full year revenue of acquisitions

Henry Elkington, CEO of UBM Medica said:

"Combining Medibridge and MeXi Solutions will enable us to better serve our customers in Belgium.  This deal strengthens our existing business and more than meets UBM’s rate of return criterion for acquisitions.”

UBM’s medical division has launched a portfolio of media products in conjunction with its Indian partner Cybermedia, focusing on the global technology and business services sourcing industry. The portfolio comprises the Global Services website (www.globalservices.com), the monthly Global Services magazine launched in February this year, and the Global Services conference. These products provide an integrated media solution that connects global buyers and sellers of outsourced business and technology services.

UBM Medica's Asia division is expanding its presence in India with the launch of a number of new events including CPhI India (chemical ingredients exhibition and conference) and Food Ingredients India conference, both in cooperation with CMPi, and Entech India (environmental and renewable energy exhibition and conference).

To provide support for its growing activities and widening interests in India, UBM has opened new premises in Mumbai.  The new site is designed to provide an operational base for all UBM’s businesses as they develop their activities across the sub-continent.

MHC is headquartered in Shanghai and provides medical and pharmaceutical marketing consultancy services to multinational pharmaceutical companies across China.  This is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Chinese healthcare market and the acquisition will strengthen UBM Medica’s position in the Chinese market as a leading provider of medical and pharmaceutical marketing consultancy services.

The acquisition is anticipated to exceed UBM’s 8% post-tax cost of capital criterion in 2007.

Henry Elkington, Chief Executive Officer of UBM Medica said:

“We are delighted to be able to strengthen our capabilities in China by combining MediReach with our existing local businesses.  We are committed to developing innovative solutions for the pharmaceutical industry in the fast-evolving Chinese market.”

Shankland served as SVP of UBM Medica's U.S. promotional business unit for six years prior to accepting the promotion. She has worked for various United Business Media companies since 1988, when she began working for Miller Freeman. Shankland orchestrated the 2006 launch of SearchMedica (http://www.searchmedica.com/), an innovative series of specialty oriented professional medical search engines that contain only trusted and practical clinical information, including SearchMedica Primary Care, SearchMedica Psychiatry and SearchMedica Oncology.

Shankland replaces Vicki Masseria, who spent 26 years working at UBM Medica and its predecessor companies. Masseria was instrumental in identifying and facilitating many U.S. acquisitions for United Business Media (UBM) and UBM Medica, including the acquisition of CME LLC in 1999 as well as various publishing acquisitions over the last several years.

Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, Physicians Practice LLC is a healthcare media company. Its principal product is Physicians Practice, a leading practice management publication that supports physicians with business, financial and legal expertise to assist them manage their practices more efficiently. Physicians Practice reaches more than 275,000 office-based physicians and is supported by more than 60 hospital sponsors. The journal was recently named the 2006 Publication of the Year by the American Society of Healthcare Professionals. In addition, the business also runs Continuing Medical Education programs, newsletters and e-newsletters, audio-conferences and custom publishing, as well as the online complement to Physicians Practice, www.physicianspractice.com. The site hosts a virtual community for physicians and their staff, focusing on business aspects of practice management, as well as providing advice, archived articles, forms, tools, calculators and other features.

Physicians Practice LLC will be integrated into UBM Medica's marketing services operations in the United States. Ken Karpay, Publisher of Physicians Practice, will remain in his role. Physicians Practice LLC's revenues for calendar year 2006 were $10.1m. The acquisition is anticipated to meet UBM's 8% post-tax cost of capital criterion for acquisitions in its first full year of ownership.

Henry Elkington, chief executive officer of UBM Medica said:

"UBM Medica focuses on serving specific professional healthcare communities, one of which is primary care physicians. We aim to offer as comprehensive a set of media products and services as possible to each of our chosen communities. Physicians Practice has a terrific set of products to help physicians manage the business side of their practices. Physicians Practice has established itself as the leading practice management brand for US primary care physicians. This acquisition will help us deepen our relationship with the primary care community by bringing products that complement our existing portfolio which includes Consultant magazine, www.consultantlive.com and www.searchmedica.com. The acquisition also brings us new relationships with hospital sponsors and product and service vendors."