Qforma Launches New Database to Help Consumers Find Top Community Medical Experts

Presented by USA TODAY, City-wide Rosters to Include Thousands of America‘s Most Influential Doctors by Disease Specialty and Location

SANTA FE, N.M., May 14 /PRNewswire/ – Qforma, an advanced analytics and predictive modeling company, is launching a new quarterly health feature called “Most Influential Doctors,” or MID, presented by USA TODAY. The first-of-its-kind online database provides consumers with access to valuable healthcare information that’s been unavailable to the general public until now.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090514/NY15656)

The initial MID rosters will include the top three-to-five physicians in virtually every metropolitan area in the U.S. who treat people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and asthma – all prevalent, chronic conditions requiring lifelong management and physician care. The MID database is included in a USA TODAY cover story, and additional editorial content will follow. The database is available at www.influentialdoctors.usatoday.com. Here, consumers will be able to freely search for local physicians whom other medical experts seek out for insight on new therapies, practice guidelines and approaches in medicine.

The Qforma MID, presented by USA TODAY, is built on Qforma’s advanced analytic capabilities. Qforma’s proprietary technology — developed by some of the country’s top physicists, scientists and mathematicians — recognizes patterns in human interactions and reveals the most influential physicians in a given disease state or condition by geographic location. As opposed to using subjective surveys or opinion research, Qforma’s approach identifies the regional medical leaders highlighted by the MID lists through the objective analysis of millions of data points that reflect important collaborative indicators such as referral networks, practice patterns, publication history and leadership positions in professional associations.

“USA TODAY has always presented Americans with strong reporting on the healthcare issues most important to them,” said Susan Weiss, managing editor for the Life section at USA TODAY. “The Most Influential Doctors database provides new insight into the respected local physicians who care for our readers, using methodology that goes beyond traditional best-doctor rankings.”

“More than ever before, consumers are seeking advanced intelligence to help them sort through important health-related issues and treatment options, including the factors that might make one physician stand out in a particular disease state,” said Kelly Myers, CEO of Qforma. “The MID feature will empower the American public to make even more informed decisions when seeking healthcare providers in their communities.”

Qforma is an advanced analytics and predictive modeling company with deep roots in understanding complex problems. Drawn from physics and developed in defense-related applications at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the company’s analytical techniques recognize patterns in human interactions and deliver new insights from those findings. Qforma is headquartered in Santa Fe, N.M., with offices in Princeton, N.J. More information is located at http://www.qforma.com.

The data that Qforma analyzes are generated by Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry. More information is located at http://www.wkhealth.com.

Qforma will hold an audio webcast for media to discuss the Most Influential Doctors database at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 15. Log on to: http://www.videonewswire.com/event.asp?id=57210.

Media Contacts:

    Lisa Haley, Qforma, (505) 603-7596, lhaley@qforma.com
    Jeff Hoyak, MCS Public Relations, (800) 477-9626 x312, jeffh@mcspr.com

SOURCE Qforma