“He who rejects change is the architect of decay,” said former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson. “The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”
For several years, print publications have been criticized — often rightly — for being stuck in their ways, afraid or unwilling to change or go against the grain or do something different.
Here at Health Management Technology, we look at our annual readers' survey as an opportunity for us to change for the better in order to provide more of what our readers want.
We were gratified to see that our expert roundups are among the most popular features (the favorite of more than 70 percent of you); we recently introduced them as a regular feature based upon feedback on another reader survey. We thought the roundups were a good way for readers to get a variety of perspectives on important subjects in a short amount of time; it turns out you agree.
And that brings me to another change we've implemented: keeping it short and sweet.
For better or worse, most people I know are busier than they've ever been. Honestly, when was the last time you sat down and read an entire 3,500-word feature article in a magazine?
In our continuing effort to make sure our readers and advertisers get the most bang for their buck, we are running more short stories, editing them down to their most important points, so that you can quickly glean something positive from reading a page-long case study on one organization's purchase and implementation of an EHR system, for example — and then get on with the rest of your busy day.
Also faring well in the readership survey: our weekly e-newsletter, bylined case studies, industry news, hospital and EHR features, Thought Leaders and product announcements. Rest assured we will continue to provide you with these popular regular items.
Some other key findings of the survey: Nearly half of readers surveyed have read or looked through all of the most recent four magazines. Our audience is varied: Readers' IT networks range from serving less than 50 to more than 10,000 users. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed saved an issue for future reference; 60 percent visited a vendor Web site after seeing a story or ad in this magazine; 65 percent shared HMT with a coworker or supervisor; more than 20 percent contacted a vendor after seeing them here; and nearly 10 percent of you purchased a product featured in these pages.
More than half of readers surveyed are more likely to inquire about a company featured in an HMT advertisement, and more than a third are more likely to consider that company during product evaluations.
These are encouraging numbers; they keep us motivated to continue to improve on giving our readers what they want.
Enjoy the magazine. Until next time, here's wishing you good healthcare IT.
