Physicians Advisory Council
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Frequently Asked Questions

Click on the question you're interested in to see the answer.

What is the cost of joining the Physicians Advisory Council®?
How often would I be asked to participate in online surveys?
Will you really pay money for my opinions?
What is a screening questionnaire?
What is a questionnaire?
Is there a real person to whom I can direct my questions about the Physicians Advisory Council®?
How long is the typical online survey?
Where do I go to take the surveys?
Will you sell my name and address?
Will you try to sell me something?
What happens if I join, but then decide to cancel my membership?
Can my friends become members?
What if I move my practice or change my email address?
When I'm invited to complete a survey, how much time will I have to complete it?
Do I have to fill out a questionnaire to be eligible to win cash or prizes when drawings are conducted?
Will anyone ever know exactly how I personally answered any of the survey questions?
Will the surveys be boring and dull?
Is Decision Analyst a legitimate company?



Q. What is the cost of joining the Physicians Advisory Council®?
A. Joining the panel is free. Once you join, you have the opportunity to earn cash prizes through drawings and to receive a cash honorarium for each completed survey.

Q. How often would I be asked to participate in online surveys?
A. The typical panel member participates in 5 to 7 surveys per year.

Q. Will you really pay money for my opinions?
A. Yes, we will. If you complete a very short survey (no more than five or so minutes in length), your name will be entered in a drawing for a number of cash awards. When you complete a longer survey (10 to 12 minutes or more in length), you will be paid for your time, ranging from $25 U.S. to $200 U.S. or more, depending on the length of the survey. You will receive your payment by check within four weeks.

Q. What is a screening questionnaire?
A. A screening questionnaire is a short survey that contains no more than 15 questions. These questions may be about where you practice, your specialty, your patient load, etc. All of this helps us to determine whether your area of expertise lends itself to the topic of the survey. Please be completely honest and frank when answering these screening questions, so that the questions we ask you pertain to your expert knowledge. Whenever you complete a screening questionnaire, your name will be entered into a drawing for cash awards.

Q. What is a questionnaire?
A. A questionnaire is a longer and more detailed survey than the screening questionnaire. These questions may ask about your opinions, your experiences, the types of products or prescriptions you prescribe, etc. Whenever you complete one of these longer surveys, you will be paid an honorarium. The amount of the honorarium ranges from $25 to $200, and is proportional to the length of time it would take the average physician to complete the survey.

Q. Is there a real person to whom I can direct my questions about the Physicians Advisory Council®?
A. Yes. If you have questions about the panel or about the kind of surveys in which panel members may be asked to participate, send email to Karen-Marie Eaton, Director of Medical Research at Decision Analyst.

Q. How long is the typical online survey?
A. The average survey takes about 10 to 12 minutes to complete. We strive to make every survey as short and simple as possible.

Q. Where do I go to take the surveys?
A. When you are selected to participate in a survey, we will send you an email inviting you to participate. In that email will be the Internet address where you go to complete the survey.

Q. Will you sell my name and address?
A. No. Your name, address and other information are strictly confidential. Your privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity will always be guarded and protected.

Q. Will you try to sell me something?
A. No. Our surveys are purely for scientific or business research purposes. We will never try to sell you anything. We will never try to promote a product under the guise of a survey. You will not be bombarded by drug company advertising, since we don't allow anyone to advertise on this website.

Q. What happens if I join, but then decide to cancel my membership?
A. You simply log on to our website, go to Modify Membership, and enter your email address and password under "Delete Membership". It's that simple.

Q. Can my friends become members?
A. Anyone who is a physician or surgeon can become a member of the Physicians Advisory Council®. We welcome new members.

Q. What if I move my practice or change my email address?
A. Just log on to our website, go to Modify Membership, and enter the new information under "Modify Membership". Your records will immediately be updated.

Q. When I'm invited to complete a survey, how much time will I have to complete it?
A. Generally, you will have 7 to 10 days to complete a survey. The email inviting you to the survey will tell you how long the survey will be open.

Q. Do I have to fill out a questionnaire to be eligible to win cash or prizes when drawings are conducted?
A. No, if you don't want to complete a survey, but want to be in the drawing, just write down the Internet address from your email invitation on a postcard. Add your name and address and mail within 5 days to:

Mr. Alan Taylor
Physicians Advisory Council®
Decision Analyst, Inc.
604 Avenue H East Arlington
TX 76011-3100

Q. Will anyone ever know exactly how I personally answered any of the survey questions?
A. Only two or three Decision Analyst employees, who write computer programs and process the results, will know how you answered, and they have signed binding, nondisclosure agreements to protect your privacyand anonymity. No one outside of Decision Analyst will ever know how you individually answered any question in a survey. We will go to court, if necessary, to protect the privacy and anonymity of our members' individual answers.

Q. Will the surveys be boring and dull?
A. We try our very best to make them simple, short, interesting, and easy to navigate. We know how busy you are and how valuable your time is.

Q. Is Decision Analyst a legitimate company?
A. Yes. Decision Analyst, Inc., a leading international marketing research and marketing consulting firm headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, has been in business for more than 20 years and numbers many Fortune 500 firms among its clients.






  Physicians Advisory Council® is owned and operated by Decision Analyst, Inc., a leading international marketing research and marketing consulting firm headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Send questions or comments about this site to: Alan Taylor

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