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Frequently
Asked Questions
Click
on the question you're interested in to see the answer.
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 Michelle Castillo,
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 zip code 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
privacy and 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.
Why do you want my AMA identification number?
A.
It is crucially important that all members of the Physicians Advisory
Council® are legitimate physicians. Our clients are basing million-dollar
decisions on the results of our physician surveys.
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.
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