My Account
How do I update my email address?
To update your email address, log on to your My Account page, go to Login and then enter your email address and password. Choose the Update Contact Information option located on the front page of your My Account page.
How do I update my contact information?
To update your contact information, log on to your My Account page by going to Login and entering your email address and password. Choose the Update Contact Information option located on the front page of your My Account page. Your records will immediately be updated.
What if I move my practice or change my email address?
To update your registration information, log on to your My Account page by going to Login and entering your email address and password. Choose the Update Registration Questions option located on the front page of your My Account page.
How do I "Pause" my account or put my account on hold until I would like to receive surveys again?
To put your account on hold or "Pause" your account, log on to your My Account page, go to Login and enter your email address and password. You can then choose the Pause Account option located on the front page of your My Account page.
Once your account has been Paused, you will not receive any surveys from the Physicians Advisory Council®. You will, however, receive emails about policy changes or account information during this time.
You can log back in and resume your account at any time. Simply choose the Resume Account option.
Why is my account status shown as "Pending," "Paused," or "Inactive" on My Account page?
Pending means you have not confirmed your membership to the Physicians Advisory Council®. You can simply choose the Click Here option at the top of your My Account page by going to Login and entering your email address and password to receive another email to confirm your membership.
Paused means you have paused your membership account to temporarily not receive surveys from the Physicians Advisory Council®. You will, however, continue to receive emails about policy changes or account information changes. Log into your membership account and choose the Resume Account option to start receiving surveys.
Inactive means that you have not responded to a survey from the Physicians Advisory Council® within a period of18 consecutive months or on thirty (30) consecutive occasions. If you wish to remain a Member of the Physicians Advisory Council® panel, please choose the Activate Account option.
What happens if I join, but then decide to cancel my membership?
To delete your account, log on to your My Account page, go to Login and then enter your email address and password. Choose the Delete Account option located on the front page of your My Account page. Deleting your account could take up to 10 days for your request to be processed, so please disregard any emails you receive from us in the meantime.
Taking an Online Survey
Where do I go take the surveys?
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.
How often would I be asked to participate in online surveys?
The typical panel member participates in 5 to 7 surveys per year.
What is a screening questionnaire?
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.
What is a questionnaire?
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 $250, and is proportional to the length of time it would take the average physician to complete the survey.
How can I make sure that surveys from the Physicians Advisory Council® come to my inbox instead of being blocked or sent to spam folders?
If your email program has a bulk mail or junk mail folder to automatically filter spam, please add ataylor@physicianscouncil.com to your approved senders list to make sure you receive our emails.
For Yahoo! Mail, check Bulk or Spam Mail folder and click the Not Spam button.
For Hotmail, Windows Live, or MSN, check your Junk Folder and Safe List by clicking the Safe and Blocked Senders button, and then click Safe Senders. Our domain is physicianscouncil.com.
For AOL, click the Custom sender list link and choose the Allow Email From button.
For Gmail, you must add our email address to your contacts list. Also, check your Spam Folder and mark our emails as Not spam.
How long is the typical online survey?
The average survey takes about 10 to 12 minutes to complete. We strive to make every survey as short and simple as possible.
Membership
What is the cost of joining the Physicians Advisory Council®?
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.
How can I become a member?
It’s free. All you have to do is fill out the registration form. It will take about five minutes. Click here to register. .
What do you do with my registration information?
That information is used to decide which surveys you should receive. Your personal information is stored in our private, encrypted, and secure databases. The information is used only for research purposes, and your personal information is never shared with anyone outside of the Physicians Advisory Council®. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
If I live outside the United States, can I still join the panel?
Yes, the Physicians Advisory Council® is open to everyone all over the world.
Registration
I entered all my information but am not sure if my registration went through. How can I check?
You can check to see if your registration was successful by going to Login and typing in your email address and password on the Login page. If you are able to view your registration information, then you have successfully registered as a Member of the Physicians Advisory Council®.
What do I do if I did not receive a confirmation email?
The confirmation email is sent to you automatically after you register. Sometimes, due to high Web traffic, emails get lost. If you have not received your confirmation email, please log in to your My Account page and use the Click Here link to request that an additional email be sent to your email address. Remember to check your email box for the confirmation email. If you do not see an email from us, ataylor@physicianscouncil.com, please check your spam or junk email box for the confirmation email.
When I enter my email address, I get a message saying I'm already registered, but I have never registered before. What should I do?
Go to the Login Web page and type in your email address and password. You can then check to see if you are registered. You may have previously registered with us. You can update your contact information and registration information on the My Account page.
If you get a message stating that you have entered an incorrect password, your password may be incorrectly entered or you may not be registered with us. If you continue to have difficulty, please email ataylor@physicianscouncil.com.
HONORARIUMS TO COMPLETE ONLINE SURVEYS
Will anyone ever know exactly how I personally answered any of the survey questions?
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.
Will the surveys be boring and dull?
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.
Will you really pay money for my opinions?
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 $250 U.S. or more, depending on the length of the survey. You will receive your payment by check within four weeks.
Do I have to fill out a questionnaire to be eligible to win cash or prizes when drawings are conducted?
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
I live outside the U.S. or Canada and was wondering, "How do I get paid?"
The Physicians Advisory Council® sends a cheque in the member’s own currency. For panelists in countries that are unable to receive these types of cheques, an American Express Gift Cheque will be sent.
Technical Help
I can't get your survey to open in my browser. What should I do?
For best results with our surveys, we recommend that you use the most up-to-date version of your Internet browser. If you have an earlier version of your Internet browser, you can update it by going to the maker's website (it's free to update it).
If you are viewing the survey using AOL's built-in browser: minimize the AOL window (click on the left-most of the three buttons at the top-right corner of the AOL window), then view the survey in Internet Explorer. For more AOL-specific help, go to http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/microsite.do.
I clicked on the survey URL and got the message "page not found" or "Sorry, we have encountered an error loading the requested survey." What should I do?
This could be due to many panelists trying to access our website simultaneously. Please try again at a later time. If you continue to have difficulty, please email ataylor@physicianscouncil.com.
Another option is to copy and paste the survey link (provided in the email we sent you) into your browser. The link may be two lines in length, so please be sure to copy and paste the entire link.
I was taking a survey, and it won't let me continue on to the next page. It says I still haven't answered one of the questions, but I answered them all. What do I do?
First, make sure your answers for each question show up on the screen. If you were required to click on a small circle, make sure there is a dot in each circle that requires a response. Sometimes when you click quickly on the circle, the dot may appear, but it does not stay when you move to the next question.
General
Is there a real person to whom I can direct my questions about the Physicians Advisory Council®?
Yes. If you have questions about the panel or about the kind of surveys in which panel members may be asked to participate, send an email to Alan Taylor.
Can my friends become members?
Anyone who is a physician or surgeon can become a member of the Physicians Advisory Council®. We welcome new members.
When I'm invited to complete a survey, how much time will I have to complete it?
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.
Will you sell my name and address?
No. Your name, address and other information are strictly confidential. Your privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity will always be guarded and protected.
Will you try to sell me something?
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.
Do you accept advertising on the Physicians Advisory Council® website?
No, we do not accept advertising on www.physicianscouncil.com, nor do we advertise to Members of the Physicians Advisory Council®. We do not share any information that personally identifies Members with any business, client, or business partner. The Physicians Advisory Council® does not sell or rent your personal information to anyone.
Is Decision Analyst a legitimate company?
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.
Why Sign Up?
- You will learn new information through your participation-information that will help you stay abreast of new developments, scientific discoveries, new drugs, and new treatment methods
- You have the opportunity to express your opinions, give your advice, argue your points of view, and share your knowledge
- It's FREE
B.M. - "With the Physicians Advisory Council, I know my respected opinion makes a difference within the medical community."
D.B. - "I recently received my honorarium of $200. Thank you so much for the prompt delivery of the reward. This is my area of practice and I look forward to participating in more surveys about new medical devices."