2007 Survey Methodology

In July we e-mailed questionnaires for the Medical Economics 2007 Exclusive Survey to 116,807 MDs and DOs in office-based practice throughout the US. The sample included 77,471 subscribers to various Advanstar-owned publications—Patient Care, Geriatrics, Contemporary Pediatrics, Contemporary Ob/Gyn, and Medical Economics, among others. The survey also was sent via e-mail to 39,336 physicians from the AMA master list maintained by Direct Medical Data, roughly split between general practitioners and FPs. A reminder mailing was sent out about a week after the initial e-mail; a second reminder went out a week after that, but did not go to the entire sample.

We received 5,869 usable responses, representing a response rate of 5 percent. The maximum statistical error at the 95 percent confidence level is + 1.25 percent.