When you think about patients and their health issues, you tend to take one of two approaches: you either focus on things more granularly or you look at the bigger picture. Let's call this micro vs macro. Macro issues might include what connects the larger patient population to issues around a particular disease. Macro looks at statistics and demographics of a patient population. But when you think about patients on a micro level, you get an understanding of how specific patients deal with the everyday realities of living with an illness.

One of the hottest marketing catch phrases of 2012 is "data is the new creative." The premise is that all of the creative in the world won't help you if your decisions aren't data driven.

Recently, I came across an interesting article published in the pharmaceutical marketing publication PM360. It features an examination of the online reputations of the top 10 U.S. prescription medicines as ranked by direct-to-consumer advertising spend. A fundamental component of Michelle Bennett's (who serves as COO of Wool Labs) analysis is an assumption that negative online content and conversations can negatively influence customer perceptions and potentially behaviors.

The digital pathology specialty remains buoyant and is slated to grow in scope and stature, both domestically and globally. Rising household incomes, population growth and a large aging demographic are boosting demand for medical services generally and pathology test referrals in particular. Doctors are ordering more pathology tests as the range of available tests increases, thanks largely to new technology.

Digital health has received a tremendous amount of attention over the last year with the mobile adoption driving a more fragmented ecosystem for publishers, users and marketers. No longer is one screen, or even two, a consumer's resource for information and services. The linchpin for successfully engaging in this splintered environment is focusing first on user experience.

Shopping and solving are two different things.

Money is a powerful motivator. Look no farther than the sports world for validation. The PGA's FedEx Cup encourages golfers to earn "points" towards participation in playoffs that offer a big season-ending payoff. Tennis has a similar format with the U.S. Open Series, where performance in a series of events equates to a huge prize purse. Both instances use hefty prize money to help ensure the top performers participate and at high levels. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have applied this sports theory to its rankings system of Medicare Advantage (MA) and Prescription Drug Plans (PDP) plans. …

It's still first quarter so technically all of us should still be on the health-kick, and your last few trips to the gym are just ahead this week before you quit entirely by mid-February. (So say the "experts" on all things resolution for the New Year.)