MDI initiated two
multi-client reports, the highly successful
VMDR
and the CMDR. The VMDR
will be more fully discussed later
in this document. The CMDR was a multi-client
New Therapy and Change report for
the Canadian human health market.
The first published reports were in
1987. By the end of that year, MDI
had a distinguished list of clients
in the United States and Canada. MDI
was self-funding and broke even in
its second year. Both multi-client
services filled niches that IMS had
left in those markets. In 1989, MDI
launched a practice management system,
ProVet. Unfortunately, the market
was saturated by that time and Provet
had only a few installations.
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In its first four
years, from 1986 to 1990, MDI had
to overcome many challenges while
establishing its business base. Initially,
the VMDR
was targeted for the food and companion
animal health industry. However, after
two years, the food animal report
had to be discontinued because the
food animal veterinarian only played
a recommendation role in treatment.
Diagnoses and therapy links were not
as direct as they were with companion
animal veterinarians. The companio
n animal report continues to successfully
provide a valuable service to the
industry (for further details see
the VMDR
section of this report). Additionally,
the CMDR service was under competitive
pressure from a local Canadian supplier
who also provided an online analytical
option, similar to Dataview. While
MDI also supplied an online option,
the market showed its preference for
dealing with a supplier closer to
home (Toronto versus Chicago). While
coping with these “normal”
business challenges, MDI not only
survived, it grew.
In 1991, MDI acquired Medical Products
Marketing Services (MPMS), a ten year
old audit of infusion pumps in U.S.
hospitals—filling another niche
IMS had left in the market place.
The addition of MPMS more than doubled
the size of MDI’s business base.
MDI continued to grow as the Medical
Products Dynamics Report (MPDR) hospital
service was expanded to the home care
market as the Homecare Infusion Dynamics
Report (HIDR) and more recently to
the alternate site healthcare market
as the Alternate Care Dynamics Report
(ACDR).
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By mid-1998, MDI had
acquired over ten years of experience
in quantitative multi-client and custom
tracking studies. It should be noted
that tracking studies are more demanding
because they must be validated against
clients’ internal data. In addition
to several animal health companies—Merck,
Schering, Pfizer—MDI’s
client list included virtually all
of the hospital and medical device
divisions of the fortune 100 healthcare
companies, such as Abbott Laboratories,
Baxter Laboratories, IMED and IVAC
and other consumer healthcare companies,
such as Proctor & Gamble.
In June of 1998 MDI
purchased the IMS Animal Health Service,
taking over IMS’ position in
this market. The purchase of this
division has again doubled MDI’s
business base. MDI’s ownership
of the Animal Health Service is consistent
with MDI’s commitment to its
mission and vision, and will permit
MDI to continue its history of successful
acquisition and expansion.
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