A Hero in Healthcare Entities Now Booming : M3
Major corporations started announcing financial statements, October 24, for the April-September term and, amid the world economy's uncertain factors - low growth, high yen rate, etc. , a certain IT venture is going strong in the medical care arena: M3, Inc.
M3's consolidated statement for the April-September term, 2016, registered a net profit of 6.5 billion yen or a record-high 20% increase over the same term last year.
Their major line of work is a membership portal site MR-Kun, a stand-in for the so-called MR or medical representatives often found standing by in hospital corridors with chubby files under their arms - awaiting doctors passing by.
The advent of MR-Kun has wiped those MRs off the hospital corridors, channeling necessary information to doctors through efficient IT means. Ah! Quite a change from the days of human wave tactics.
How does this work? Well, it's just as simple as you rightly guess. M3, Inc. channel medicine info to the doctors on commission from drug manufacturers - just like that. The system benefits both ends of the trade and, of course, the bargainer in between. Doctors will get hold of necessary info when they are less occupied; druggists will market new drugs at less cost. Believe you me, up to 80% of Japanese doctors or 250 thousand of them are members of this portal site!
M3, Inc. announced their medical portal sector alone had marked 15% growth contributing to the overall 9% growth in departmental profits. Contracts with drug manufacturers for clinical trials (clinical cases) helped improve the overall performance, as did outplacement services for doctors - all within the framework of MR-Kun membership.
The company has also advanced in overseas mergers and acquisitions, leading to a 14% (34.8 billion yen) increase in the consolidated statement and a 21% (11.1 billion yen) growth in operating profit.
IT has brought about a revolution in yet another line of business. (Nathan Shiga)
