August is normally quiet in Washington, DC, but in keeping with the theme of 2020, this month has been more frenetic. While we beat back new taxes on the insights industry, the Insights Association has had to tangle with the demise of the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield for data transfer, further pandemic relief, some new threats to pharma MR, the finalization of CCPA, and an attempt to rush the 2020 Census that threatens the statistical viability of most marketing research and data analytics in the U.S.

Marketing research and data analytics companies and departments that operate as business associates under HIPAA have a bit more leeway in handling disclosure of protected health information during the COVID-19 crisis if the data relates to public health

Adverse event reporting, with which some pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers require assistance from their marketing research and data analytics departments and partners/vendors, continues during the COVID-19 crisis.

Each time the state of Minnesota has tried to clarify treatment of respondent incentives for the participation of health care practitioners in marketing research sponsored by pharmaceutical manufacturers, companies still end up confused. What do the law, regulations and guidance tell us?

Legislation in the city of Philadelphia that would have cut off pharmaceutical marketing research with doctors was defeated in the city council yesterday.

As the state legislature considers a bill to prohibit most payments from the pharmaceutical industry to health care providers in connection with their participation in research, a new survey indicates the public health benefits of pharmaceutical marketing research studies of doctors.

“Patients are lying to their doctors; they are lying to protect their privacy,” stated Kathryn Serkes.

A number of interesting bills have been introduced in Tennessee, Oklahoma, New York, Hawaii, Virginia and Georgia on issues of data sharing, data security, healthcare data privacy, data retention,

South Carolina Senator Daniel B. "Danny" Verdin (R-09) introduced S.J.R.