Crain's merges two titles

CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS is merging Modern Physician into Modern Healthcare, saying that a flood of physicians moving into the C-suite, or top executive roles, had made maintaining separate monthly titles redundant. The combined title, retaining both the Modern Healthcare name and publisher and corporate

Crain's will publish a quarterly supplement for 20,000 physician subscribers, and will maintain a dedicated online presence for physician executives with three separate vehicles under the Modern Physician banner: an online daily newspaper, a monthly newsletter and an expanded Web site. Modem Healthcare also will carry two news pages devoted to coverage of issues of concern to physician executives.

"We're now trying to become the single source for all executives running any kind of healthcare business," Lauer said. Advertising at Modern Physician, he added, had softened. Around nine staff members were made redundant by the consolidation of the Chicago-based titles. Clark Bell, publisher of Modern Physician, has left but will contribute a column to the quarterly supplement. The title will be edited by Modern Physician's Joe Conn. Katherine Downing will be Webmaster.

Whereas Modern Healthcare targets C-level executives at Healthcare companies, Modern Physician was aimed at physician executives.

- Matthew Arnold