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Sermo
Website type
Social network
HeadquartersCambridge, Massachusetts[1]
Websitewww.sermo.com
Users1,500,000

Sermo is an online community exclusively for verified health care professionals. As of 2024, the platform claims to support over 1.5 million members from more than 150 countries.[2] This includes general practitioners, specialists, residents, and advanced practice providers — as well as hundreds of additional healthcare roles ranging from subspecialist physicians and specialist nurses to pharmacists, lab technicians, and administrative decision-makers.[3] Members engage in anonymous peer consultations, collaborative medical crowdsourcing, participation in paid surveys, and access to exclusive clinical and non-clinical content. Sermo is widely used [2] by physicians to earn supplemental income, share complex cases, and access real-world insights from colleagues across specialties and geographies. According to a 2025 episode of 'The PA Is In' podcast, many APP members actively leverage these paid surveys, earning significant supplementary income on the platform. Members also access exclusive clinical and non-clinical content, sharing complex cases and real-world insights with colleagues across specialties and geographies.[4]

The platform has also been cited in academic research and industry studies for its role in surfacing physician sentiment on healthcare trends, medical policies, and emerging clinical issues.[5][6][7]][8]

History

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Sermo was founded in 2005 by physician Dr. Daniel Palestrant as a platform for adverse event reporting, following the Merck Vioxx (Rofecoxib) recall in 2004.[9] In 2007, the company raised $26.7 million in venture funding, followed by an additional $3.5 million in 2011.[10] In 2012, Sermo was acquired by WorldOne, a healthcare research company founded by Peter Kirk.[11] The platform was rebranded to "SERMO" in 2014,[12] before reverting to "Sermo" in 2019.[13] The company expanded into English-speaking countries including Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa,[14] followed by Spain and Mexico in 2014–15.[15] In 2023, Sermo acquired Payer Access and Charter Oak.[16] In 2025, it publicly launched its Drug Ratings tool and relaunched the Sermo Mobile platform [17]

Reach and community

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Sermo supports a broad range of medical specialties spanning the full spectrum of clinical practice, from general medicine to highly subspecialized fields and advanced practice providers.[18] This includes, among others, oncology, hematology, cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, immunology, infectious disease, rheumatology, dermatology, ophthalmology, pulmonology, neurology, and nephrology.[19][3] In 2014, U.S. physicians posted over 3,500 cases, generating 50,000 comments and 700,000 views. Most received responses within 1.5 hours and were resolved in under 24 hours.[20]

Sermo surveys

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Sermo surveys capture physician insights on clinical and policy issues. Topics have included vaccine confidence, burnout, misinformation, and COVID-19. Findings have been cited in Forbes,[21] The Guardian,[22] Reuters,[23] and NEJM Catalyst.[24]

Drug ratings

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Sermo's Drug Ratings Directory, launched in 2017 [25][26][27]] and made public in 2025, includes over 1.2 million physician-submitted ratings.[28] Only triple-verified physicians can contribute. Ratings are visible to APPs, pharmacists, and the public via the Drug Ratings directory.[17] [29]

Ratings are scored across safety, efficacy, tolerability, accessibility, and adherence. Additional data from FDA and Elsevier supplements the reviews.[28]

Sermo Mobile

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Sermo Mobile allows physicians to call patients without sharing personal numbers. Users can assign a clinic or office ID to outgoing calls and make unlimited domestic and international calls via Wi-Fi or cellular networks. The feature is free for Sermo members.[30] .

Partnerships and collaboration

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Sermo has worked with research institutions, public health agencies, and NGOs on studies related to vaccine attitudes, healthcare policy, and global physician sentiment.[31][32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40]

Awards

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Sermo has received recognition from Fast Company (Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare and PM360’s Trailblazer Awards for Best Digital Initiative.[41]

Use in research and media

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Sermo has been cited in a variety of peer-reviewed journals and news outlets. Media mentions include: Forbes [42]

Reuters [43]

New York Times [44]

The Guardian [45]

Washington Post [46]

Los Angeles Times [47]

Time [48]

References

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  1. ↑ "Doctors' online forum offers tips to Wall Street". The New York Times. May 30, 2007. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Sermo: A Social Network for Healthcare Professionals". The Nursing Beat. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Specialties available on Sermo". Sermo Support. Sermo. 7 January 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Life: Why Summer Vacation Won't Cure Your Burnout — And What Can Actually Help". The PA Is In (Podcast). No. 336. Retrieved 13 November 2025 – via Spotify.
  5. ↑ Munro, Dan (2015-06-08). "New Poll Shows Two-Thirds Of Doctors Reluctant To Share Health Data With Patients". Forbes. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  6. ↑ Kliff, Sarah (2012-06-15). "Doctors are using electronic records more — but liking them less". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  7. ↑ "Measles outbreak: Some doctors won't see patients with anti-vaccine views". NOLA.com (The Times-Picayune). 2015-01-30. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  8. ↑ Sifferlin, Alexandra (2015-01-29). "Poll: 92% of Doctors Say Measles Outbreak Due to Anti-Vax Parents". Time. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  9. ↑ Smith, Aaron (2006-11-17). "A MySpace for physicians". CNNMoney.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2006. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  10. ↑ Kutz, Erin (2012-07-19). "Sermo, After Raising $40M+, Bought by WorldOne For Undisclosed Sum". Xconomy. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  11. ↑ Bowman, Dan (2012-07-20). "Sermo acquired by WorldOne". FierceHealthcare. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  12. ↑ "Big Changes to Come as Sermo and WorldOne Unify". PM360. 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  13. ↑ Ravindranath, Mohana (2019-08-02). "Big week for rural telemedicine". Politico – Morning eHealth. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Major medical crowdsourcing site opens in Canada". Canadian Healthcare Technology. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "SERMO's Social Network for Doctors Expands to Spain, Mexico". HIT Consultant. 2015-10-01. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  16. ↑ "Sermo acquires Payer Access, Charter Oak to boost its payer and oncologist reach". Medical Marketing & Media. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Sermo Drug Ratings Guide". Sermo Support. Sermo. 16 October 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "6 Surprising things about Sermo (YouTube)". YouTube. [The AP Is In]. 2025-08-21. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "Membership – Specialize". Sermo. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  20. ↑ "How A Social Network Can Help Dish Out a Diagnosis to Save a Life". Science Times. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Alexiou, Gus (2020-08-09). "Remote Medical Consultations By Default After Pandemic Endangers Disabled Patients". Forbes. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  22. ↑ "US doctors warn of COVID vaccine misinformation". The Guardian. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  23. ↑ "Doctors grapple with COVID-19 as shortages and uncertainties persist". Reuters. 2020-04-01. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  24. ↑ "Crowdsourcing for Clinical Consensus". NEJM Catalyst. 3 (4). 2017. doi:10.1056/CAT.17.0413 (inactive 13 November 2025). Retrieved 13 November 2025.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2025 (link)
  25. ↑ "Sermo Unveils First Global Physician-to-Physician Drug Ratings Tool" (Press release). Sermo. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  26. ↑ "Sermo Drug Ratings: A New Window into HCP Sentiment for Brands". Eversana Intouch. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  27. ↑ "SERMO Drug Ratings Search". HIT Consultant. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  28. 1 2 "Drug Ratings A–Z". Sermo. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  29. ↑ "'Yelp for drugs?' Sermo bows doctor-to-doctor drug ratings tool with crowd-sourced comments". FiercePharma. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  30. ↑ "How to use Sermo Mobile". Sermo Support. Sermo. 17 August 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  31. ↑ "Sermo as a model for online information sharing: successes and challenges". Oxford Internet Institute. University of Oxford. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  32. ↑ "Sermo: A Community-Based Knowledge Ecosystem". ResearchGate. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  33. ↑ "Sermo opens up platform to healthcare marketers". Medical Marketing & Media. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  34. ↑ "Pulsar and Sermo partner to create healthcare's first 360° view of online medical conversations" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  35. ↑ "Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) partners with Sermo to offer CME content" (Press release). Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). 2020-02-10. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  36. ↑ "Sermo and Bloomberg partner on service for healthcare investors". Medical Marketing & Media. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  37. ↑ "Sermo and Bionical Solutions Partner to Expand Physician Access to Digital Treatment Support Tools Amidst Evolving Patient Education Needs" (Press release). Business Wire. 2021-05-25. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  38. ↑ "[Exact page title]". Harvard Business School – Faculty & Research. Harvard Business School. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  39. ↑ "Pfizer Engages with Nation's Physicians Through Sermo to Improve Patient Care" (Press release). Pfizer. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  40. ↑ "Clinical Overview of Herpes Zoster (Shingles)". CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  41. ↑ "Industry Briefs: April 2016". PM360. April 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  42. ↑ "Pharmaceutical Marketing In The New Normal: Improving Communication With Healthcare Providers". Forbes (Forbes Communications Council). 2021-06-18. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  43. ↑ "Fact Check: Assertions attributed to Dr. Anthony Fauci are false". Reuters. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  44. ↑ "[Opinion] Coronavirus, science and experts". The New York Times. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  45. ↑ Chiu, Allyson; Flynn, Meagan (2011-11-08). "US healthcare: viral social networks". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  46. ↑ "Trump blocks Fauci from answering question about drug Trump is touting". The Washington Post. 2020-04-08. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  47. ↑ Blake, Meredith (2019-08-22). "Our Healthcare System Is Broken. Can Crowdsourced Medical Shows Fill the Void?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  48. ↑ Park, Alice (2020-04-14). "Vaccines, Antibodies and Drug Libraries. The Possible COVID-19 Treatments Researchers Are Excited About". Time. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
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