Sermo

Yes. Sermo is free to join and use for verified healthcare professionals. Members create a profile, get verified through license or NPI checks, and access the network, clinical discussions, and AI-powered tools at no cost. Note that Sermo is no longer physician-only: it now runs separate verified communities for physicians, advanced practice providers (nurse practitioners and physician associates), pharmacists, and nurses. Sermo monetizes by selling anonymized insights and paid surveys to pharmaceutical companies, medical device makers, and market researchers, with physicians earning honoraria for their participation.

Sermo's AI features include a medical case-sharing assistant that helps physicians crowdsource second opinions on difficult cases, clinical decision support powered by physician consensus data, survey matching that routes relevant paid research opportunities to specialists, and content moderation across its member network. In 2024, Sermo launched generative AI tools trained on its anonymized physician dialogue database for pharma insights.

Sermo requires every member to complete a license or NPI verification process, backed by license validation against state and national databases, DEA number checks in the US, and peer verification. This creates a trusted, credentialed environment where clinicians can discuss cases candidly. Sermo says it has over 150 countries represented and describes itself as the leading global social platform for healthcare professionals. Its own pages currently give member counts ranging from 1 million to 1.5 million verified HCPs, so treat any single figure as approximate.

Yes. Sermo pays members honoraria to complete paid medical surveys commissioned by pharmaceutical companies, device manufacturers, and market research firms. Sermo states it paid over $25 million in honoraria to members over the past year. Compensation varies by specialty and survey length, with Sermo quoting a range of roughly $5 to $500+ per survey depending on the time required. High-demand specialties like oncology, rheumatology, and cardiology tend to see more survey opportunities and higher payouts.

Sermo does not publish enterprise pricing. Pharma and research access is sold via custom contracts that depend on the scope of the insight program, single surveys start in the low thousands, while multi-market longitudinal studies and full HCP panel access can cost six figures annually. Contact Sermo sales for a quote tailored to your therapeutic area and target physician population.

Sermo follows HIPAA best practices and requires physicians to de-identify any patient information shared in case discussions. The platform itself is not a covered entity under HIPAA because it does not handle protected health information in the traditional sense, all physician-to-physician discussion is intended to be anonymized. Sermo also complies with GDPR for European members and provides tools to help physicians share cases safely.

Doximity is larger in the US with over 2 million members and emphasizes peer networking, job boards, and CME. Sermo is global (150+ countries), more focused on anonymized case discussions and paid survey research, and less focused on career tools. US physicians who want LinkedIn-style networking prefer Doximity; researchers and doctors who want anonymous case crowdsourcing or paid research gigs prefer Sermo.