One way to watch the health care industry is to watch the groups that watch it -- from associations to stock experts to advocates. The hundreds of newsletters published annually by such groups can serve as an "interesting window," according to The Washington Post's Mary Pat Flaherty, who covered health stories as projects reporter for The Pittsburgh Press. "When the professionals are communicating to their own people, they talk about issues differently."

While some health reporters say that newsletters can lag behind the news, others, including the Chicago SunTimes's Tom Brune, an investigative reporter who has covered the health industry, consider them a valuable resource. As a newspaper reporter, Brune says, "you have to look for the broader sweep, but to put the sweep in the proper perspective, you need the background information that newsletters can provide."

Below is a sampling of newsletters that Bruce, Flaherty, and health writers from a number of newspapers around the country look to for tips, background, and trends:

* Capital Update (American Nurses Association) 1-800-637-0323. Covers legislative and government actions and other topics related to nurses.

* Pharmacy Today (American Pharmaceutical Association) 202-628-4410. Focuses on government regulation of pharmacy issues and dispensing pharmacists, and reports on "developments at the FDA, in congressional and association committees, and in Medicaid." (Source: Newsletters Directory)

* Biomedical Market Newsletter 714-434-9700 or 1-800-875-8181. Discusses the manufacturing and marketing of equipment, devices, instruments, and diagnostic tests.

* Consumer Reports on Health 914-378-2000. (Consumers Union) Covers nutrition and fitness, preventive measures and new treatments, medical breakthroughs and medical hype, health frauds, and other critical issues. Health writer Linda Roach Monroe of The Miami Herald describes it as "reader friendly" and "succinct."

* Contemporary Sexuality 312-644-0828. (American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists) Reports on government decisions on sex education, AIDS, and related public issues.

* Health Letter 202-833-3000 (Public Citizen Health Resource Group) Keeps watch on FDA and the approval process for medical devices and drugs, evaluating whether testing, approval, and recalls are proceeding adequately. Features articles that critique advertising related to health issues, such as cigeratte ads. "Flippant, funny, and political," according to The Washinton Post's Flaherty.

* Mayo Clinic Health Letter 1-800-633-4567. Covers a broad range of health topics, such as diet, exercise, nutrition, medical ethics, and research findings on drugs. (Source: ND)

* Medical Devices Bulletin 301-443-5860. (Center for Devices and Radiological Health) Discusses the medical-devices programs of the Center, with references to FDA approvals on devices like cholesterol test kits.

* Nutrition Action Healthletter 202-322-9110. Center for Science in the Public Interest) Gives "original" coverage of such topics as food and nutrition, exercise, vitamins, "the organic versus chemical farming controversy, and the implications of agribusiness." (Source: ND)

* Tufts University Diet and Nutrition Letter 1-800-274-7581. Provides "cutting-edge" coverage, says Marc Schogol, who writes columns on health issues for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

CORRECTION-DATE: September, 1993 / October, 1993

CORRECTION: In the July/August issue, in the article "Resources: A Window On Health," CJR gave the wrong telephone number for two publications. To reach Biomedical Market Newsletter, call 714-434-9500, or 1-800-875-8181. To reach Capital Update, published by the American Nurses Association, call 202-554-4444, extension 446. CJR regrets the errors.

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