Health systems cutting costs by closing door on drug reps | USA Today | 8.25.04
Employees at Affinity Health System conducted a controversial sort of spring cleaning this year.
The company, based in northeast Wisconsin, cleared its clinics of clocks, calendars and other freebies dished out by drug companies. The goal: to strip away promotional items that encourage doctors to prescribe pricey brand-name drugs. …
California-based Kaiser Permanente pioneered such reforms more than a decade ago. In the past year and a half, a number of health systems have followed its example:
- Minnesota’s HealthPartners has reduced sample use by nearly 90% in the past seven months.
- Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative and Pennsylvania’s Geisinger Health System have banned samples and allow drug representatives by appointment only.
- The University of Michigan Health System employs pharmacists to track doctors’ prescribing patterns and sometimes suggests more cost-effective treatments.
- New York state’s Excellus BlueCross BlueShield uses pharmacy consultants to update doctors on new drugs so health professionals don’t have to rely on industry representatives.
Even doctors who still see drug reps say they are spending less time with them. Five years ago, doctors often spent 15 to 20 minutes with a sales rep, according to Accenture, which analyzes the drug industry. Typical sales calls today last just 90 seconds. …
Control rising drug costs? Very simple, redirect the marketing dollars of the pharmaceutical industry for R&D and lower consumer prices across the board. There are billions of dollars spend annually in overt and covert attempts to influence prescribing practices—its starts with the pen, the pizza, the “seminar” …