I know doctors get a bunch of great things from "Drug Reps " such as gift cards and food, but do pharmacists also get anything?
Pharmacists and Dinner from Drug reps
- Thread starter pharmatme
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Because we decide if their product is formulary or not
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Keys to the castle aka formulary...technically, it's physicians who vote, but our advice is pretty much taken 100% of the time, and it's sent to a higher level committee for a final approval which in theory could take into account a divergence in opinion.
So yeah I get free food all the time. Don't forget all the ADC and misc equipment companies when your leases/contracts are up.
We influence prescribing practice a lot.
Our hosp has a very progressive asp program. Apart from the ID physicians, the reps go after pharmacists at our hospital more than attendings. Lots of free dinners/lunches.
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That sucks. Saves me so much on lunch random times during the year.
Oh and I piggy back with our oncology practice when I'm there, they have like a standing weekly meeting some rep somewhere.
I figure, I average out to one free lunch a week (some weeks zero, some weeks it's the whole week)....48 weeks/yr working X $10 I usually drop on lunch = $480/yr I didn't spend on food.
I really need to pack my lunch more often.
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Last "medical education" dinner I went to was at a fancy sushi place. All I could drink wine and sushi.
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Since when? Do pharmacists get a vote when it comes to formulary decisions at your hospital?
Uh, yours doesn't? Pharmacy is the main sitting department on our formulary committee. We have more members than the physicians. Where do you work? I need to know so I can NEVER EVER APPLY THERE.
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At some places they do, at mine they do not...but it doesn't matter, I detailed it above, formulary decisions are functionally deferred to us about 100% of the time. Even if you have a rogue physician in someone's pocket rabble rousing, he/she would have to convince other members, AND members of a higher administrative committee which provides final sign-off.
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I don't trust any place that has "all you can eat" and "sushi" in the same sentence. :|
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Lol normally you pay by the dish but, for our purposes, it was all you can eat.
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Doctors can't take anything but meals as long as an educational activity takes place nowadays. Not even pens anymore.
The good old days of game tickets and vacations are over.
All of that is tracked nicely In a website called proforma, Google dollars for docs and you can see an exaggeration of docs by state.
I'm sad I missed the good old days.
The good old days of game tickets and vacations are over.
All of that is tracked nicely In a website called proforma, Google dollars for docs and you can see an exaggeration of docs by state.
I'm sad I missed the good old days.
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A couple of physicians that I know got 4k+ worth of meals from big pharma in 2014... Are these people getting breakfast/lunch/dinner everyday from these reps?
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They count the staff meals too. It adds up quickly. $20 or so per person 10 staff or so. Just a guess
The Sunshine act keeps the providers somewhat in line. As fas as I know it doesn't apply to pharmacists.
Depending on the practice setting, the perks can range from pharma sponsored on-site lunches, to "educational dinners", up to actively participating in multiple speakers' bureaus. The exchange is really to get on the clinic formulary. In oncology, the supportive care space is very competitive.
Depending on the practice setting, the perks can range from pharma sponsored on-site lunches, to "educational dinners", up to actively participating in multiple speakers' bureaus. The exchange is really to get on the clinic formulary. In oncology, the supportive care space is very competitive.
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I don't care at all about the sunshine. Act
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Our committee isn't well attended by physicians, but incredibly well attended by pharmacy. All of our delegation is done behinds the scenes, so come P&T recommendations are already approved by the necessary departments.
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The Sunshine act may not apply to pharmcists, but drug companies tend to use the same rules of it for physicians with pharmacists. It is not like the good old days when a drug would take you out to dinner and tell you to bring all your friends, and then load you down with paper, pens, toys, gadgets, and maybe some tickets to a local sporting event. Things are much stricter, now, dinner only with an educational activity (which might just be a sales pitch, rather than actual CE), a few measley pens, and that's about it, oh spouses/guests are no longer welcome. It might be better for society as a whole.....but yeah, the good old days were fun.
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The Sunshine act may not apply to pharmcists, but drug companies tend to use the same rules of it for physicians with pharmacists. It is not like the good old days when a drug would take you out to dinner and tell you to bring all your friends, and then load you down with paper, pens, toys, gadgets, and maybe some tickets to a local sporting event. Things are much stricter, now, dinner only with an educational activity (which might just be a sales pitch, rather than actual CE), a few measley pens, and that's about it, oh spouses/guests are no longer welcome. It might be better for society as a whole.....but yeah, the good old days were fun.
The sunshine act is only a reporting tool. It can affect a provider's employment if there was a clause built into the contract restricting dinners and gifts.
The people that I know that are concerned about being reported work for academic institutes.
The people that I know that are concerned about being reported work for academic institutes.
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Y'all recognize that the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals are voluntary, right? Not every manufacturer follows them.
http://www.phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/phrma_marketing_code_2008.pdf
I still occasionally find my way to sporting events on a manufacturer's dime (luxury box events at home games for the Rockies and the Padres), because not every manufacturer plays ball with the Code. The largesse is still out there- you just need to open your eyes a little wider.
http://www.phrma.org/sites/default/files/pdf/phrma_marketing_code_2008.pdf
I still occasionally find my way to sporting events on a manufacturer's dime (luxury box events at home games for the Rockies and the Padres), because not every manufacturer plays ball with the Code. The largesse is still out there- you just need to open your eyes a little wider.
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I never had to buy note pads or pens back in the old days. Even when they were new, Viagra pens sold for $5 or more, each on eBay. 😎
Sometimes, the dinner also include a CE. Since I moved back here, I haven't gone to any of the dinners, even though I know it's a free meal at a nice restaurant, because pharmacist get-togethers used to be fun, and as we all know and know why, they aren't any more. 🙁
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I've seen those too. I thought they were hilarious. I also had a Viagra clock that didn't work; I gave it to my brother as a gag gift (long story about that). He pointed out, "Notice that it's all about PENS and CLOCKS?" 😀
On a G-rated note, I had a nasal-spray pen with a clip that resembled a nose.
On a G-rated note, I had a nasal-spray pen with a clip that resembled a nose.
