Certified reps an idea whose time has come
Theres a lot of discussion of late, as the industry begins to make significant cuts in the size of its sales forces, about the quality and training of the reps who will remain on the beat. Many of the industry experts weve talked with and who have spoken at our conferences are stressing the need for perhaps "a new kind of rep" to serve the needs of pharmas rapidly changing customer base. They are suggesting the need for reps who are perhaps less sales and business oriented and sport much stronger medical backgrounds and technical expertise.
As the most public face of our industry, reps have a huge impact on the publics perception of our industry and our reputation. They must be pharmas ambassadors. So I was quite interested in a quiet and perhaps not widely known movement by a newly formed non-profit at setting a national standard in the US for certifying medical and pharmaceutical sales reps.
The Medical Representatives Certification Commission was formed earlier this month and met for the first time on May 1st. The group, which is an outgrowth of the Certified Medical Representatives Institute, aims to develop a voluntary examination and certification by the end of the year.
The industry is calling for these standards to enhance its credibility, says Sharon Lustig, executive director of the certification commission. The industry is calling for a solution.
Doctors working with the commission say certifying that medical reps have a certain knowledge base in sciences, ethics and the industry they represent will improve patient care.
Lyle Bootman, the chairman of the commissioners and dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona told The Roanoke Times that the certification program has tremendous potential for changing the way reps interact with physicians. The quality of the information will improve and it will be more consistent from rep to rep, he said.
And Dr. Patton Saul, who is vice chairman of the board at CMR and the medical director of the cancer center at Lewis-Gale Medical Center, says he thinks the certification program will assure doctors that reps are more focused and well-versed in the technical and medical information doctors seek about pharmas drugs. Certification, he says, is a vital step in assuring doctors and patients that good, useful information is being given.
CMR says in an online survey among 159 doctors, 72% said they would be more likely to see a sales rep that was certified or had another similar type of designation.
By voluntarily elevating the level of knowledge attained, representatives publicly demonstrate greater commitment, accountability and credibility, thus making themselves a better resource to clinicians ultimately helping to improve patient compliance and overall healthcare outcomes, Joseph Green, senior vice president for education and professional development at the American College of Cardiology said in a statement as a special adviser to the commission, which he shared with the Times.
Now granted, all of the experts commenting here have ties to the commission pushing this certification, and the commission itself has ties to an institute that makes quite a lot of money directly from the pharma industry.
Lustig even admits in the Times article (see it here ) that to be successful, the commission must be accepted as entirely separate entity from the institute. And although the commission currently shares office space with the institute and received start-up funds from it, the groups goal is gets it feet under it and establish its independence, beginning with paying the start-up funds back.
But the bottom line is, whether its this commission or another truly independent and unbiased entity, some formal form of certification of a reps knowledge and skills to serve both prescribers and patients could go a long way toward bolstering the industrys public credibility and reputation. Its an idea whose time is well past and one which warrants support by the industry, while obviously not financially, definitely in principle.
As always, wed love to hear what you think, so please add your comments below