re: OT: Have You Also Noticed Doctors Growing Increasingly Lazy?

I'm amazed at the efficiency of some specialties like dermatology and ophthalmology.

I saw a dermatologist about a suspicious mole. I was expecting to have to schedule an appointment to come back for a resection. They numbed it up, took it off, threw in a suture or two, and sent it to the path lab within 10 minutes of meeting the doctor.

My parents have glaucoma, so I went to the ophthalmologist to have my pressures checked. He basically did a comprehensive eye exam in five minutes and called out the results to a scribe, who recorded the results of the exam.

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What were the doc's initials?

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Don't remember but it's a father/son run practice

I think most of those so called doctors didn't even go to college. I don't know what the requirements are to get a job at a doctors office but it needs to be more harder.

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Seems like doctors just deflect any conversation with "Obama...".

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No they don't.

Everything you wrote about drug reps and lunches is 100% true. Except for this -

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In fact, they have no way of knowing if you even prescribe their product. That would be a HIPPA violation.

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I get numbers every week of which MD or NP has written my product - even broken down into TRx (total Rx including refills), NRx (new Rx), and NBRx (new to brand Rx).

I know what PBMs or managed care plans are used the most by a MD or NP's patients in my product class.

I know how much you write of my competition.

Don't be fooled - most drug reps won't be honest with docs about it, but we know.

You can't know how many times I've listened to a doc tell me "Yeah, your product is great! I write it all the time!" and I know he's just lying to my face and I so badly want to call bullshite.

Just tell me why you don't like it or write it - I didn't give birth to this drug, it won't hurt my feelings if you don't like it.

And FYI - I HATE DOING LUNCHES AS MUCH AS DOCS HATE HAVING TO GO TO THEM!

I know docs are busy and don't want to waste what little free time they may have in their day listening to me and one of the staff is going to bitch about the free food no matter what I bring.

Documenting these meals is a huge pain in my arse as far as paperwork goes and most managers get onto us if we don't spend all of our monthly budgeted money.

I would be so fricking happy if they would ban the lunches all together.

I'll tell you the best way to make these lunches as painless as possible for everyone. You don't have to sit and eat with me, just come back and give me 10 good minutes right as lunch starts and then you can GTFO, I'll sit around and shoot the shite with your staff for 30 minutes and then I'll GTFO.

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You do realize that doctors are starting to get paid based on if their patients get better or not? The healthcare system is changing from a fee for service

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Not really. We'll see if it helps. From what I've seen, it will just result in more visits and sick patients being abandoned. I also noticed codes for non-compliance. Going to be an easy out for a doctor. Pt not controlled or not better? Non-compliant. Want fewer antibiotics and meds rx'd but want pt's better faster? Good luck.

It doesn't make a shite. Set the rules, tell me what you want the data to show and it can be manipulated. It's all bullshite. The VA has been doing this shite for awhile and the result is still shite. You can give piss poor care and get a great score or give exemplary care and score low. Maybe the gov't has figured out a better way, but from what I've seen. It hasn't.

North Alabama

And our area is still has a majority of offices owned by docs.

I'm in a very rural territory and not a metro area, so that helps.

Been at this drug rep gig for 20 years now and I'm just trying to hang on till I get both kids out of college but it's nothing like the good ole days.

Pfizer and Merck with their ridiculous "share of voice" sales model of the late 90s/early 2000s fricked it up for everyone.

In the family practice that I work for, 25 patients per day to keep the doors open.

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which is an evolution of increasing malpractice suits industry-wide

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Here we go. It's lawyers fault. Medical malpractice in Louisiana is slanted so far in favor of doctors it's ridiculous. The cap is still the same as it was in like the mid '70s. Yes, the cap amount is around 40 years old.

You think costs, etc. that put pressure on doctors have gone up in 40 years? How about insurance rates? They have to carry insurance for like the first 100k to qualify for the med mail act. Those insurance companies kept their malpractice rates about the same for 40 years I'm sure. It's those darn malpractice suits I tell you!

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Most of us take the lunches cause our staff likes it. I could give a shite. The last thing I want to do when I do get a rare lunch is to sit down with some douchebag sales rep. You think a $8 lunch sways me? Fine. Change docs. Where do people think those free samples come from? WE are the one that have to listen to their shite so YOU can get free meds.

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I don't know if you clicked the wrong post to reply to or did not pick up on it......But I was being sarcastic.

You and I are in agreement. I only take lunches because my female staffers act like free food is "gold".

I hate the pharm rep lunch. I want my 15 mins of free time too.