HIPAA has limited reps' access to physicians' offices. Today many provider offices require reps to sign HIPAA compliance agreements
as a requirement for calling on them. Even after completing those forms, reps are typically denied access to exam rooms and
patient files. Instead of discussing details of specific patients with a physician's office staff, doctors and reps talk about
anonymous patient "scenarios." These discussions typically occur far from patients, in a secluded office or near the sampling
closet. Reps who violate any of the established HIPAA protocols could be banned from the office.
HIPAA training should be embedded in company detailing protocols. To insure that reps understand the field application of
the policy, each should undergo a role playing session that outlines different physician office scenarios. The sales management
team should also organize ongoing field coaching.
Putting It All Together
Like it or not, regulation has become a major factor shaping pharma sales and marketing efforts. Chief compliance officers
need to work with the sales department to assure that training includes more than field promotion and product training activities.
Meeting sales goals is still the top priority, but companies cannot sustain profitability unless sales reps and marketing
executives meet regulatory requirements. As additional layers are added and compliance becomes more complex, companies will
have to invest more resources in comprehensive, legally sound training programs for their field sales reps—and for the people
who manage them.
Steven Tarnoff is executive vice president and a managing partner of the Franklin Group, a division of Ventiv Health. He can be reached
at starnoff@franklinpharmaservices.com
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