Diagnosis
The doctor is out … so now what?
Prescription
Try calling on the rapidly growing field of NPs and PAs.
How many prescriptions did you lose today? If you didn't call on the nurse practitioners and physician assistants in your
territory, you may have lost as many as 21. Your smartest competitors know exactly how to connect – do you?
The American Medical Association reports that "there is now a shortage of physicians, at least in some regions and specialties,
and that evidence exists for additional shortages in the future." As our nation's pool of primary-care physicians continues
to shrink, growing ranks of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are emerging on the front line of primary-care
delivery. The U.S. Department of Labor ranks physician assistant as one of the fastest-growing occupations through the year
2014, and projects that patients are "relying more on other healthcare providers – such as physician assistants, [and] nurse
practitioners." The changing landscape
Nationwide physician shortages and changing physician demographics have remodeled the landscape of primary care in the United
States. NPs and PAs now are occupying the front and center of patient care, and may be one of the keys to your success as
a pharmaceutical sales representative.
Collectively, nurse practitioners write 494 million prescriptions per year, and physician assistants write 250 million, yet
they traditionally have been regarded as secondary targets by almost all pharmaceutical companies. A lack of fully developed
prescribing data for NPs and PAs has also made it difficult for pharmaceutical companies to quantify the impact of educational
and promotional initiatives on this group of clinicians. Therefore, many pharmaceutical companies only assign representatives
call credit for physician details.
However, thanks to a new national educational initiative called the Practicing Clinicians Exchange (PCE) ( http://www.practicingclinicians.com/), pharmaceutical companies are beginning to understand what successful sales representatives already know – that face time
with NPs and PAs is vital to their success.
The Practicing Clinicians Exchange, for instance, has taken the lead with an innovative series of live continuing medical
education symposia and home-study materials created specifically for NPs and PAs and
multi-supported by some of the leading pharmaceutical companies that understand the need to develop an enduring educational
relationship with NPs and PAs.
Meeting their needs
Besides making the NPs and PAs in your territory aware of these types of programs, what can you do today to build productive
relationships with these clinicians? As with any of your customers, you must begin with an understanding of what their needs
are and how you can meet them.
Product information and samples – Once considered physician adjuncts, NPs and PAs now play an increasingly independent role in the delivery of patient care.
Many maintain their own patient caseloads and manage all aspects of patient care, from initial diagnosis and treatment to
monitoring progress and providing follow-up care.
Keep in mind that the NPs and PAs in your territory are faced with the same prescribing choices as the physicians on your
target list. And they are 744 million prescriptions strong. Your product presentations are the foundation of their product
education, so take them seriously.
"Drug reps need to detail me with the same professionalism they show with the physicians in the practice" advises Phil, an
NP in western New York. "They need to be ready to discuss outcomes data, comorbidities, PK/PD profiles, treatment guidelines
... in addition to standard dosing, side effects, formulary status and cost. If a rep isn't prepared to have that kind of
a discussion on a professional level, how can I take them or their product seriously?"
