A growing number of hospitals are excusing sales representatives from the operating room and are educating their own employees to provide technical assistance to doctors during surgery, writes Jaimy Lee in Modern Healthcare. Representatives from medical device manufacturers have, in the past, routinely been present in operating rooms to reply to questions about the product the surgeon is implanting.
Lee reports that by switching to a rep-less model, hospitals are both cutting costs and improving quality. Loma Linda University Medical Center is a case where the hospital claims to have decreased the prices of implants by about 50%. Lee writes that 90% of the approximately 400 hip and knee replacement surgeries performed each year at Loma Linda are done using the rep-less, direct service model.
Loma Linda hospital employs two in-house orthopedic device technicians—trained by the device manufactures—who manage the implant devices from the moment they arrive at the hospital. “Sales reps have created this necessity for themselves with the surgeon, and we’re saying it’s not as necessary as everyone thinks it is, ” says Justin Freed, the executive director of supply chain at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
According to Lee, some small and mid-size device makers and distributors are taking advantage of this trend and are working with the hospitals to develop the rep-less model. As part of their response they are selling their implants at a significant discount.
Not everyone thinks the rep-less model is a good thing. Lee noted that some observers believe that eliminating sales reps in the operating room could affect patient safety if not done properly. Lisa McGiffert, director of the Consumers Union’s Safety Patient Project, said, “If hospitals are not looking at safety and effectiveness as well as cost, then you might have a recipe for disaster.”
Lee makes the point for Modern Healthcare that removing the sales reps from the operating rooms could improve infection control and mitigate legal risks if there is a lack of informed consent when a patient does not know the rep is present in the operating room.
Loma Linda, using commodity generic implants, have not only contributed to lower costs, but lower patient satisfaction. Ask if the system has been tracking patient satisfaction, as a critical element of outcomes, and you’ll get a resounding “no”.
Not sure what this article is trying to say and trying to figure out what the point is other than a rep-less model.
There are pros and cons for sales reps but this article really does not articulate the value of the sales rep in the orthopaedic procedure beyond just the OR. The other comment on infection is not substantiated. The problem with most hospitals and not saying Loma Linda is the circulating nurses that are constantly going in and out of a procedure.
Clk’s comments are ridiculous. Shameful actually. The implant that these guys use was cited in JBJS in 2004 and then again aggregated and resubmitted/accepted in 2008. These types of comments of what patients do and don’t like are ridiculous. This implant like most all implants does very well in patients. It is not necessarily a better joint than a Zimmer or Depuy, and likewise Zimmer is no better than a Stryker. The point is that outcomes are not in a general way implant dependent.
Pritchett, J. Patient preferences in knee prostheses. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, British Volume. 2004. 86(7): p. 979-982.
Rep or repless is not really important. The bottom line is patient care and what is being delivered from a value standpoint. Most solid companies really deliver a Consulting Service and not a “Sales Rep”. The role has always been one of “Service” and “Consultation”, hence the discussion should be centered around an “In-House” specialized Consulting Team managing the details of the Service or outsourcing the “Services” to the Manufactures. Either way, it has to get paid for. If hospitals and the system feel they can “In-Source” it for cheaper, then “Let the Buyer” beware. No Different than using FedEx vs. US Post Office. Careful where you tread.