Crossing Over: A Sales Representative’s Breakthrough into the World of Government Programs

By: Sabrina Skari, CIS Business Development Manager
sabrinaskari@cis-partners.com

As one of the most recent additions to the CIS team, my perspective on the healthcare industry is different from many of my new peers. I spent the last three years as a Sales Representative calling on family practitioners and internists, and attempting to use my artillery of clinical studies and efficacy measures to sway their prescribing habits. During this time my knowledge of Government Programs was based on the paradigm governing prescribers; I understood these programs as a valuable means to disseminate medicine – often the only means for certain patients to acquire treatment for their ailments.

As I have transitioned into my role as a Business Development Manager at CIS, the paradigm has changed. I can see now that although patients are the ones who directly benefit from the healthcare industry’s breakthroughs, it is the federal and state governments who are often the “customer” that manufacturers must aim to please. This breakthrough, which has been a steady progression over the last month, culminated with my attendance at IIR’s Medicaid Drug Rebate Program Conference in Chicago last week. The conference was overwhelming to say the least. Just a quick peek at the schedule for the three day summit was like taking a peek at a map of a foreign country; a country with an unfamiliar landscape and where the inhabitants spoke another language; however, as time passed I made significant progress.

First, and this was key, I realized that I was not the only person there who wasn’t fluent in “GP.” The session speakers, moderators and chairs exhibited an extreme knowledge and passion for their respective topics, but many spent time sitting in on the other discussions. Furthermore, I learned that many of the manufacturer representatives were sent as ambassadors and not necessarily experts; in fact, many people had backgrounds similar to mine. These attendees came from other functional areas, and as the need for compliance expertise evolved with changes in the healthcare system, their careers evolved as well.

I spent three days absorbed in sessions. During “Best Practices and Considerations to Complement your GP Solution” led by CIS’ own Chris Cobourn and Chrissy Spicer, I learned that the phrase “best practices” is actually passé (use “industry standard” instead). I also learned that the key to maintaining a compliant systems environment is to make like a Boy Scout and “always be prepared” for an internal or external audit. During “Evaluating the Current GP Environment,” led by CIS gurus Chris Cobourn and Katie Lapins, it was made apparent that while not all GP complexities are created equal; they do apply to manufacturers of all shapes and sizes.

It was the speech made by Senator Tom Daschle, “Solving the Healthcare Crisis from the Architect of Obama’s Healthcare Reform,” that helped to bridge my past life in sales with my new responsibilities in GP compliance. Senator Daschle provided perspective when he spoke of transformative moments in history, including the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and the events of September 11th. Regardless of their causes, these events shaped our current perspective of our country, and the healthcare evolution will probably do the same.

It doesn’t matter what side of the fence you’re on in the healthcare industry, politically OR functionally. The fact of the matter is that the healthcare industry accounted for 16.5% of the US Gross Domestic Product in 2008, and is trending to reach 20% by 2016. This is a higher percentage of health care spending than in any other industrialized nation and, as a direct result, the US government is heavily involved in our industry [1]. As government programs aim to improve the welfare of citizens, and manufacturers aim to improve the science of welfare, everyone will be intrinsically connected and GP compliance will provide a basis for fair play.

The difference is that I am now aware that regardless of your position in the industry, the end goal is always the same- to improve health care in our country. I will look back on my attendance at my first IIR MDRP conference as a transformative moment in my GP career. As Senator Daschle commented, “everything is impossible until it is done;” so while it might seem farfetched now that this sales person will ever present at a GP conference, I encourage you to look for me in the coming years.

Source:
[1] http://www.plunkettresearch.com/Industries/HealthCare/HealthCareTrends/tabid/294/Default.aspx