It is a shame this is what it has come down to. There are really not that many reps left and (one would hope) the ones that are left, are probably tenured. The data is important to decide if you are using a company's product and provide your office with samples/vouchers, patient education or even HCP education and prescribing information. Without that data, representatives have to make educated guesses about where to go and what to talk about or what questions to ask. I know of no doctors that regularly read all the PI for the medications they Rx. Pharmacies do not provide this either and (despite ads saying otherwise), they do not track to ensure medications are not contraindicated or have warnings for use together or in certain conditions. I spend a great deal of time with nursing staff ensuring my product(s) is used correctly and safely. It is new and most of them have no idea what to look for or how it should be used and they are the ones that must train the patient. This is but one value offices lose when they choose to not have their data collected and/or not see representatives. (I do have some health systems where I train one of their staff to train the rest of the practice.) But suit yourself. I know in the end, it is the patient that most likely suffers or benefits. The offices that still provide samples are much busier than the ones that do not. That is just a fact. Samples/vouches help a patient decide if the side effects are tolerable without having to buy a 30 or 90 day supply. The doctors that will spend some time with a few good reps are usually a little more up-to-date than the ones that don't.
