Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17407

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Electronic Source

Silverman E
How Many Reps Visit A Doctor’s Office Each Week?
Pharmalot 2010 Mar 11
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/03/how-many-reps-visit-a-doctors-office-each-week/

Full text:

If you guessed 20, you win a free drug company tchotchka. A recent survey found that 98 percent of physicians reported that their offices received 20 or less visits each week by sales reps, while 37 percent reported only one visit per week. This would suggest that the industry push to roll back the onslaught of visits hasn’t taken hold, although the survey, which was conducted by SK&A, doesn’t offer a breakdown on the types of meds or reps involved (register here).
Here’s another interesting finding: 73.4 percent of physicians reported their offices granted access to reps in December 2008, and that rose to 77.1 percent in December 2009. In other words, the proportion of physician offices barring access fell, which would suggest a notable reversal. However, one datapoint is in keeping with collective industry assumptions – more appointments are being required. This rose from 38.5 percent of offices in late 2008 to 49.6 percent in late 2009.