I generally don't trust doctors. I think that a lot of people just blindly trust their doctor. The problem is that the doctors rely on your business for their income. If fewer people go to the doctor, then the doctor must make up those lost sales from those that do come in. There are many abuses to our current medical system and doctors play a role in those faults.
We walked into the small room where the nurse measured and weighed our baby. It was like most doctor's rooms that I have seen before. There were posters on the wall explaining various ailments and brochures available for various prescriptions on the counter. Nearly everything in the office was badged with a drug manufacturer label. The entire room reminded me of being at a Nascar race. The pad of paper the nurse took notes on, the pen in her hand, the tongue depressors, everything was labeled with a sponsor. If you have ever watched a Nascar event you will know what I'm talking about. There is a sponsor for EVERYTHING.
Don't believe that the office only took that stuff for the free goodies. These items influence your doctor. The rep that brought them into the office influenced your doctor. When you start to have symptoms and need a prescription, the best rep will win, not the best drug.
Imagine that I sell appliances and I have a rep from Whirlpool and a rep from GE calling on me. The rep from Whirlpool is a nice young lady that brings me free pens every visit. She answers my questions and is friendly to talk to. The GE guy shows up once in a while to see if I have any questions but isn't overly friendly about it. Later in the day, a customer comes up and asks for my recommendation. Guess which unit I'm going to show.
You don't believe your doctor would behave in the same way?
I'm trying to find a way that I can get various companies to sponsor me and my house. Maybe if I agree to have a party once a month so that all of my friends will be subject to the sponsorships I'll get someone to buy into it.
Our kids have a lot of friends over frequently, perhaps toy manufacturers would be interested in signing a deal with my house. "Hey kids! This snack break has been brought to you by Nabisco!"
After our doctor visit, we stood at the counter to check out. I looked up at the clock to see how long we had been there only to find yet another sponsor on the face of the clock. The clock in my house should be sponsored by Google.
4 comments:
Last time I went to the Dr. I had been waiting about 30 mins when one of these "pushers" came in. He was seated maybe 5 mins before he went back to see the Dr. Really made me mad - I had to wait an additional 20 mins before I was usered back.
There were actually 3 "pushers" in the waiting room at different times while I was there. Just horrible ethics.
The industry has changed as of 1/1/09 and branded pads, pens, clocks, etc. are no longer being produced and given to healthcare professionals.
Drug reps provide valuable information to MDs/ARNPs regarding new indications, safety information and samples for patients.
Most drug reps just take a few moments to get a signature from a doctor and discuss their products, not 20 minutes. If more time is needed we'll schedule an appointment with the doctor.
There are so many medications on the market with their labels changing several times a year with updated safety/efficacy information. It is hard for a doctor to find the time to do a lot of that research on their own. This is where drug reps can serve as a valuable partner to a doctor's office.
I forgot to mention that if your doctor lets a pen or pad of paper influence his prescribing habits you may want to see a different doctor. =)
UHmm...sooo...how did the appointment go?
(this post was brought to you by the Nintendo Wii)
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