AMA opt-out program will keep prescribing data from drug reps

The Association plans to track closely physician complaints about drug reps who use data to pressure them.

By Kevin B. O'Reilly, AMNews staff. May 22/29, 2006.

The days of pharmaceutical sales representatives knowing more about a physician's prescribing patterns than the individual doctor does could be over.

Faced with complaints from physicians irked by pushy drug reps questioning their prescribing decisions as well as legislation in five states that would ban the sale of prescriber data for commercial uses, the American Medical Association has implemented a plan that will allow doctors to restrict access to personal information stored in the AMA's Physician Masterfile database.

The Prescribing Data Restriction Program, originally set to take effect July 1, is now in place and allows physicians to opt out of having their prescriber data accessed by drug reps or their direct supervisors. The option is effective for three years, after which doctors would need to sign up again for the opt-out. Drugmakers still will be able to use physician data to evaluate and compensate drug reps, as well as target direct mail to doctors.

Under the new AMA program, drugmakers who buy any Masterfile data will be contractually obligated to train reps to adhere to a toughened set of best-practice guidelines, first adopted in 2001, that call for disciplining drug reps who use prescribing data to pressure doctors. The AMA will set up a system to track physician complaints closely and is threatening to stop giving licensing data to any drugmaker that wantonly breaks the rules.

The opt-out program could empower physicians in their interactions with drug reps, said Robert Musacchio, PhD, AMA senior vice president of business and publishing services.