Everything Nurses >> Rx Corner >> Free Lunch
Free Lunch
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Posted over 4 years ago A hospital I worked for has stopped allowing drug reps to come in and provide lunch or any perks to the employees,including pens,tissues,hand gels,or anything that has the company logo attached to it. I for one think this is a good move because it lets the big drug companies know that while doctors may prescribe thier medications it doesnt mean they will be obligated to... What do you think about this?
speak your mind..for those that matter dont mind and those that mind ..dont matter.. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago I agree 100%. I worked somewhere where the drug reps brought in a really nice spread. He would hang out and give pens, notepads....often it would end with a 'short presentation' about the wonders of this drug. Invariably in the ensuing week, I would see the docs prescribing the new drug more and more. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago They still allow presentations ....which is great..we should all be informed.. Where I worked they had reps coming in almost every day.. This was very profitble for the drug companies to seize the moment per say as the facility I worked in was a Resident Teaching facility..connected to a "not for profit" Hospital. My own opinion is that the drug companies need to spend all of that 'perks" money and lower thier drug costs with it...
speak your mind..for those that matter dont mind and those that mind ..dont matter.. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago The big problem is newer more expensive drugs are replacing older cheaper drugs with no real benefit to the pt. It seems to be putting money in the drug companies pocket. Take GERD meds Protonix, replaced Nexium, which replaced Prevacid........each drug was progressively more expensive and yet they were all PPI drugs that did the same thing. There really wasn't a big advantage in the new ones over the old ones. IMO, none of them was a 'wonder drug'. I have to think that it really irks the drug compainies that ASA is such a big must for suspected MI. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago You are right there too...Those prevacid commercials gave me the heebie jeebies...LOL as well as OTC medicine Mucinex commercials... I would just like to see everyone take advantage of 4 dollar generic meds if they can and stop lining the pockets of the big drug companies. Alot of the geriatric Pts that came through our office didnt even know about them so I started handing out printed lists to them. When you see a list of 4 dollar meds and there are almost 13-15 for BP meds..well it makes you think...surely ONE of these can help..rather than the most expensive one,or newer one...
speak your mind..for those that matter dont mind and those that mind ..dont matter.. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago Now this is what I am looking for. A constructive thread that still keeps me thinking! thanks guys keep em coming! Where I work the pharmacy that supplies all our drugs automatically switches the drugs to the cheapest comparable drug. Not that it make a difference to the patient because they are all long term care residents. They still pay the same amount per day no amtter what. And sometimes the facility loses money because they have really expensives meds and sometimes they get lucky and get off cheap. Kinda screwy the way it works huh. "Softly. deftly, music shall caress you. Feel it, hear it, secretly possess you...." |
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| Posted over 4 years ago I like when they come in because I can ask questions about those drugs and the presentations are nice in regards to how and why given. I don't much care for the how much better than this drug it is stuff, but do enjoy being able to ask questions and be more informed about some drugs. I rarely see our docs suddenly prescribing that med after the rep leaves so that also makes it nice. Lastly I know this is bad but sometimes that is the only time I get a lunch. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago I know alot of people get used to reps bringing in these lunches....but let me ask you...is a free lunch more important when a loved one is actually footing the bill and maybe not having any lunch because the medicine that has been prescribed to them is so expensive.that they have to choose whether to eat or to buy thier meds????? Pack a lunch....get with co-workers and plan covered dish lunches....or everyone sign up to bring finger foods and snacks...
speak your mind..for those that matter dont mind and those that mind ..dont matter.. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago Kittyrn says ...
Our president said that people are NOT sick, the medical profession is making this up and the drug companies are bribing doctors, and so to prevent that from ever happening again, he passed a law which states all equipment must be sent back to the pharma company at the end of the study! So, instead of keeping it for other patients, it gets sent back, but must be shipped as biohazard waste, which is the most expensive way. There is no market for used, contaminated refrigerated centrifuges, so the pharma company has no choice but to put this equipment into long term storage. But it has to be stored as biohazardus waste which is very expensive! And how long do they have to store this? George did not say! All he said was it would have to be stored, tracked and proof on demand that it was returned. Sales reps have a tough job too. New meds are coming on the market every day! They are all expensive, but which one is best for the patient? So, they did bring lunch, donuts, coffee, pens, etc. for marketing purpose, but that is no different than when a new business lets you know they are open for business. This practice stopped because the president called it bribery and coercion! He also brought stem cell research to a screeching halt! Now let’s tackle the next avenue, which is the "cheaper" meds that do the same thing. Medications have a patent expiration date. If that medication is not marketed for a different indication, then when the patent runs out, the drug is now available over the counter or as a generic! Generic drugs are NOT the same. The chemical make up right on down to the color of the substance has been changed, and in fact that is what makes it a generic. The next issue is that generic drugs are made in China, and we all have seen their idea on safe toys! I am sure that the same standard goes into making generic drugs. A patient who was on Prilosec with no complications is now prescribed Nexium because the Insurance Company mandates it. The doctor has no say in this matter. A newly diagnosed patient who was NOT on Prilosec is denied Nexium. Why? The insurance company says so. The insurance companies do not want anyone in the hospital! The pressure to find a pill or a patch for every given disease is very intense, and we must follow the government guidelines to bring that drug to market. It takes 5-12 years to develop a medication, and then if one of the competitors beat you to the punch, or caught you when you were not paying close attention, your product now becomes the one that did not make it! Every new medication must be able to show that it works better than the gold standard, is cheaper and will give a better quality of life. That takes time to prove. All those years of good science and research down the drain if you are not the 1st company to bring this to market! Who pays for that? The insurance company who demands these options, or the patient with the disease that they no longer admit to the hospital for? Major pharma companies donate millions of dollars worth of medication every week to third world countries and to people in the US who can't afford it or perhaps their insurance refuses to cover it. I personally saw thousands of boxes of Chemotherapy get on a plane bound for South America. The doctors there are excellent but lack access to the good medicines we have here, so the pharma companies donate it. Millions of dollars of medication for HIV is given away to individuals, to free clinics and to third world countries who would otherwise not be able to treat the disease. Doctors send those disposable kits that have "expired" to doctors who do not have the equipment to do a spinal tap or other diagnostic procedures. The pharmaceutical companies would like to make a profit. They are in the pharmaceutical business, and they have no desire to lose money, time and resources, but they are forced to absorb costs just to prove they are not bribing people. There is nothing wrong with being in business and expecting to turn a profit at some point, however, this is not the case in the Pharma industry. They have been painted as the bad guys! They have to hire lawyers and they don't come cheap, to make sure that not one advertisement sounds like bribery. Lance Armstrong was told that he can no longer mention the name of the company that he feels saved his life with chemotherapy. It goes on and on! They are required to post all information on the web for lay people to read..... Another costly move..... Commercials are no longer allowed to have people dressed like doctors to advertise. They must use real MDs, who charge a lot of money for being taken away from their patients! The health care in this country is in a terrible shambles, but not because of the Pharmaceutical Companies! It is more due to the federal government guidelines and the insurance companies who currently control medical care of every patient. Yes the doctors will use the newest medication for their patients. Who of you out there would not buy a new cell phone if it was the latest trend? How many of you traded in your basic cell phone for a camera phone or the I-Phone? Who replaced their cassette player for an I-Pod? Are they upgrading to provide a profit for Apple, or are they upgrading to use the latest and improved technology? Doctors who prescribe the new meds do actually help tremendously with the identification of post marketing side effects. Once a drug is marketed, the pharmaceutical company can no longer restrict the use to the best possible candidate for the medication. Anyone with a prescription pad can order the new drug, and perhaps some people are not the best Candidate and if they have serious side effects, the doctor reports it. Either the dose changes or the drug is pulled off the market for further testing. So those doctors are actually helping to preserve the long term safety of the patient. Sorry that this was so long, but we all need to hear both sides. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago I was told as of January 1, no more pens, post its............Levitra pet rocks.............stuff like that. I know its a good thing, what I heard from all the drug reps that it was some law, not sure what kind of law. If they can keep the pens out of the hands of nasty nurses...........ok, I'll stop, just dont tell anybody I have a stash of gel pens hidden. We only have one heart, take care of it! Angie |
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| Posted over 4 years ago When I worked in psych, we had boxes of Kleenex emblazoned with PROZAC on the sides and get this bars of soap, that looked like Luvox tablets! LOL. Thought that was funny. But, all that marketing and free lunching does add to the price of the drug. I understand both sides, but now, when there are tier one, two, three and sometimes four; drugs that some insurance companies just don't pay for, I hate seeing people getting slammed with those prices. I worked in a CVS when I was 17 and the marketing rep would come by and tell the pharmacist to stock up on X medication, because he had just made the rounds and there would be lots of scripts coming in for X, the latest greatest new med. Lo, and behold, in a day or two, as soon as we got it on the shelf, in came the scripts. Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that stood it's ground.
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| Posted over 4 years ago Zap, can't blame Bush for all of this, we have had a Democratic house/Senate for years and for the most part he just signs what they pass. This problem existed in the Clinton era too. The Drug companies are making billions, I would bet even in this god awful stock market they are one of the few that are still turning a profit. Generics are virtually identical and cost less. Additionally, our name brand drugs are available in foreign countries for far less than here. I've been to Mexico and purchased the same med for far less than what it costs here, even with health insurance. My mother was on Prilosec until it was available OTC, and than her doctor put her on the next and newest. We through out his RX and went to Wal-mart and bought the generic OTC prilosec for less than her co-pay was. I don't have any sympathy for the drug companies, yes profit drives them....... |
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| Posted over 4 years ago Kittyrn says ...
Plus the President does not make the laws.........Congress does. He just ok's what he's presented with. I'm still keeping my pens. In this of the state of Georgia drug reps dont feed those who work in the hospital except for very rare occasions. Those who work in the office area are so underpaid, there is no way I'd begrudge them a free meal at times. In the hospital, for those who are fortunate enough to get a dinner provided by a company.............who has the time for an actual meal without interruption? Nurses probably eat faster than guys in the infantry. We only have one heart, take care of it! Angie |
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| Posted over 2 years ago I like when the reps come in and bring all of their 'stuff'. Working in a Skilled/LTC Facility, there aren't many other perks for the nursing staff and this is one of them. Now, anyone that has worked in one of these institutions knows, docs are hardly ever there so we don't have the same problems like in the hospitals with all the meds being changed over to what the newest drug is and I have to tell you that even if one of the pharmacies were involved, the nurses that I work with hit the rep with hard, hard questions. If they feel that a med is too expensive (and you better believe they will ask) they won't order it. Also, side effects are always a factor. One facility that I worked in got to be one of the first to use (a new medication, name withheld). Yes, they wooed us and yes several nurses went to the very elegant and pricey restaurant. We were excited about the benefits of this drug esp. for our Alzheimer patients or those fresh from the hospital wanting to get rehab (without wetting themselves) and go home. Not-to-mention, the number of nurses interested in trying it for themselves. So, we did some trials of this, with docs approval, nurse suggested, and most did beautifully. All the nurses that tried it liked it alot. Then we came upon one of my dear little Alzheimer patients that started to have some liver problems with this. We called the rep who invited us all to yet another fancy dinner, and we all went. Then we brought up our patient. Funny, they tried real hard to hush us up but we kept talking and within the month, this side effect was added to the packaging. So we got our dinner, and education, some pens and such but we also got to make a few lives better, and got to affect how a drug was used. Many would say that these seminars should not be done (I think there is a new law on this isn't there) but who better to teach about the new meds than nurses? Who better to demand that if there is a problem, that the drug company's must address the issues. I don't know many nurses that are afraid to ask the tough questions, even while being wooed (bribed?) and won't allow something as trivial as a pen or penlight or fancy dinner to cloud their judgement on what is best for the patients that we care for and often love. |
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| Posted over 2 years ago " I worked for several companies over the years,and the majority of RNS/LPNS,PT/OT/ST,etc, ** always enjoy," The Perks",( free lunch> deli,side orders,you name;pens, post-it pads, magnets...). In addition to these freebies,the sales reps always included**open-group discussions,regarding, "floor issues",( med pass concerns,med side effects,what to look for,lab studies,too.) They always appreciate everyone's input,making everyone feel welcome to attend. **Good,business practice,extending/solidifying great rapport with current/future clients!"
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