what would you do if you loose your eyesight?

[tiberiusP]

Originally Posted by I_Love_LI_but

Why do you consider it "OVER" just because they have to report it? Doesn't mean they have to stop giving things away. Even the doctor you discussed in this thread is on that website as getting a few freebies from Big Pharma.

It was over years ago. The perks before my career were golf outings, trips and such. Please.

If we now get a company to buy lunch for the staff, that's as good as it gets.

Now, more to you point, I have a stock cabinet of dozens of samples of drugs. Speaking on the behalf of myself and my spouse, who is also in the same field, I can't tell you the last time we prescribed anything based on these *perks* you suggest.
We suggest and prescribed what gives us the best clinical results based on studies. Often times though, like anything else new, be it a phone or a car or a medication, the newer stuff costs more than the old.

All that said, then 3rd party payers and insurance take hand in YOUR medical care.

"Mr Jones, we can treat your herpetic eye disease with this safer drug, costs $150/tube through your insurance, and treatment should take 5-7days to resolve."

We scribe it, the insurance denies it and the conversation changes to " Mr Jones, now you're stuck with the 25 year old treatment, taking drops 9 times a day which are toxic to your eye, for about 3 weeks."

So this BS about perks guiding our hand is unfounded in reality

[I_Love_LI_but]

Originally Posted by tiberiusP

It was over years ago. The perks before my career were golf outings, trips and such. Please.

If we now get a company to buy lunch for the staff, that's as good as it gets.

Now, more to you point, I have a stock cabinet of dozens of samples of drugs. Speaking on the behalf of myself and my spouse, who is also in the same field, I can't tell you the last time we prescribed anything based on these *perks* you suggest.
We suggest and prescribed what gives us the best clinical results based on studies. Often times though, like anything else new, be it a phone or a car or a medication, the newer stuff costs more than the old.

All that said, then 3rd party payers and insurance take hand in YOUR medical care.

"Mr Jones, we can treat your herpetic eye disease with this safer drug, costs $150/tube through your insurance, and treatment should take 5-7days to resolve."

We scribe it, the insurance denies it and the conversation changes to " Mr Jones, now you're stuck with the 25 year old treatment, taking drops 9 times a day which are toxic to your eye, for about 3 weeks."

So this BS about perks guiding our hand is unfounded in reality

I don't think perks are the ultimate thing that guides doctors' hands when prescribing medication. I think there are a lot of factors to take into account, particularly what works and their own habits and beliefs.

I looked up all my doctors on that website. One of my PCPs loves to prescribe the "latest and greatest" meds. The other PCP, his partner, goes towards the "tried and true cheapest generic." On the website he and his partner have received less than $250 in meals from drug companies. It doesn't look like it goes by Pharma comp, but by their own habits and beliefs.

The website differentiates between meals and other comp. My eye doctor got around $10K from the maker of Latisse in "other comp" and $250 from them in meals. However, although there are Latisse brochures in the waiting room, he has never pitched the product to me, nor has any of the other staff. He is also a professor, publishes papers and articles, and his office takes place in studies, so perhaps that money he got is for funding a study.