Medical Representatives Certification Commission (MRCC) Certification key to enhanced professionalism, value
Roanoke, VA (Dec. 15, 2009) – CMR Institute, the leading independent, not-for-profit provider of pharmaceutical sales representative education, says the time is right for a voluntary national examination to test the knowledge, competency, and ethics of those who market pharmaceutical products to prescribers.
Cherie Hicks, CEO of CMR Institute, stated that in a time when the healthcare industry at large is looking to maximize efficiency and efficacy of medical care, holding representatives who communicate scientific information, clinical research results, and patient education to a uniform standard of knowledge and ethics is more important than ever. By voluntarily participating in the Medical Representatives Certification Commission (MRCC) Certification, representatives are publicly demonstrating accountability by meeting competency and continuing education requirements comparable to those of other licensed healthcare professionals, as well as reinforcing their commitment to improved patient care.
“Well-educated medical representatives are valuable contributors to the broad body of knowledge that impacts healthcare decisions,” says Hicks. “MRCC’s uniform measures of competence add credibility to the medical representative profession, improving the value of the information shared with healthcare decision makers and ultimately improving patients’ availability to the best treatment options. It is a win-win situation for the entire healthcare industry and patient population.”
Hicks comments follow an announcement from the Medical Representative Certification Commission (MRCC) that it will administer an independently-validated exam for medical representatives in March 2010. (See related news at www.mrccommission.org). CMR Institute, who supported the independent launch of MRCC, says it will provide educational programs to prepare professionals for MRCC’s Certification examinations, as well as ongoing continuing education that help ensure representatives have the latest information to assist clinicians in providing optimal patient care.
Advancing the level of competence and professionalism of medical representatives who serve as the front-line source of communication between the pharmaceutical industry and the physician has gained favor as physicians try to balance their limited amount of time with the need to keep up with current therapies.
“Today, meeting with a knowledgeable, well-prepared representative is still the best way to get information on new drugs, research in the pipeline, regulatory changes and what is covered on insurance formularies,” says Patton Saul, MD, Director of GYN-ONCOLOGY, Lewis-Gale Medical Center. “I get questions answered, keep up to date on new therapies, and when appropriate, receive samples so I can more quickly determine how the product will help my patient. Online research or seminars simply are not as efficient. But in order for this exchange of information to be beneficial, I need to know and trust the representative’s capabilities.”
Hicks says that the call for professional certification is being sounded not only by physicians, but by representatives themselves who seek to validate their knowledge and important role in patient care. Nearly all representatives are college graduates, most with a strong background in the sciences, she says. Industry efforts to curb marketing excesses support what representatives knew all along—that the best representatives are those who understand the science, evidence-based medicine, and the business of healthcare, while performing their jobs in an ethical manner.
“We survey thousands of representatives annually to help us identify trends and needs in education,” says Hicks. “In our most recent survey, the majority of professionals polled said they’d welcome the opportunity to prove their professionalism, competency, and knowledge.”
In an era where healthcare reform is casting a spotlight on all medical practices, the time is right to raise standards for an industry so critical to patient outcomes, says Hicks. “We can accomplish more thorough education, uniform measures of competence, and standardized assessment than we can accomplish through licensing and regulation, which could greatly add to bureaucratic costs that will get passed on to the consumer,” says Hicks. “It’s right for the industry and it's right for the patient.”
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CMR Institute is the leading independent provider of non-branded education for the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries and has educated more than 150,000 professionals. Founded in 1966 by physicians in response for a need to increase therapeutic knowledge through scientific education, CMR Institute offers professional development and ongoing continuing education for representatives, manager and other professionals. Its expert content is developed and updated by leading industry experts and distinguished thought leaders from prestigious universities and academic medical centers, and includes key education on science, disease management, ethics, and leadership. CMR Institute’s not-for-profit status allows it to continually invest its resources in its library of education to realize its mission, which is to advance knowledge to enhance healthcare. To learn more about CMR Institute, visit www.cmrinstitute.org.