New Program Supports Prescribing Based on Science Not Sales

Hallowell, Maine, May 14, 2009—Jennifer Reck, MA, Policy Analyst and Project Director for Prescription Policy Choices (PPC), has been asked to serve on the Advisory Committee for Maine’s Academic Detailing Program.

Academic detailing programs, also known as prescriber education, send trained clinicians to physicians’ offices to present the best available, most up-to-date scientific evidence on prescription drugs. It is an objective, educational outreach program, not an attempt to sell or mandate specific drugs. In 2007, Maine passed legislation establishing a voluntary academic detailing service for providers participating in state-funded health care programs. Maine’s program is now in the process of being launched and will begin by focusing on diabetes care.

As a member of the Advisory Committee, Reck will provide guidance regarding the implementation of Maine’s Department of Human Services in implementing the new program. More specifically, Reck will assist with the selection of which drug classes are good candidates for prescriber education and the development of strategies for outreach to prescribers, as well as providing input into other components of the program.

In her role at PPC, a nonprofit public policy organization engaged in education and research on prescription drug issues, Reck works to promote evidence-based prescribing practices not only as a means of ensuring that the most effective, safest medications are prescribed, but also as a way of containing ever-increasing health care costs. PPC’s work in this area has been made possible in part by grant support from the Maine Health Access Foundation as part of its health care cost containment initiative.

”Maine is empowering prescribers with the objective, scientific information they need to choose the safest, most effective drugs for their patients, stated Reck. “I am pleased to be a part of this important effort.”

Reck was instrumental in leading PPC’s tri-state academic detailing planning initiative involving Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. She authored the resulting report, A Template for Establishing and Administering Prescriber Support and Education Programs, which offers creative and cost-effective guidance for those looking to build prescriber education programs with limited resources. Prior to joining PPC, Reck was with the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) at the Muskie School of Public Service in Portland, Maine. She has a master’s degree in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University.

“Academic detailing has proven effective in countering the drug industry’s marketing strategy which employs nearly 90,000 drug sales people who promote their company’s drugs--even if safer, more effective, and less expensive therapies are available,” said Ann Woloson, Executive Director of Prescription Policy Choices. “This is about providing doctors with the information they want to provide the best treatment available, and it’s the information consumers assume their doctors are using when making treatment decisions on their behalf or for family members.”

PPC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c) (3) educational and public policy organization which provides objective research, information, and on-the-ground expertise on prescription drug policy. PPC’s research and policy focus is evaluating alternative policies and programs that effectively reduce prescription drug prices and increase access to medications.