physician spend

My First Glance at the Agenda for the 17th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , ,
The 17th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress is scheduled for April 29 – May 1, 2020 in Washington D.C.

When scanning an agenda for an upcoming compliance conference, I begin by identifying the presentations that feature new topics, or ones that offer a compelling twist on a long-standing topic. This isn’t to suggest you should ever focus exclusively on the “new and shiny” sessions over those that have a more familiar ring. For those of us steeped in many years of conference attendance, sessions like DOJ and SEC Insights and Third-Party Risk Assessment and Oversight are always worthwhile for the updates offered by industry leaders and government regulators.

My initial review of the agenda for CBI’s 17th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress, scheduled for April 29 – May 1 in Washington D.C., reveals an intriguing mix of new and bold content, along with tried, true, and recognizable presentations. The conference is consistently one of the “can’t-miss” opportunities for life sciences compliance professionals to interact with their peers and hear best practices and suggestions for reducing risk across their companies. From a training development perspective, the presentations help keep us aware of important content trends, as we strive to provide training products you need to continually evolve your curriculum and address compliance risk.

With that in my mind, here are my thoughts on some of the sessions planned for this year’s conference.

Day One – Wednesday, April 29, 2020

CBI has scheduled three concurrent “summits” to open the conference. Summit 1, Bio/Pharma Compliance Boot Camp appears to be an ideal opportunity for those attendees new to compliance to gain a foothold on the topics that form the foundation of the industry. Perri Pomper of Clinical Genomics and Ed Sleeper of Esperion will be joined by Mahnu Davar and Daniel Kracov of Arnold & Porter to cover the essentials. If you are new to the industry, you don’t want to miss this one.

After a networking and refreshment break in the Exhibit Hall (shameless plug – don’t forget to stop by the PharmaCertify booth), three more concurrent summits are planned for the afternoon. Summit IV, Primer Course on Compliant Patient Interactions, from Clinical to Commercial, offers an update on an obviously hot topic, from Rahul Khara of Acceleron Pharma and Seth Lundy of King & Spalding. In Summit V, Compliance and Legal Watch-Outs for Partnering and Deal-Making, Erik Eglite of Aurina Pharmaceuticals will address the compliance challenges inherent in product partnerships. Summit VI, Empowerment, Diversity and Inclusion, stands out as something new and compelling for this conference. Kudos to CBI, as well as presenters, Sujata Dayal of Johnson & Johnson, Jim Massey of AstraZeneca, and Maggie Feltz, of Purdue Pharma, for taking on such an important and timely topic.

Day One closes with the PCC Kick-Off Party and Welcome Cocktail Reception. This is one of the best opportunities you’ll have to interact with your peers while visiting the vendors who provide an array of the services you need to build a stronger culture of compliance. While there, visit the PharmaCertify booth to see demos of our newest compliance training products, all designed to help you enhance the retention of key policies and regulations in the field and across the company.

Day Two – Thursday, April 30, 2020

Following a networking breakfast, and the chairperson’s opening remarks, Day Two begins with a Regulatory and Enforcement Showcase, featuring presentations from representatives of PhRMA and  government entities, including the OIG, various U.S. Attorney offices, the DOJ, and the SEC. The Enforcement Docket Deep-Dive is the annual review of recent corporate integrity agreements and settlements. The panel features an impressive array of representatives from U.S. attorney offices around the country. Consistently, from year to year, these enforcement updates offer critical insight into the latest government oversight trends.

The session titled, Chasing Miracles – When Drug Research is Personal jumped off the screen for me. As a company dedicated to the development of compliance training that reduces risk on a sustained basis, we strive to make that training relevant, personal, and meaningful. I look forward to hearing John Crowley and Patrik Florencio, both of Amicus Therapeutics, discuss how they introduce and communicate the “criticality of compliance in advancing lifesaving therapies,” as it is described in the agenda.

Following the networking lunch, attendees choose from six concurrent workshops. While that may seem like a daunting decision, I recommend partnering with colleagues and associates to divide and conquer. Sharing notes over dinner or coffee is a powerful way to get the most out of the conference and bring more actionable knowledge back to your job.

While all the workshops look to be worthwhile on the surface, three stood out for applicability and relevancy to risk areas. First, Calling All Emerging Biotechs – Pre-Commercial Considerations and Checklist appears to be an ideal opportunity for anyone working with a smaller company, with one product commercialized or soon to be commercialized. I am anxious to hear if Eric Baim of Dovetail Consulting, Tiago Garrido of Verastem, and Rupa Cornell of Stealth BioTherapeutics touch on training as they cover the unique risk and resourcing challenges faced by companies in this tier.

On the hot topic front, the Enforcement Snapshot and Best Practices Related to PAPs, Coupons, Copays and Foundations addresses the risk that seems to be on everyone’s mind, including the collective ones at the OIG. Stephanie Doebler of Covington and Burling LLP, and Katherine Chaurette from Blueprint Medicines Corporation will present.

On the persistently relevant front, Third-Party Risk Assessment and Oversight, with Dennis Barnes of Mayne Pharma, Tali Guy, of Teva Pharmaceuticals, and Michael Clarke of ConvaTec, will surely be relevant for anyone whose company conducts business globally through third-party vendors. That’s a wide swath.

The concurrent workshops continue throughout the afternoon, with six from 2:55 pm to 3:55 pm and six more from 4:25 pm to 5:30 pm. Workshop G has a compelling title in line with the earlier one focused on emerging biotechs, “Product Approved, Now What? Building Out the Compliance Infrastructure with Limited Resources.”  It’s a topic near and dear to the hearts and budgets of many of our clients and I will be listening closely for how Jeffrey Levitt of Stemline Therapeutics, John Knighton, of TherapeuticsMD, and Jim Flaherty of Rhythm Therapeutics handle development and deployment of training on those limited resources.

Back on the hot topic front, Workshop K, Hub and Specialty Pharmacy Oversight and Risk Assessment, features Sarah Whipple of Akebia Therapeutics, and Meenakshi Datta of Sidley Austin; and I am interested in hearing their expert analysis on assessing the risks associated with hubs, and of course, how that risk is addressed in training.

Finally, you do not want to miss Workshop P, State-of-the-Art Compliance Training, with Erica Powers of SAGE Therapeutics, and my colleague from PharmaCertify, Dan O’Connor. In this case, “state-of-the-art training” may not mean what you assume it means in terms of design and budget. Erica and Dan will present different methods for addressing risk and deploying more effective training, no matter your learning objectives and business goals.

Day Three – Friday, May 1, 2020

If the multitudes of workshop choices on Day Two aren’t enough to satiate your hunger for compelling compliance content, CBI has scheduled five full sessions followed by your choice of five tailored content tracks, with two presentations per track:

  • Track 1: Speaker Programs – Current Enforcement Trends, Best Practices Benchmarks, and Future Fate
  • Track 2: Commercial and Government Pricing Transparency and Reporting
  • Track 3: Taking Monitoring, Auditing, and Investigations to the Next Level
  • Track 4: Zero-in on Compliant Patient Interactions
  • Track 5: Clinical Trial Legal and Contracting Considerations and Risk Management Strategies

Among the presentations that precede the track sessions, Lessons Learned from the Field. Anti-Kickback Accusations and the Aftermath – An Inside Look at Sales and Marketing Practices Under Fire should be interesting to say the least. If the title alone wasn’t intriguing enough, the presenter is Jonathan Roper, former district sales manager for Insys Therapeutics. Roper was charged with violating the Anti-Kickback Statute in connection with his participation in the company’s scheme to encourage HCPs to prescribe its fentanyl-based sublingual spray. I am encouraged to see that along with sharing his story from the Insys trenches, Roper is expected to cover the importance of an effective compliance training program in his comments. Buckle your seat belts, it’s going to be an interesting 30-minute session.

An Opportunity to Attend

The sessions I cover above represent only a fraction of the veritable plethora of important content covered in the three-day conference. Whether you work as an n of 1, or by contrast, you have access to a wealth of resources and personnel, the conference offers countless opportunities to bring back the information you need to build, maintain, and grow a better program and culture of compliance.

As a conference sponsor, we are offering a significant discount on the registration fee. Contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com if you are interested in this opportunity, and we will see you in Washington!

Be a compliance training hero, with a little help from PharmaCertify…and a discount on the conference registration!

Sean Murphy
Marketing Manager
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions

The 2019 DOJ Guidance Document: A Baseline for Life Sciences Compliance Training

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , ,
Sean Murphy
Product and Marketing Manager

One of the significant events of 2019 affecting life sciences compliance was the April release of a new guidance document, Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs, (https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/page/file/937501/download) by the criminal division of the Department of Justice (DOJ).  The primary intent of the document is to guide prosecutors and courts as they evaluate corporate compliance programs, but it also serves as an important baseline for life sciences businesses evaluating all areas of their compliance programs, including the training curricula.

The guidance document highlights three questions for prosecutors to consider when evaluating a program:

  1. Is the corporation’s compliance program well designed?
  2. Is the program being applied in good faith?
  3. Does the corporation’s compliance program work in practice?

In this post, I examine the DOJ’s document in more detail, and discuss its implications for your compliance training curriculum.

Risk-Based Training

In reference to a “well-designed compliance program,” the DOJ stresses the need for prosecutors to focus on whether a company’s program is customized for the particular risk profile of that company. According to the guidance, prosecutors should “understand the company’s business from a commercial perspective, how the company has identified, assessed, and defined its risk profile, and the degree to which the program devotes appropriate scrutiny and resources to the spectrum of risk.” The company’s periodic training and certification should include all “directors, officers, relevant employees, and, where appropriate, agents and business partners.” In addition, training should be tailored to “audience size, sophistication, or subject matter expertise.”

In pursuit of these standards, foundational training is an effective method for providing a baseline, but additional risk-focused content continuously delivered to individual business units is one way to address that risk. As an example, scenario-based mini modules covering the topics highlighted in risk assessments and audits of the compliance hotline should follow the more comprehensive foundational training for each business unit to make it more relevant and engaging. In addition, microlearning nuggets in the form of quizzes, assessments, and contests have been proven to drive higher retention rates when delivered strategically across a learner’s calendar. Targeted, continuous learning covering the topics deemed critical to each business unit is the key to truly reducing risk.

Curriculum Analysis

On the topic of risk-based training, the DOJ recommends prosecutors ask, “What analysis has the company undertaken to determine who should be trained and on what subjects?” In line with that suggestion, a compliance curriculum analysis is a critical first step for any compliance professional interested in understanding the details of existing organizational training and it’s a necessary starting point for the reconfiguration of that curriculum to effectively address the risks. The categories covered in the analysis should include:

  • Training Type (eLearning, Live, Webinar)
  • Topic(s) Covered
  • Level of Training (Awareness, Detailed, General, etc.)
  • Length
  • Audience(s)
  • Risk Rating Per Audience (Low, Medium, High)

An instructional design analysis should also be included to determine if the proper learning objectives are established and followed, and the visuals, audio, navigation, and assessment are optimized for learning. The data should then be curated into a spreadsheet with sortable cells and columns to allow for an organized and multi-level review of all training programs and topics. At PharmaCertify, we use our Compliance Curriculum Analysis Tool, or CCAT, to assist our clients with this analysis. Once the CCAT is complete, we summarize to highlight the strengths, gaps, and redundancies in the overall curriculum.

Test and Test Again

The document also delves into the measurement of training effectiveness by encouraging prosecutors to ask if employees have been tested on what they learned and how the company has addressed employees who fail all or a portion of the testing. While the inclusion of standard assessments with each course is an assumed necessity, using assessments as learning tools has been shown to strengthen long-term memory.

A study by Jeffrey D. Karpicke and Henry Roediger III, of the Department of Psychology at Washington University revealed that learners are poor judges of what they remember, and when given the choice, they stop studying before they have mastered the subject. So even when they think they know it, they don’t, and assessments spaced repeatedly over time is the best method to increase the retention of critical compliance policies and best practices. When possible, alternative types of tests should also be deployed, including:

  • Pre- and post-training tests to measure gains scores
  • Priming assessments to encourage the formation of cognitive schema
  • Diagnostic assessments to help target remediation
  • Cumulative exams to encourage information retrieval and re-encoding

Effective Implementation, Review, and Revision

Finally, prosecutors are asked to consider whether a compliance program is a “paper program, or one implemented, reviewed, and revised, as appropriate in an effective manner.” This holds true not just for the program in general, but for the compliance training curriculum. Just as the corporation should “provide for a staff sufficient to audit, document, and analyze the results of the efforts,” the proper resources and time need to be dedicated to the evaluation of the current curriculum, with subsequent modifications conducted accordingly.

The DOJ’s Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs document refers to a compliance program’s capacity to evolve as a hallmark of its effectiveness. That evolution is necessary because “a company’s business changes over time, as do the environments in which it operates, the nature of its customers, the laws that govern its actions, and the applicable industry standards.” An effective life sciences compliance training curriculum must align the current business with the environment, customers, and laws, and now is the time to bring all of those components together.

I hope the insights above are helpful as you continue to improve your compliance training effectiveness throughout 2020. Thanks for reading!

 

A Preview of the 10th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress

PharmaCertify Team , , , ,

CBI’s West Coast Compliance Congress is scheduled for Tuesday, October 22nd through Thursday, October 24th in San Francisco, and a review of the pre-conference agenda reveals a compelling mix of panel presentations and master classes focused on the most pressing challenges facing life sciences compliance professionals. Here are the sessions we have noted as most intriguing.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019: Pre-Conference

Attendees face an interesting choice right from the start of the conference with two Pre-Conference Summits scheduled simultaneously for 1:30 – 5:00 on Tuesday. Both are focused on topics critically important considering recent industry settlements.

During Summit A, Patient Assistance and Support Programs – Ensuring Patient Centricity Through Compliant Frameworks, summit leaders, Terra Buckley of Celgene, Daryl Kreml of Sage Therapeutics, and Kari Loeser of Relypsa will delve into the risks associated with assistance programs, hub services, nurse educator programs, and reimbursement services. It’s a comprehensive look at the topic by an impressive group of panelists. Don’t miss it.

In fact, the only valid reason to miss Summit A may be to take in Summit B: Third-Party Risks and Oversight – Innovative Models Driving Compliance. The increasing trend toward outsourcing services in the life sciences industry has led to the need for even greater diligence around the selection and management of third-party vendors. According to the agenda, representatives from Advanced Bionics, Merck, and Varian Medical Systems will “share best practices, uncover red flags and set a tactical plan for enhancing oversight.”

Wednesday, October 23, 2019: Day 1

After opening remarks by Erik Atkinsson of Cytokinetics, Day 1 begins with a session intriguingly titled, Trailblazer Talk. Averi Price of Radius Health, Sharon Delshad of Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals, and Daryl Kreml of Sage Therapeutics will focus on “adapting and evolving compliance programs in support of innovation.” I expect it to be an enlightening program from three highly-regarded industry veterans.

When attending any compliance conference, I make a note not to miss the sessions featuring government prosecutors and regulators. The Current and Former Prosecutor Panel is no exception as former prosecutors Tiffany Mosely of Loeb & Loeb, LLP and Joes Verla Jr. of Bass, Berry & Sims will join Adam Reeves from the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California to discuss trends for next year and beyond. Hearing from the government side always offers important lessons and insights.

Later, on Day 1, the “New Guidance” session subtitled, Walk Through the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs – Foundational Understanding and Future Impact, is compelling based solely on the use of “evaluation” in the title. If this is indeed a step-by-step review of what makes a successful compliance program, the time invested should be more than worthwhile. I wouldn’t miss it.

The afternoon of Day 1 includes two sets of simultaneous “master classes,” beginning at 1:30 with the Transparency and Aggregate Spend session and Data Privacy and Cybersecurity session.  At 2:15, it’s a choice between Promotional Compliance in one session and Non-Promotional Activities in the other. I understand the need to schedule simultaneous sessions to pack as much content as possible into the conference, but it makes for difficult choices. If you are attending with coworkers, I suggest a divide and note-sharing approach to maximize the opportunity.

Day 1 ends with a networking wine and cheese reception, which may be your best opportunity to network with peers and industry leaders. This makes for a great exchange of tips, suggestions, best practices, and business cards.

Thursday, October 24, 2019: Day 2

Day 2 opens with two concurrent master classes at 8:30 and two more at 9:30. The HCP Engagement and Contracting – Mitigate Compliance Risk and Improve Operational Efficiency session stands out as one I would not miss considering the current regulatory focus in that area.

Speaking of HCP contracts and current regulatory focus, the in-conference workshop at 10:45, Strengthen Speaker Program Compliance Through Innovative Initiatives and Best Practices is certainly worthy of an asterisk in your agenda. And if speaker programs are high on your list of risk areas, we now offer a Compliance Foundations™ eLearning module titled, Managing Speaker Program Risk. The 30-minute module covers topics like program planning, speaker compensation, attendee management, and speaker responsibilities, to list just a few. And it’s easily customized with your specific policies and contact information. Let me know if you’d like to a content outline.

Before the conference closes with an Exclusive Benchmarking Think-Tank, Greg Moss of Kadmon Holdings, Sunita Ramamurthy from Loxo Oncology, and L. Kathleen Durousseau of Rigel Pharmaceuticals will cover Governance Best Practices and Working with the Board. We often hear about the importance of “tone from the top” at compliance conferences and any discussion centered on ideas for working with the board to establish the proper tone is worthwhile. It’s a strong topic for the end of the conference.

Thanks for reading this preview of the 10th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress. As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and stories from the conference. If you are attending the conference, please say hello to my colleague from PharmaCertify, Dan O’Connor, who will be there as well.

Sean Murphy
Marketing and Product Manager
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions

A Preview of the 2019 Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
The 16th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress is scheduled for April 16-18, 2019 in Washington DC.

The 16th Annual Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress begins April 16-18 in Washington DC and as is often the case, the agenda promises a compelling mix of presentations covering topics important to new and experienced compliance professionals alike.

Tuesday, April 16th is dedicated to the Congress “prelude” and one of the sessions looks particularly interesting based on its subject matter. Nurse educators are a trending topic in life sciences compliance with the potential for patients misinterpreting the line between medical advice and a commercial sales pitch. The description for the Compliant Nurse Educator prelude includes the timely suggestion that attendees will “gain foundational and operational needed to structure and maintain compliant programs.”

On Day One, Wednesday, April 17th at 11:15 AM, the Highly-Acclaimed U.S. Healthcare Fraud and Enforcement Panel begins with current prosecutors reviewing “Top Enforcement Trends and Focal Points for 2019 and Beyond.” During the Former Prosecutors Panel that follows, three former Assistant US Attorneys will focus on “New Developments on High-Profile and Settlements Uncovering Healthcare Fraud.” The perspective from the regulator side of the table is not readily accessible outside of this type of conference and attendees will be listening carefully for suggestions and tips from those responsible for regulation.

Following the networking lunch (important tip: the networking sessions offer great opportunities to learn from your peers), Day One continues with a series of “content streams” divided by general topic matter.

Patient assistance programs (PAPs) and Patient support programs (PSPs) are certainly under scrutiny (see our recent blog post on the programs here), so we have to recommend Content Stream A: PAPs and PSPs. A team of panelists, including Jennifer McGee from Otsuka, Chetan Shankar from GSK, Francisco Ribeiro Filho of Tesaro and Ann-Marie Tejcek of Eli Lilly will speak in two sessions: Navigate the Complex Legal Landscape of PAPs and Examine PSP Enforcement Trends as Scrutiny Heats Up. Content Stream C: Transparency and Aggregate Spend is also of interest considering the pending expansion of the Sunshine Act to include Advance Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants. It’s time to update that Sunshine Act and Open Payments training!

A series of interactive workshops follow the content streams and I’m looking forward to the Beyond Due Diligence – Auditing and Monitoring Third-Parties session, in particular. Third-party vendor compliance continues to be an area of focus in the industry and Lori Queisser of Teva should bring an important global perspective to the challenges of bringing vendors into compliance as they conduct business of the company’s behalf around the world.

Speaking of hot topics – Interactive Workshop 4: Risks Associated with the Hub and Field Reimbursement Teams so I expect the impressive list of panelists, including Sarah Whipple from Akebia, Joe Philipose from Alexion, and Richard Konzelmann from Sanofi to be speaking to a crowded room of attendees anxious to hear how they are managing the compliance risks that are inextricably linked to the use of Hubs for specialty products.

After a networking and refreshment break at 4:25 PM (don’t forget to stop by the PharmaCertify Booth to see demos of our newest compliance training products), the conference transitions to a series of “think tank sessions.” Frankly, I am not sure of the difference between a workshop and a think tank, but I suppose the changing up the name does make for a more organized agenda.

Anyway, on the think tank front, the Speaker Programs – Best Practice Benchmarking is right at the top of my list. Our recently completed Managing Speaker Program Risk Compliance Foundations™ module is already popular among our client base and for good reason. The programs are fraught with risk at every stage, including planning and execution, and this session, featuring Jennifer McGee from Otsuka again, as well as Maggie Feltz of Purdue Pharma, and Rebecca Spitler of Johnson & Johnson, should prove to be a valuable primmer on how to navigate those risks.

Add Social Media – Practical and Pragmatic Guidance to our target list among the think tanks because, well, it’s social media. We’ll also be in the PAP and PSP Benchmarking – How is the Industry Adapting? think tank to hear how Casey Horton and Stefanie Doebler from Navigant are working with their clients to help minimize program risk.

Day 1 closes with an end-of-day cocktail reception and I do recommend taking the time to attend this important networking event before you run out to dinner. It’s a great opportunity to interact with your peers and learn how they are dealing with some of the same challenges you face every day.

Following the Chairman’s Review of Day One, Day Two, Thursday, April 18th opens with an interesting session titled, From the Trenches: An Inside Look at the Forces and Pressures that Drive People to Violate the Law. The idea of approaching compliance from a higher “ethics” level has been a topic for discussion in recent years and companies are clearly seeking ways to integrate the concepts into their policies and procedures. I’ll be interested to hear how the speaker, who is the CEO of Business Ethics Advisors, LLC, how is working with clients to do just that.

After a session dedicated to recent trends in enforcement, featuring Eric Rubenstein from the OIG and Heather Johnson from the FTC, the agenda takes a turn to the future with Rethinking the Compliance Profession – Where Should We Go from Here? Including such forward thinking presentations is appreciated and this look at the future of the industry should dovetail nicely from the opening session on ethics.

Next, attendees choose from what are described as “five in-depth summits.” The Small to Mid-Sized Company Resource Center holds interest for me based on the uniqueness of its title, and simply because I find the small to mid-sized company focused sessions so informative from a standpoint of learning what those with limited resources are doing to address the same challenges their peers at larger companies face.

With HCP interactions still representing so much of the compliance risk companies face, the Compliant Patient Interactions summit should be worthwhile, with an impressive array of industry professionals ideally sharing tips and suggestions for ensuring those interactions are conducted in a compliant manner. Hopefully, training is included on the list of talking points.

Following the final networking luncheon, the conference closes with the reveal of an inaugural benchmarking survey. The agenda does not list what organization conducted the survey, but I’m sure attendees will be listening closely to learn what their peers from “brand/generic, large/small and private/public” companies consider to be their top priorities on the established and emerging compliance risk areas.

Summary

The panel presentations, workshops, think tanks, and summits I touch on in this preview represent just a few of the sessions CBI has planned for this year’s conference. The Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress never fails to deliver the content and networking opportunities industry professionals need to stay abreast of current risk areas, policies, and best practices. I highly recommend the conference for the new and established life sciences compliance professional.

If you are considering the conference but have yet to register, we are still offering discounts on the regular conference registration rate. Contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com if you’d like to take advantage of that discount. If you are attending, don’t forget to stop by the PharmaCertify booth to say hi and let me know what you think of our blog. As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks for reading and I will see you in Washington!

Sean Murphy
Editor
Compliance Training Intelligence Blog

PAPs and PSPs: Training Beyond the In‑Program Staff

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , ,

Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) and Patient Support Programs (PSPs) are in the news. The programs are under increased scrutiny for violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, HIPAA, and False Claims Act. Recent settlements and Corporate Integrity Agreements highlight the need for vigilant and more effective training for these programs.

Nicole Serena Waldron & Associates

With that in mind, we recently sat down with Nicole Serena, Senior Consultant for Waldron & Associates and 25-year industry professional, to discuss her suggestions for how to approach PAP and PSP training to better reduce the risks and the red flags associated with the programs.

A Focus on Customer-Facing Staff

Serena began by highlighting the need to extend training beyond those working directly in the programs to other employees who require a fundamental awareness of how they work, why they are important, and the associated risks. Everyone involved, particularly the sales representatives, MSLs, and nurse educators who interact with healthcare professionals need to be aware of the programs and understand that value.

Serena points out that when a company is launching a specialty or biological product, healthcare professionals will often ask if the company has an assistance program for the product. “Depending on the company and what kind of roles are involved when launching a product,” she says, “sales representatives, MSLs, and nurse educators are all part of the team introducing the program to a clinic and discussing how it supports the patients. They all need to be trained on what they can say, and they need to know they can’t give any incentive for patients to be enrolled.”

According to Serena, when representatives don’t have the proper training and they don’t understand their company’s assistance and support programs, their interactions with HCPs hold the potential for increased risk. “Since they are the first people to hear about problems customers have with a PAP or PSP, representatives need to be careful how they react to that information,” she says, “and since they are responsible for managing the relationship with the HCP, they need to be careful about not over promising.”

In addition, the training shouldn’t assume that employees understand the programs just because they have worked in the pharmaceutical industry. “An employee’s previous position may have been with a division of the company that dealt with a general medicine product, like a high blood pressure pill or antibiotic, which would not involve a PAP or PSP,” says Serena, “so when he or she gets moved into a specialty product role, that background training is critical.”

Extend Training Beyond the Field Force

Vendors are sometimes overlooked for training, particularly when they claim to have their own PAP and PSP training in place. Even if that is the case, rolling out the company training to the vendor’s staff helps ensures consistency in messaging and accountability of trainee rosters. In other words, the vendors need to be trained using the same training the inside employees receive.

According to Serena, “vendor work forces have quite a large turnover in the staff working on the programs, so it can be difficult for them to have enough resources to track training.” The pharmaceutical company needs to take responsibility for that, roll out the company’s own training to the vendors, and track it on company systems.

Since marketing departments are often responsible for funding the programs and developing program materials, marketing staff should be included on the training roster. “All marketing staff need a base level of training,” says Serena, “and those tasked with working in partnership with the in-program team need a deeper level of training.”

In addition, since Medical Information is tasked with answering HCP questions that come in by phone, an awareness on how the programs work is critical for them as well. Add the Finance Department employees to the training list as well. They need to understand the reason for the program, its value to the company, and the justification for why it shouldn’t be eliminated when budgets need to be cut. Finally, don’t overlook the need for PAP and PSP training for the Compliance Department. Compliance is often staffed with professionals from other disciplines across the company and their awareness and familiarity with the programs may be limited.

Although this post delves into the broad scope of employee groups who should be trained on PAPs and PSPs, the list should not be considered complete by any means. Every company’s approach to the programs is different and the structure, frequency, and roster lists for program training will vary.

The stakes are high though and careful planning is needed to help ensure a higher level of compliance across the company. As Serena so succinctly puts it, “everyone in the industry talks about the importance of being patient centric. These programs speak to the value of that focus and the company’s reputation and that must be taken into consideration when planning the training.”

Thanks for reading!

Sean Murphy
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions

Lessons Learned at the 19th Annual Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lesson 1: Rules and principles can coexist.

Welcome to the first in a multi-part series based on lessons learned from the recent Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Compliance Congress in Washington D.C. Our goal in this series is to share best practices and tips for strengthening your compliance culture and reducing risk based on the themes and best practices heard during the three-day conference and provide suggestions on implementing those concepts from a training perspective. We begin this week with a twist on a topic that has been on the agenda for a few years now…rules vs. principles.

During the Compliance Considerations for Small to Mid-Size Pharma and Device Companies panel presentation, a team of industry compliance officers and consultants discussed the challenges and opportunities brought on by limited resources and personnel. The suggestions were varied and intriguing, but one stood apart for me, especially from a training perspective. When he was offering the details of how he approached his transition to a small company compliance department, one chief compliance officer said, “it’s important to start with foundation training, and then have a conversation about culture.” In the milieu of conversation about the importance of principles, and the need for “an ethical approach to decision making,” it was refreshing to hear acknowledgement that rules-based and principles-focused approaches can co-exist and work in conjunction.

Foundational training lays the groundwork for the rules and policies that are critical for all life sciences employees to understand and incorporate into their daily activities. Although the “check the box” approach to training has been much maligned in recent years, being able to document that your staff, especially those who interact with healthcare professionals on a regular basis, have successfully completed training in topics such as HIPAA, on-label promotion, the False Claims Act, and the Anti-Kickback Statute, is a critical first step. Once that foundation is established, on-going opportunities and touchpoints can be utilized to establish the “why” behind the decisions as you strive to strengthen the culture across the organization.  As was emphasized during the presentation, you need to “have a plan that builds across all work streams” to do that throughout the year. As one example, workshops with interactive activities that immerse employees in ethical scenarios are an effective method for reinforcing the principles. In addition, assessments, microlearning, and games deployed across an employee’s timeline remind learners that compliance isn’t just about rules and regulations, it’s about “doing the right thing, for the right reason.”

During the Chief Compliance Officer Roundtable at the conference, one participant made the point that “a principle-based philosophy helps ensure compliance throughout the company and not just at the surface level.” That’s certainly true, but from our perspective, a principle philosophy is more effective when its built on a solid foundation of policy and rules-based training.

Thanks for reading!

Sean D. Murphy
Editor
Compliance Training Intelligence Blog

9th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress: A Preview

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , ,

CBI’s 9th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress is less than three weeks away and we’re looking forward to yet another opportunity to catch up with colleagues and clients and showcase our newest life science compliance training products. The conference gives those of us located on the other side of the country an opportunity to hear tips and best practices from industry professionals who don’t normally participate in the East Coast conferences. A quick scan of the agenda reveals company names as diverse as. Here’s a brief preview of the sessions and panel presentations scheduled for the two-day conference.

Day 1: Wednesday, October 17th 

Chief Compliance Officer Keynote Panel

After two pre-conference summits, one covering aggregate spend and the other patient support programs, the conference sets the stage with a panel of former and current chief compliance officers, moderated by John Kelly of Bass Berry & Sims, and formerly of the Department of Justice. As someone who attends a significant amount of conferences, I support this idea of diving right into the topics at hand, rather than leading off with a speaker who may bring some name recognition or star power but doesn’t necessarily speak to the primary concerns of the audience.

Enforcement Panel: Fraud and Enforcement Trends – Current and Former Perspectives

The enforcement panel scheduled for 2:15 is an interesting blend of those currently in an enforcement role (Chinhayi Coleman Cadet from the Northern District of California and Rachael Honig from New Jersey) with those who formerly served in an enforcement role and now work in the private sector (the aforementioned John Kelly of Bass Berry & Sims and Robert Marasco from Dinsmore & Shohl LLP and former AUSA from New Jersey and the Southern District of California).  The duel perspectives should provide compelling insight into the current prosecutorial trends in the life sciences industry.

Roundtable Discussion: Lessons Learned and Continuing Implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

After a networking and refreshment break, the conversation turns to the timely topic of GDPR. Clearly, there are questions and confusion around the regulation, and we’re especially hoping to hear how these panelists build and deploy training on the hot topic of GDPR. Who are they training in the organization? What topics under the GDPR umbrella are they covering? How often are they updating that training?

Immediately following the GDPR session, Day One closes with a networking, wine, and cheese reception. As you chat with your colleagues and network with new associates, we invite you to stop by the PharmaCertify Booth to learn more about our training solutions. While there, don’t forget to enter the drawing to win an Amazon Echo Smart Speaker with Alexa!

Day 2: Thursday, October 18th

Interactive Exchange: Strengthen Speaker Programs through Innovative Compliance Initiatives and Lessons Learned

Following two sessions on monitoring and auditing, the focus turns, not surprisingly, to yet another hot topic currently under the regulatory microscope, speaker programs. This session should prove to be even more enlightening and revelatory since it is billed as an “interactive exchange” with panelists listed as “conversation contributors.” Those contributors, Ishita Arora of Horizon Pharmaceuticals, Danielle Davis of Insys Therapeutics, Eric Jen of Horizon Therapeutics, and Jenny Shire of Daiichi Sankyo, are sure to have the full attention of an audience hungry for suggestions on how to manage risk in planning and executing the programs.

Choose Between Two Master Classes (A-B)

Before a networking lunch break, attendees have the option to choose between two “master classes” focused on topics that continue to be a source of risk.

Master Class A: Take Action in Light of New Regulatory Updates Surrounding Promotional Compliance and Off-Label Communication

During CBI’s Compliance Congress earlier this year, we learned that the regulatory focus on off-label promotion has shifted somewhat from larger companies to emerging companies and start-ups. Off-label concerns continue to be at the top of qui tam cases, and we’ll be curious to hear the steps Sharon Delshad of Nalpropion Pharmaceuticals and Gary Messplay from King & Spalding recommend for reducing off-label risk

Master Class B: Navigate Third-Party Relationships and Outsourcing Arrangements

For companies that utilize third-party entities for global transactions, Richard J. Ciamacca of Amring Pharmaceuticals, which positions itself as a company that “sells uniquely positioned and harder-to-manufacture generics that bring value to customers and patients,” will offer his insights on navigating the potential risks of those relationships.

Calibrate to Your Organization’s Size – Compliance Program Benchmarking Based on Company Resources

Anytime I see “benchmarking” in the title for a session, I am intrigued. It’s one of the reasons attendees are so interested in attending conferences like these, they want to benchmark their activities and programs against others in the industry. This hour-long session is divided into three presentations: How Companies Can Collect Leads and Advertise Digitally Without Violating Patient Privacy with Sharon Delshad of Nalpropion; Managed Markets Compliance – Mitigate Risks in Relationships with Payers; and Collaborate with Medical Affairs and Elevate MSL Oversight with Tim Ayers from Life Science Compliance Consulting LLC and Gregory S. Moss from Kadmon.

Summary

CBI has a well-earned reputation for organizing compliance conferences that bring together an impressive array of professionals and government representatives to share tips, best practices, and lessons learned. The 9th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress is no exception.

As a proud sponsor of the 9th Annual Life Sciences West Coast Compliance Congress, we can offer you a $500 discount on the regular registration price. It’s not too late to register at this special rate, but the discount certificates are limited. Contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com if you are considering attending. If you’re already registered, we look forward to seeing you in San Francisco!

Thanks for reading!

Sean Murphy
Marketing Manager and Compliance Training Insights Blog Editor
PharmaCertify by NXLevel Solutions

4th Annual Life Sciences Compliance Congress for Specialty Products: A Preview

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CBI’s Compliance Congress for Specialty Products kicks off next Thursday, September 13th in Boston, and Dan O’Connor, Senior Vice President for PharmaCertify, will be there to catch up with our clients and colleagues and hear industry leaders and government regulators share strategies for proactively addressing current risks for specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers.

We’ve reviewed the conference agenda and here are the sessions and presentations we are looking forward to in particular:

Day One, Thursday, September 13

Prosecutors’ Perspectives Panel

Following the opening keynote address, the conference begins with this prosecutor panel focused on biotech and specialty pharma companies. Charles Grabow, Assistant US Attorney from New Jersey, and Gregg Shapiro, Chief of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit for the DOJ in Boston, will be joined by Jane Yoon from Paul Hastings, LLP, to discuss the high-risk areas for this unique industry group. Government panels typically offer some of the most compelling and important information during conferences and since this conference is focused on such a defined segment of the industry, the conversation should be revealing and educational.

Coping Strategies for the Lonely Compliance Officer

In addition to having the most creative name of any of the presentations, this session features three professionals facing the challenges that come with being a compliance professional for an emerging pharmaceutical company. We will be curious to hear how Heather Godling from Sobi, Francisco Ribeiro of Tesaro, and Sarah Whipple at Akebia Therapeutics, creatively utilize the limited personnel and resources available to them to build and maintain a strong culture of compliance.

Expert Panel: Evaluate the Risks Associated with Disease State Awareness and Other Pre-Launch Activities

The “Pre-Launch Activities” part of this title caught my eye. No matter their growth stage, all companies need to be aware of the compliance risks and concerns they face now and as they progress toward launch. That extends to compliance policies regarding interactions with healthcare practitioners. Ideally, compliance training for a new sales team should be built and planned before the product is commercialized.

Ensure Transparency in Contributions to Independent Patient Assistance Foundations
And
Reboot Your Approach to Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs) and Reimbursement HUB Support  

Patient support programs are an emerging enforcement trend in the pharmaceutical industry as more and more companies enter into settlements at least partly related to the programs (e.g., Aegerion, United Therapeutics, Jazz Pharmaceuticals). Add the high cost of specialty pharmaceutical products to the mix, and it’s no surprise that CBI has scheduled back-to-back sessions on this important topic.

Day Two, Friday, September 14

Daybreak Discussion: Specialty Café – Forecasting Priorities from Now to 2020

In a novel presentation structure spread across two consecutive time slots (8:15 – 8:40 and 8:45 – 9:10), attendees will have the opportunity to sit in small groups, share ideas and listen to their peers discuss three timely topics: Risk-based Approaches for Advanced Therapies; PBM Contracting Considerations; and Compliant Medical Affairs and Commercial Interactions. The format offers a welcome twist  from the typical large group presentation and should lead to a compelling exchange of peer-to-peer ideas. It’s a great idea.

Explore the Trends in Drug Pricing Legislation and Other State Initiatives

John Oroho, from Porzio Life Sciences, LLC, is a respected and established thought leader in the life sciences compliance industry and his presentation is a can’t miss opportunity to hear the latest news and regulatory updates on these two ever-evolving topics.

Scale Up Your Compliance Program for Global Operations

Going global can be fraught with risk and compliance traps. In terms of anti-bribery alone, pharmaceutical companies need to now consider Loi Bertrand, the EFPIA Code, the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct, and a cadre of emerging codes and regulations around the world.  These on-going changes in the global landscape make the presentation by Masha Chestukhin of Sanofi, and Darryl Williams of MediSpend, an important pre-lunch session.

GDPR is Here – Now What Do We Do?

Are you confused about the General Protection Privacy Regulation (aka, GDPR) and its impact on you as a pharmaceutical compliance professional? You’re not alone. The questions concerning details like data inventory and documentation abound, and what exactly does it mean when data subjects have the “right to be forgotten?” What about training? Who needs to be trained? How does it impact the field employees interacting with HCPs? We look forward to hearing answers, ideas and opinions from David Ryan, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer at Epizyme and Trish Shorey, Privacy Officer, Global Compliance and Risk Management at Shire.

If you’re attending the conference, we want to hear from you. Let us know what you think of the sessions and presenters, and conference content. And of course, if you see Dan, he’d be happy to share demos of our newest compliance training solutions and discuss how we help clients build a stronger culture of compliance and reduce risk.  

Thanks for reading!

10 Tips for Creating Transparency Training That Sticks

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , , , , , , ,

With government investigators rigorously examining Open Payments, and on the hunt for red flags, the need for effective tracking and reporting training is more important than ever. Here are ten tips to help you build and deploy transparency training that reduces risk across your organization. 

  1. Go global.
    Make sure your employees understand that transparency covers multiple countries, not just the U.S. Global companies need to think beyond the Sunshine Act and include the relevant codes and laws from around the world. Don’t forget to incorporate requirements from codes like the EFPIA Disclosure Code and the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct, and regulations like Loi Bertrand (French Sunshine Act).
  2. Keep the reports formal.
    Stress the importance of using legal names of healthcare professionals for reporting purposes. Even if an HCP is commonly known as Bob, his license probably reads as Robert. Only legal names should be used. Warn the learners about facility names as well. For example, Saint Joseph’s Hospital for Children might be commonly known as Saint Joe’s, but the full name needs to be used in the reports.
  3. Add in reference resources.
    When developing training, include resources for learners to use on an on-going basis. Infographics or quick reference materials are good options for learners to self-check information they may have forgotten after they completed the training.
  4. Emphasize that ALL HCP spend needs to be tracked.
    Spend reporting requirements vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. A cup of coffee may or may not be reportable, depending on the circumstances. Learners should understand that accuracy is important for HCP spend, regardless of amount or spend type.
  5. Don’t forget the T&E process.
    The details of the travel and expense system are critical. Make sure learners know how to properly record HCP spend in your company’s system. For example, some systems (e.g., Concur) differentiate between a “business guest” and an “HCP guest.” Attributing the spending to the correct category in the system is a time-saving step that helps ensure accurate data.
  6. Include examples of data entry errors.
    Some data entry errors are common, and so are the instructions for correcting them. Identify the common errors in your system and highlight them in the training so learners recognize them during the actual data entry process.
  7. Include a section on HCP interactions.
    Healthcare professionals are aware of the buzz around transparency and privacy. They’re bound to have questions. Instruct sales representatives on how to answer their questions and address their concerns.
  8. Review the rules on speaker programs.
    HCP consultants who serve as speakers on behalf of the company need to make the audience aware that they are being paid by the company. Also, sign-in sheets are necessary to accurately record attendance and account for every physician in attendance.
  9. Make it easy to report errors.
    Include information about the process learners should use, including contact information, when they find errors (misspellings, incorrect state license number, incorrect address, etc.) in the training. Make that information available as a resource they can use later.
  10. It’s all about accuracy.
    No matter the format (live, eLearning, WebEx, etc.), make sure the need for accurate reporting is a recurring theme throughout the training. Take the time to identify and fully understand where errors typically occur in the process and build that information into the follow up training in the form of scenarios and stories. Long live accuracy…king of the content.

The Compliance Foundations™ customizable eLearning module, Global Transparency: Reporting HCP and HCO Transfers of Value, helps learners understand the requirements of worldwide transparency laws and codes, and how those rules help foster open relationships with a company’s HCP customers. Contact me at smurphy@nxlevelsolutions.com if you’d like to see a content outline or course demo.

Thanks for reading!

Sean Murphy
Editor
Compliance Training Insights Blog

Connie the Compliance Training Specialist Returns!

PharmaCertify Team , , , , , , ,

Welcome to a new edition of “Dear Connie the Compliance Training Specialist,” where we answer questions about life science compliance training concepts and discuss new ideas for making that training more effective.

This week: create a campaign to make it stick!

Dear Connie,

I am a compliance training manager for a mid-sized life sciences company in Pennsylvania and I am worried about our training on interactions with HCPs. We rolled out a new policy last year, and in January I launched comprehensive training on that policy. But based on our monitoring and data from our hotline, employees are still forgetting the key concepts and principles from their training. Connie, where do I go from here?

Signed,

Perplexed in Perkiomen

———————————————————————

Dear Perplexed,

Your challenge is a common one, but there are steps you can take to make the training more memorable. Just this month, at the 3rd Annual Life Science Compliance Training Conference, a number of your peers talked about how they use a campaign approach to make training more effective and make it stick with their learners.

Create a Brand

Develop a brand for the training campaign. Branding works for your company’s products, and it will work for your compliance training. Every time employees interact with your compliance training “brand” they form associations. The images you select reinforce those associations. Make sure your brand communicates the importance of integrity, clearly and consistently. Carry that branding throughout the training and on all communication.

Less is More

I suggest smaller training delivered throughout the year, rather than a longer more cumbersome course once or twice a year. When you take a “less is more” philosophy and keep seat times to no more than 15 minutes per module, you’re likely to see an uptick in retention. Don’t forget to keep the training flowing continuously, and build in follow up assessments, microlearning and contests to reset the forgetting curve that inevitably occurs after they complete the initial module or workshop.

Build the Messaging

The communication plan is critical too. Clear and concise messaging about the importance of the training, needs to be delivered in all three stages: pre-launch, launch, and post-launch. You should seek help from the stakeholders to deliver the messaging (one presenter at the conference said her company refers to these people as “compliance connectors”). The district managers are important in the process. They are the ones talking to the sales representatives on a regular basis, so you need to get them on board and funnel the messaging through them. Remember, communication is an ongoing process, you should constantly refine, adjust, and expand communications as you monitor the results of the training.

I could talk for hours about the need for a campaign approach to life sciences compliance training. I haven’t even touched on the need to solicit and evaluate learner feedback. Fortunately, my friends at PharmaCertify (that’s the life sciences compliance training division of NXLevel Solutions) have years of experience building training plans, and they’d be happy to share more ideas with you. Email my buddy Dan O’Connor at doconnor@nxlevelsolutions.com to see what they’ve done for other life sciences compliance clients.

Thanks for the great question and good luck!

Signed,

Connie the Compliance Training Specialist