Washington D.C. Adopts Legislation Governing Pharmaceutical Representatives
It is well known that most health care providers are subject to complex laws and regulations. Unlike traditional health care providers, however, pharmaceutical representatives have generally successfully positioned themselves beyond the scope of the health care rules, making the requirements and accompanying penalties for noncompliance inapplicable. In a noteworthy move, however, council members in Washington D.C. have taken aim at this profession by passing a measure that requires pharmaceutical representatives to obtain licenses and prohibits these representatives from knowingly providing false information to providers. The legislation now brings the profession within the complex web of health care laws and rules applicable to traditional health care providers.
In the press release discussing the legislation, councilman David Catania stated that pharmaceutical representatives "have come to play a huge role in our health care system, and it's time to start treating them as healthcare providers." He further stated that "[t]he current system promotes the use of the latest, most expensive drugs at the expense of the best, most effective ones. This is a major problem for our overall healthcare system."
Will this be the tipping point that causes other state legislatures to adopt similar measures?
