Comments on: My Life as a Compliance Analyst: The Case for Pharma Reps http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/10/my-life-as-a-compliance-analyst-the-case-for-pharma-reps.html A gold mine of straight talk and encouragement for people living with diabetes Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:38:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Lauren http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/10/my-life-as-a-compliance-analyst-the-case-for-pharma-reps.html/comment-page-1#comment-122096 Lauren Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:30:12 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=5132#comment-122096 Why isn't it illegal for insurance companies to pick and choose what they will and won't cover? I understand it if health insurance won't pay for face-lifts. But to refuse to pay for life-saving, quality-of-life-improving technologies, medication, and therapies? That is criminal. You bet insurance company CEOs wouldn't want their children's care to be "pre-authorized," appealed, denied, denied again, etc. How can they get away with making profits by hurting sick people? Why isn’t it illegal for insurance companies to pick and choose what they will and won’t cover? I understand it if health insurance won’t pay for face-lifts. But to refuse to pay for life-saving, quality-of-life-improving technologies, medication, and therapies? That is criminal. You bet insurance company CEOs wouldn’t want their children’s care to be “pre-authorized,” appealed, denied, denied again, etc. How can they get away with making profits by hurting sick people?

]]> By: tmana http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/10/my-life-as-a-compliance-analyst-the-case-for-pharma-reps.html/comment-page-1#comment-114784 tmana Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:11:47 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=5132#comment-114784 The argument could be made that, given FCC clearance to advertise medications directly to the patient, and given the amount of information available on the Internet, the responsibility for finding appropriate tests and medications should fall to the patient, with the doctor as the professional sounding board (the prescription being the yea/nay). For many of the readers here, it is our activity within the diabetes community that makes us aware of new tools and options, as well as sufficient background to discuss these intelligently with our care team -- and our health is more a cooperative venture between us and our clinicians than it is "trickle-down" medicine. The sad truth is that for many others, health care is -- and always will be -- a "trickle-down" venture, filtered through doctors' knowledge of "this has worked in the past" and insurance carriers' narrow-necked funnels of "this is what we will cover", occasionally given a vague push from the bottom through media advertisement (mostly TV ads, and print ads in drugstore- and pharma-sponsored free healthzines). The argument could be made that, given FCC clearance to advertise medications directly to the patient, and given the amount of information available on the Internet, the responsibility for finding appropriate tests and medications should fall to the patient, with the doctor as the professional sounding board (the prescription being the yea/nay). For many of the readers here, it is our activity within the diabetes community that makes us aware of new tools and options, as well as sufficient background to discuss these intelligently with our care team — and our health is more a cooperative venture between us and our clinicians than it is “trickle-down” medicine.
The sad truth is that for many others, health care is — and always will be — a “trickle-down” venture, filtered through doctors’ knowledge of “this has worked in the past” and insurance carriers’ narrow-necked funnels of “this is what we will cover”, occasionally given a vague push from the bottom through media advertisement (mostly TV ads, and print ads in drugstore- and pharma-sponsored free healthzines).

]]> By: elizabeth joy http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/10/my-life-as-a-compliance-analyst-the-case-for-pharma-reps.html/comment-page-1#comment-114660 elizabeth joy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:27:24 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=5132#comment-114660 Well that's just fascinating, Alexis, because that was exactly my job before I got to quit and become a writer. (I was actually a QA GCP Analyst and then in Regulatory Affairs for pharmas, but it's the same sorta deal.) I'm a type 1 compliance analyst also on the OmniPod, probably about your age. I'm your doppelganger (although, sadly, I'm not on Symlin and, also sadly, not a blonde...) Well that’s just fascinating, Alexis, because that was exactly my job before I got to quit and become a writer. (I was actually a QA GCP Analyst and then in Regulatory Affairs for pharmas, but it’s the same sorta deal.)

I’m a type 1 compliance analyst also on the OmniPod, probably about your age. I’m your doppelganger (although, sadly, I’m not on Symlin and, also sadly, not a blonde…)

]]> By: Scott K. Johnson http://www.diabetesmine.com/2008/10/my-life-as-a-compliance-analyst-the-case-for-pharma-reps.html/comment-page-1#comment-114458 Scott K. Johnson Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:13:40 +0000 http://www.diabetesmine.com/?p=5132#comment-114458 Thanks Alexis (and Amy for bringing Alexis to us)! Very interesting information. I'm a big fan of Symlin, and feel it has changed my life with diabetes for the better. I had to push really hard to get it because my doctor didn't seem to know much about it. That was unsettling and a bit scary to me. Thanks Alexis (and Amy for bringing Alexis to us)!

Very interesting information. I’m a big fan of Symlin, and feel it has changed my life with diabetes for the better. I had to push really hard to get it because my doctor didn’t seem to know much about it. That was unsettling and a bit scary to me.

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