Focus Magazine - Fall 2012 - 22

FEATURESTORY

The Changing Profile of the Successful Sales Rep
I By Brad Ansley t’s no secret that the selling environment in the life science industry has changed and continues to evolve. As regulatory and physician reimbursement changes take hold, there is a fundamental shi in the business paradigm for healthcare providers. ey are called to work as a team to lower the cost of care and generate better patient outcomes. If successful, then they participate in the cost of care savings generated from their e ort. ese changes to the healthcare provider (HCP) business model are also impacting their expectations of sales representatives. eir growing expectation is for sales representatives to understand not only their products and disease state, but also the value drivers of their practice. Armed with the appropriate skills, the successful representative will have the situational uency needed to create solutions that help the physician attain his/her practice.

• Medicare Reimbursement Multiplier - Medicare providers will receive incentives from a value-based payment modi er to increase reimbursement for Medicare providers who deliver high-quality care at low cost and decrease payment for "low-value" providers. • Increased Patient Volume – Whether through PPACA or other reform initiatives, signi cant numbers of new patients are anticipated to enter the mainstream market in the next decade. ese existing and anticipated changes recently prompted Physician News Digest to comment that factors in today’s healthcare environment “…create increasing pressure on physicians to nd a new business model.”

The Role of Evidence-Based Medicine
With greater accountability and incentives to lower cost through collaboration and reduction in redundant care, the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has emerged as a core methodological approach in healthcare. us, healthcare reform will provide a robust environment for comparative e ectiveness research, systematic reviews, and evidencebased medicine. e life science sales professional of the future will require high levels of uency in EBM to e ectively communicate and position value to potential buyers.

From Fee-for-Service to Fee-for-Value
e Patient Protection and A ordable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law in March 2010. e purpose of this act is to expand insurance coverage, to use the best clinical evidence available to control healthcare costs, and improve the healthcare delivery system in the U.S. To accomplish this, the law provides performance-based payments to physicians in order to align their economic incentives with the longterm goals of the law. ree factors that will impact the business model for healthcare providers include: • Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) - Increasingly, there will be nancial incentives for healthcare providers to collaborate across di erent care settings in ACOs, and they will be rewarded for lowering their growth in healthcare costs while meeting performance standards based on quality of care.

Sales Model Must Change to Align with Buyers Needs
Given the political environment, there is a good chance that there will be changes to the provisions in the PPACA. However, there is no doubt that the healthcare environment has changed forever. e shi in focus for HCPs from volume to value and outcomes will require new thinking for sales organizations. e product-centric sales model just won’t work anymore. Today’s environment requires a more customer-focused approach – similar to the approach used successfully across many industries in B2B sales for the past two decades [ gure 2]. Healthcare providers have limited time and expect sales professionals to have full command of the clinical evidence supporting their brands. ey are looking for value in the form of a patient-centered dialogue that references valid clinical evidence and how it relates to successful solutions for their practice and patients.
FOCUS | FALL 2012 | www.spbt.org

http://www.spbt.org

Focus Magazine - Fall 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Fall 2012