AnkleSprain.com | Rep Interaction Post-COVID | Webinars
AnkleSprain.com
Patient-focused advertising has long been a part of the healthcare sector with drug companies spending big dollars on television and print advertising. Some device companies have invested in professional athlete testimonials , been featured in airline magazines, provide local physician PR programs, and post to various social media channels. In Orthopedics as a whole, the majority of these marketing dollars have been directed to hip and knee arthroplasty as the heavyweights (Depuy, Stryker, Zimmer-Biomet, Smith and Nephew) slug it out and look for an edge in the very competitive $15+ Billion Global Market. Extremities are a growth component of most of these companies and Foot and Ankle marketing managers are also looking at direct to patient platforms to drive sales.
Last week Arthrex launched a patient education site www.anklesprain.com . With approximately 2 million ankle sprains a year, it hopes to be a landing place for those seeking treatment options. The site features its Internal Brace product as the procedure of choice chronic instability. Of course, all ankle sprains do not need surgery, and anklesprain.com does a good job of leading the patient down the path of potential surgical intervention. The FAQ section is unique in that it features a number of consulting physicians providing answers to the questions via video explanation, not the traditional text explanations found on most sites. It also provides a robust Doctor Search tool for patients to locate an experienced physician in their area. They qualify the listed surgeons in 2 buckets as either an “Elite or Master Centers" based on volume and training. Pushing patients to Arthrex friendly doctors provide value for both the Physician (new patients), the company (Internal Brace sales), and theoretically the patient if the end result leads them to finding a qualified surgeon.
In Foot and Ankle, Arthrex is not alone in the creation of procedure specific sites. Wright Medical offers MyAnkle , a site focused on end stage ankle arthritis and their market leading ankle portfolio. Treace reported at ACFAS in San Antonio and more recently on social media that they receive over 25,000 monthly patient searches for Lapiplasty surgeons at AlignMyToe . That is a massive number of potential office visits and subsequent surgeries if appropriate.
As time moves on and more and more patients are visiting Dr. Google, will more companies follow suit to reach patients for a specific product or indication? I assume yes. The other questions are: do they convert to appointments and are you listed on these sites as provider for treatment?
Post-COVID 19 Sales Rep Interaction
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons sent out a survey this week around COVID 19 with questions pertaining to patient volume, patient sentiment, and practice patterns. One question asked about how the impact of COVID 19 will affect sales representatives and their ability to service operative case loads. They asked:
Which of the following do you think will apply to reps at your facility going forward?
- Need antibody testing
- Need to bring their own PPE
- Not be allowed in the OR suite and instead remain outside
- Not be allowed in the hospital
- Remain as usual (i.e. pre Covid 19)
We are hearing varying levels of requirements based on regionality and case circumstances (simple vs complex). Some accounts are back to business as usual, others are requiring N95’s and proof of FIT testing for those masks. More stringent accounts are requiring COVID testing on a bi-weekly basis.
Understanding that additional traffic in the OR could present additional risk and that mandating COVID testing may provide some legal cover for the facility, what is to say if the rep tests negative today, they will not be positive tomorrow? Should all OR staff including physicians also be held to this standard? Is getting tested at this frequency level even feasible? Definitely something to think about and interesting that AAOS has this on their radar.
This question also brings to light the role a rep plays in the OR and if they are in fact needed for every case. There is no question, most hospitals rely heavily on reps to help coordinate surgical implants and to assist scrub tech’s to maximize efficiency. Ultimately, this will come down to those who feel that the rep’s value is worth increased exposure vs those who feel they/their facility can function without them.
Thankfully for the physician, most of this will be handled by the facilities and the reps who service those accounts with the safety of both the patient and staff in mind. One area that is controlled by the physicians is the office setting where sales reps visit to review cases or sell new products. Moving forward, how will you handle your interaction with reps? Are new protocols being established by you and your office managers to deal with sales representatives? Please take this survey and we will post the results next week.
Will you still meet with sales reps in your office?
Answer in the quick poll below!
Choose one of the following responses:
Yes
No
How would you prefer to receive information from reps/companies at this time? Answer in the quick poll below!
Choose one of the following responses:
In Person
Phone Call
Text Message
Teleconference (i.e. Zoom Meetings)
Webinars
Upcoming Corporate Webinars
The webinar schedule is still filling up, this week Medline jumps into the mix with the first of their "Thursday's in May" webinar series kicking off tomorrow night.
Companies please let us know where we can find the replays for those who can't watch live. We will post them here and on the website.
Webinars listed by date/time.
AOFAS - Syndesmosis: Current State of the Art
Wednesday – May 13th @ 9pm ET
Moderator: Cesar de Cesar Netto, MD, PhD
Faculty: Alexej Barg, MD; Kyle R. Duchman, MD; Gregory R. Waryasz, MD
This webinar will discuss the state of the art in the diagnosis and treatment of syndesmotic ankle injuries. Faculty will focus on updates regarding diagnostic tools for subtle instability treatment, fast recovery protocols for diagnosed unstable injuries, and how to manage the chronic undiagnosed injuries.
REGISTER HERE
GRECMIP - Percutaneous Calcaneal Osteotomies
Thursday May 14th, 2020 10 AM EST
Speakers:
- Stephen Bendall (UK)
- Miki Dalmau-Pastor (ESP)
- Andreas Toepfer (GER)
- Joel Vernois (FRA)
REGISTER HERE
Medline UNITE - HAV Deformity: A Guide for Triplanar Correction (without Guides)
Thursday - May 14 @ 6pm ET
Speakers: Alex J. Pappas, MD and Matthew Soresen, DPM
REGISTER HERE
Wright Medical - MIS Techniques
Thursday – May 14th @ 7pm ET
Speakers – Dr. Hodges Davis, MD and Eric Baskin, DPM
Contact your Wright Sales Rep today to register for this live webinar.
American Society of Podiatric Surgeons (ASPS) - 2020 Antibiotic Update for Treatment of Foot and Lower Extremity Infections
Tuesday – May 19 @ 8pm ET
Speaker: Chris Albrittion, DPM
REGISTER HERE
TALAR MEDICAL - In Office Wound Care Dispensing - Pre/During/Post COVID
Tuesday - May 19 @ 8pm ET
Speakers: Ira Kraus, DPM and Michael King, DPM
REGISTER HERE
CROSS ROADS EXTREMITY - Closing the Gap in MTP Fusions
Wednesday – May 20th @ 6pm ET
Speaker –Scott Shawen, MD
REGISTER HERE
If you have an upcoming webinar or event you would like to promote, please contact us a t footandanklenews@gmail.com
Or if you have an article you would like to share, please email it to us at footandanklenews@gmail.com
