Articles/Links: Physician Education/Academic Detailing

• Pennsylvania launches academic drug detailing Author: C. Guadagnino – December, 2005
  In this interview, the Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Health Care Reform, Susan Anderson, discusses the state’s academic drug detailing initiative, which provides unbiased information to physicians participating in Medicaid, the PACE program for seniors and the state employee retiree program. The interview covers program goals, drug classes targeted, the positive reception by physicians, measures of success and the potential for replicating the program in other states. The program operating costs are $80,000 a month, but it is expected to generate significant savings to the state, which now spends $3B annually on drugs.
• Improving drug-therapy decisions through educational outreach Authors: J. Avorn and S.B. Soumerai – June 1983
  This paper investigates the potential efficacy of physician education programs to reduce the prescribing rate of expensive brand name drugs. Using a sample from four state Medicaid programs, investigators found that a combination of office visits and mailings from unaffiliated clinical pharmacists lowered the prescribing rate of three target brand name drugs. The authors conclude that implementing such multi-platform academic detailing programs on a wider scale can be an effective means to lower drug spending and combat pharmaceutical marketing to physicians.