I met with a group of pharmacy benefit managers to educate them about psoriasis treatment. They are in a great position to help us make sure patients get the care they need. They are also in a great position to really screw things up if they don’t understand psoriasis, its impact on people, the great diversity of treatment options and how these treatments are used.
Dermatologists’ Perceptions about Insurance Companies
Many dermatologists probably believe these insurance company employees don’t really care much about patients, even less about psoriasis, except as far as it helps them save the insurer money.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns about Patients vs Treatment Costs
On the contrary, the pharmacy benefit managers at this meeting were very interested in psoriasis treatment. The specter of $20,000/year-for-life drugs eating up their budgets and eliminating their annual bonuses could have something to do with that. But they didn’t seem to want to deny everyone every expensive treatment. They did seem to want to make sure that patients were treated appropriately and that whatever prior authorization criteria they had in place were sensible. Seeing their interest in devising plans that really did help people was heartening. At least as far as these particular managers went, it seemed that dermatologists’ dim view of them was misplaced.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns About Dermatologists
One of the attendees approached me at the break. He explained that the dynamics of psoriasis treatment had really changed. He mentioned how heavily drug companies were marketing expensive new treatments to dermatologists. Their reps were bringing lunches to them every day, he said, and dermatologists were not likely to want that to end. He was concerned that those free lunches would motivate dermatologists to demand open access to all the biologicals. He further believed that those free lunches would convince dermatologists to resist efforts to control their use.
Misperceptions on Both Sides
I gently suggested to him that maybe dermatologists’ motivation was their interest in ensuring that their patients have access to the drugs they need.
At the same time, I was thinking how the idea this pharmacy benefit manager had was completely and utterly ridiculous.
I have no idea why he thinks that dermatologists are getting catered lunches every day. To whatever extent sales people are bringing doughnuts or lunch to the office or offering to have someone attend a dinner lecture, I imagine none of us would be very sorry to see those things end. It is completely incomprehensible to me to think that any of us would want to see open access to biologics on insurers’ formularies primarily because we like having lunch brought to the office. What a completely and utterly ridiculous idea.
What intrigues me, though, is how a thoroughly intelligent, well-balanced, high-functioning medical professional (a doctor of pharmacy) could end up with such a ridiculous idea about dermatologists.
This would probably not be worth much thought if it were an isolated phenomenon, but sadly it isn’t. The warped impression of us that this pharmacy benefit manager held seems to mirror the warped perceptions many of us hold of people in his position.
Recognizing This Tendency to Think Ill of Others
Some people, perhaps people in general, have a strong tendency to think ill of others, sometimes harboring completely and utterly ridiculous beliefs.
Consider other ways this tendency manifests in the world around you. I wonder how much conflict we could avoid by recognizing our tendency to think about others — often unrightfully so — this way.
I met with a group of pharmacy benefit managers to educate them about psoriasis treatment. They are in a great position to help us make sure patients get the care they need. They are also in a great position to really screw things up if they don’t understand psoriasis, its impact on people, the great diversity of treatment options and how these treatments are used.
Dermatologists’ Perceptions about Insurance Companies
Many dermatologists probably believe these insurance company employees don’t really care much about patients, even less about psoriasis, except as far as it helps them save the insurer money.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns about Patients vs Treatment Costs
On the contrary, the pharmacy benefit managers at this meeting were very interested in psoriasis treatment. The specter of $20,000/year-for-life drugs eating up their budgets and eliminating their annual bonuses could have something to do with that. But they didn’t seem to want to deny everyone every expensive treatment. They did seem to want to make sure that patients were treated appropriately and that whatever prior authorization criteria they had in place were sensible. Seeing their interest in devising plans that really did help people was heartening. At least as far as these particular managers went, it seemed that dermatologists’ dim view of them was misplaced.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns About Dermatologists
One of the attendees approached me at the break. He explained that the dynamics of psoriasis treatment had really changed. He mentioned how heavily drug companies were marketing expensive new treatments to dermatologists. Their reps were bringing lunches to them every day, he said, and dermatologists were not likely to want that to end. He was concerned that those free lunches would motivate dermatologists to demand open access to all the biologicals. He further believed that those free lunches would convince dermatologists to resist efforts to control their use.
Misperceptions on Both Sides
I gently suggested to him that maybe dermatologists’ motivation was their interest in ensuring that their patients have access to the drugs they need.
At the same time, I was thinking how the idea this pharmacy benefit manager had was completely and utterly ridiculous.
I have no idea why he thinks that dermatologists are getting catered lunches every day. To whatever extent sales people are bringing doughnuts or lunch to the office or offering to have someone attend a dinner lecture, I imagine none of us would be very sorry to see those things end. It is completely incomprehensible to me to think that any of us would want to see open access to biologics on insurers’ formularies primarily because we like having lunch brought to the office. What a completely and utterly ridiculous idea.
What intrigues me, though, is how a thoroughly intelligent, well-balanced, high-functioning medical professional (a doctor of pharmacy) could end up with such a ridiculous idea about dermatologists.
This would probably not be worth much thought if it were an isolated phenomenon, but sadly it isn’t. The warped impression of us that this pharmacy benefit manager held seems to mirror the warped perceptions many of us hold of people in his position.
Recognizing This Tendency to Think Ill of Others
Some people, perhaps people in general, have a strong tendency to think ill of others, sometimes harboring completely and utterly ridiculous beliefs.
Consider other ways this tendency manifests in the world around you. I wonder how much conflict we could avoid by recognizing our tendency to think about others — often unrightfully so — this way.
I met with a group of pharmacy benefit managers to educate them about psoriasis treatment. They are in a great position to help us make sure patients get the care they need. They are also in a great position to really screw things up if they don’t understand psoriasis, its impact on people, the great diversity of treatment options and how these treatments are used.
Dermatologists’ Perceptions about Insurance Companies
Many dermatologists probably believe these insurance company employees don’t really care much about patients, even less about psoriasis, except as far as it helps them save the insurer money.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns about Patients vs Treatment Costs
On the contrary, the pharmacy benefit managers at this meeting were very interested in psoriasis treatment. The specter of $20,000/year-for-life drugs eating up their budgets and eliminating their annual bonuses could have something to do with that. But they didn’t seem to want to deny everyone every expensive treatment. They did seem to want to make sure that patients were treated appropriately and that whatever prior authorization criteria they had in place were sensible. Seeing their interest in devising plans that really did help people was heartening. At least as far as these particular managers went, it seemed that dermatologists’ dim view of them was misplaced.
Insurance Companies’ Concerns About Dermatologists
One of the attendees approached me at the break. He explained that the dynamics of psoriasis treatment had really changed. He mentioned how heavily drug companies were marketing expensive new treatments to dermatologists. Their reps were bringing lunches to them every day, he said, and dermatologists were not likely to want that to end. He was concerned that those free lunches would motivate dermatologists to demand open access to all the biologicals. He further believed that those free lunches would convince dermatologists to resist efforts to control their use.
Misperceptions on Both Sides
I gently suggested to him that maybe dermatologists’ motivation was their interest in ensuring that their patients have access to the drugs they need.
At the same time, I was thinking how the idea this pharmacy benefit manager had was completely and utterly ridiculous.
I have no idea why he thinks that dermatologists are getting catered lunches every day. To whatever extent sales people are bringing doughnuts or lunch to the office or offering to have someone attend a dinner lecture, I imagine none of us would be very sorry to see those things end. It is completely incomprehensible to me to think that any of us would want to see open access to biologics on insurers’ formularies primarily because we like having lunch brought to the office. What a completely and utterly ridiculous idea.
What intrigues me, though, is how a thoroughly intelligent, well-balanced, high-functioning medical professional (a doctor of pharmacy) could end up with such a ridiculous idea about dermatologists.
This would probably not be worth much thought if it were an isolated phenomenon, but sadly it isn’t. The warped impression of us that this pharmacy benefit manager held seems to mirror the warped perceptions many of us hold of people in his position.
Recognizing This Tendency to Think Ill of Others
Some people, perhaps people in general, have a strong tendency to think ill of others, sometimes harboring completely and utterly ridiculous beliefs.
Consider other ways this tendency manifests in the world around you. I wonder how much conflict we could avoid by recognizing our tendency to think about others — often unrightfully so — this way.
