Are on-site device reps helping or hurting orthopedic surgical teams?
According to a recent blog post from Nexera, industry stakeholders believe that hospitals over rely on vendor sales reps which leads to a loss of device neutrality and increased costs.
With implant procedure reimbursement rates on the decline in recent years, hospitals are looking for more cost-efficient methods, including the rep-less model.
However, Nexera does point out some flaws in the rep-less model. One such flaw is that without a rep, the hospital will have to put more effort into procuring implants and most likely an existing member of the surgical team will have to take over this duty.
To have success with a rep-less, Nexera notes that a hospital must develop someone from the team or the hospital to be trained in objective technical and inventory management skills.