North Mississippi Health System uses RxVantage to keep up with cutting-edge therapies

Staying abreast of new drug regimens and protocols isn’t easy—even for system-owned clinics.

“The new drugs are coming out so quickly,” says Connie Renfroe, clinical practice manager who oversees daily operations for the hematology/oncology clinic at North Mississippi Health System. “It’s hard for us to keep up with all of the new drug indications.”

Medical science representatives provided valuable education to clinical and administrative staff; however, it took a lot of manual work to coordinate the visits. Renfroe had faced similar challenges while working previously as a regional manager overseeing the health system’s nine internal medicine clinics. At the time, she found RxVantage—a free tool that digitizes the physician-pharma relationship—while searching online for a solution that could help. She had tested the product with a rep who visited the internal medicine clinic frequently to see if it would be a seamless process. The rep liked it, the staff liked it, and the clinic decided to move forward with rolling it for all rep scheduling.

How North Mississippi Health Systems uses RxVantage for their business.

When Renfroe switched from internal medicine to hematology/oncology, she knew that RxVantage would be equally as helpful. With RxVantage, reps can self-schedule and confirm meetings. Renfroe dictates the clinic’s availability, controls the frequency with which certain reps can book appointments, and can even message reps directly without having to exchange email addresses. She can also search for reps by first/last name, product/drug name, or company name.

“It’s an easier process, and the scheduling component is streamlined,” she says.

Going live with RxVantage was simple. Renfroe designated clinic availability and granted staff access by entering names, titles, and email addresses. The entire process took less than an hour.

It’s important that we have time with reps. We’re trying to cure cancer – It’s about finding the right drug at the right time to effectively cure patients. RxVantage helps us do this.

Saving Time For Patient Care

Since partnering with RxVantage, the oncology clinic has reduced the time staff spend scheduling reps. Very few reps show up unannounced, and when they do, front-desk staff simply refer them to RxVantage.

“We just hand the reps brochures from RxVantage and tell them to go online and schedule a time to come in,” says Susie Chunn, oncology service line manager. “It works out great.”

Nurses and social workers at the clinics use RxVantage to quickly research Patient Assistance Programs. The database, powered by RxAssist, provides one centralized tool for the staff to lookup eligibility requirements, download forms, and send information to patients. It is updated in real-time so the team has the confidence to know they are equipped with the latest information.

RxVantage not only increased clinical efficiency, but it also allowed clinical and administrative staff to continue benefiting from the valuable education that reps provide—without need to increase administrative bandwidth or infringe on patient care.

It helps minimize staff time. It’s very efficient, and it’s a great way to communicate with the reps.