Reps help increase quality of care at Arkansas Cardiology

With back-to-back appointments, it wasn’t easy for physicians at Arkansas Cardiology to stay abreast of cutting-edge advancements in cardiology

Particularly, rapidly-evolving subspecialties were especially difficult to keep on top of, including electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, nuclear cardiology, heart failure, structural heart disease, and peripheral vascular diagnostics and interventions.

“In between keeping up with clinic appointments and returning patient phone calls, there isn’t much time in the day for [physicians] to learn about all of the new advances in cardiology unless they use their personal time at home,” says Amber Edwards, clinical supervisor at the practice who oversees physician and staff training.

Life science reps provided valuable clinical education and resources, but it was time-consuming for Edwards to manage rep scheduling, and nearly impossible to keep track of who was coming into the practice and how often. “It was a nightmare,” she says. “We were using a paper calendar, and all of the reps would show up on one day.”

However, Edwards knew how crucial reps were to the practice because of the valuable information they had about clinical and formulary updates. So, she turned to RxVantage—a free technology that empowers connections between medical practices and reps. With RxVantage, Edwards set up her account to fit her practice’s unique needs and visitation policy. She simply designates when and how often reps can visit, and the technology handles the rest, enabling reps to continue providing critical education to physicians and staff without increasing the administrative burden.

She also has instant access to all reps in her area through the digital directory, so whenever a physician or staff member has a question, she can receive the answers they need, fast.

This increased control has led to higher-quality clinical education, says Edwards. “Reps know they have a scheduled time, and they’re more inclined to prepare and highlight important information,” she adds.

With the transparent policy, the reps are focused solely on the educational value. Prior to meetings, Edwards and her staff know what the reps will be talking about—whether it’s new medications, regimens, or protocols. Reps now frequently bring new research data to help physicians decide whether certain medications would benefit specific patients. In addition, Edwards says reps often set up new devices so physicians and nurses can explore them before using them on patients.

Making time for reps is essential, says Edwards. With RxVantage, she ensures physicians and staff receive the critical clinical updates they need to provide the highest quality patient care.

“Reps play an integral role in helping us take care of our patients.”