Virginia Rheumatology Clinic alleviates the administrative burden of scheduling reps

Virginia Rheumatology Clinic valued the education that medical science liaisons provided, but it took too much time to schedule and verify appointments, says Georgia Bonney, practice manager. Bonney’s staff had a lot on their plates, and she didn’t want productivity to cease every time a rep walked through their doors.

Prohibiting access was not an option. “We rely on the reps to keep us current and well-informed,” she says. Reps provided much-needed patient educational materials as well as succinct education tailored to the practice’s needs.

When Bonney discovered RxVantage at a National Organization of Rheumatology Managers conference, she was intrigued. RxVantage is a free tool that allows reps to self-schedule appointments based on the practice’s preferred availability.

The sign-up process was easy. Bonney created a calendar allowing reps to self-schedule meetings four days of the week. Reps the practice designated as favorites can schedule meetings every six weeks while others can schedule once per quarter. When new reps come to the practice, her staff simply hand them an RxVantage pamphlet that describes the protocol.

“I feel less stressed because I know RxVantage will handle the rep scheduling so my staff do not need to worry about it,” she says.

RxVantage automatically delivers notifications to reps, so Bonney and her staff don’t need to handle communication. The platform requires reps to confirm appointments 72 hours in advance, and if a rep does not confirm, sends alerts to other reps who may be able to cover. This has virtually eliminated no-shows for appointments. Additionally, the platform provides a digital directory of reps in the area with built-in messaging. This allows staff to communicate with reps without sharing email addresses.

I did not have anything to lose in trying the product. The reward was superb because it saves so much time for my front office staff. It is a no-brainer.