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There is a new player in the life sciences commercial compliance conference space. After focusing on the GxP compliance field for years, the Knowledge Exchange Network (KENX) has joined the lineup of organizations targeting the commercial side of the industry. With Informa Connect (CBI) and PCF setting such a high bar for compliance conferences for years, I was looking forward to the possibility of hearing even more ideas for building an effective compliance program during KENX’s recent Biopharma and Biotech Corporate Compliance Summit webinar.
And that is exactly what happened, as an impressive array of industry leaders and established vendors presented new tips and suggestions for reducing risk and building an effective compliance program for established and emerging companies alike. Here are five key takeaways from the day-long webinar that may help you optimize your compliance training curriculum (that is, after all, our mission and passion at PharmaCertify):
1. “Establish a relationship with senior sales personnel so compliance is top of mind for new hires from the start.”
While the “partner with the business” refrain has been espoused frequently over recent years, the idea of turning to the sales leaders to make sure sales representatives hit the proverbial ground running is a compelling twist – particularly for compliance professionals from emerging companies, where resources are limited. Just as compliance needs to have a seat in the business, the business (and sales) needs to be part of the compliance committee to help establish a baseline of compliance expectations and avoid miscues from the start.
2. “The best practices and the rules are evolving quickly, especially during the pandemic. Keep in touch with your peers to discuss how they are managing the evolution to virtual interactions and changing policies.”
I have written about how the larger compliance conferences offer a rare opportunity for compliance professionals to interact with their peers one-on-one and soak in best practices for compliance. But isn’t it a shame that those opportunities are so rare? They don’t have to be. Organizations like KENX, Informa Connect, and PCF offer smaller one-day sessions focused on a plethora of topics, and even when conducted virtually, these programs offer a chance to connect with those who are dealing with the same challenges as you. Even if it’s through a compliance training group like the one we created on LinkedIn, sharing common experiences, successes, and bumps in the road is a critical tool for navigating the morass of changing policy and priorities during the pandemic.
3. “Study the 2020 OIG Fraud Alert to identify the areas that are top of mind for government regulators moving forward.”
A cursory review of the special fraud alert released by the OIG last November reveals nothing revelatory or surprising in terms of the fraud and abuse risks related to speaker programs. Rather, as was noted during the webinar, the importance of the alert lies more in the mere fact that the agency released it. On page 3 of the document, the agency states “Our investigations have revealed that, often, HCPs receive generous compensation to speak at programs offered under circumstances that are not conducive to learning or to speak to audience members who have no legitimate reason to attend.” Anyone who has been paying attention to recent settlements is not shocked by such a statement but the language points to two of the areas the OIG considers to be of primary concern for compliance violations. Consider this special alert as a shot across the bow of the industry. The focus on the speaker programs isn’t going away anytime soon, and now is the time to make sure your policy and training targeting reps, presenters, and vendors is up to date and covers all the risk areas.
4. “Trade show vendors have probably not thought through the potential compliance concerns of holding the meetings virtually. You need to be engaged with them about those details beforehand.”
Compliance training cannot end with employees, especially during a pandemic when the rules are constantly changing. When a vendor is organizing a trade show or conducting any business on behalf of the company, the risk grows exponentially. Are your trade show vendors aware of the rules and your policies regarding product promotion and scientific exchange? Have you fully considered the ramifications of building and delivering online training for vendors? Don’t assume that your vendors are going to take the same diligent approach to compliance as you do and don’t just hope they stay abreast of the latest best practices around virtual communication. If you launched vendor training prior to the pandemic, consider adding microlearning refresher training to highlight changes in policy.
5. “Utilize a campaign approach to training to support branding efforts and make the concepts more memorable.”
The session titled, “Training – Best Practices for Promotional Compliance challenges in a Virtual World, Creative Solutions to Keep Sales Reps from Going Off the Guardrails” offered a range of tips for changing behavior through core training, performance support, and reinforcement training (I know, I’m biased because the co-presenter was my colleague, Dan O’Connor, but you really should see this slide deck). No matter your budget, rolling out branded components across a learner’s timeline, rather than launching one large bolus of content, has been proven to enhance learning and increase the retention of that content. The “Forgetting Curve” is real, and if you want to make your training more memorable, you need to make it continuous.
All the presentations during the Biopharma and Biotech Corporate Compliance Summit offered enough nuanced twists on familiar topics to make a one-day commitment of time worthwhile. The last year has seen an upheaval in how the industry conducts business, which has resulted in a sudden need for changes to compliance practices and policies. Even with established organizations like PCF and Informa Connect continuing to keep their own events timely and relevant, there is always room for another player. Welcome to the party, KNEX.
Thanks for reading!
Sean Murphy
PharmaCertify