CBI 4th Annual Life Sciences Forum on Speaker Program Management

On February 23-24, 2012, CBI will be hosting its 4th Annual Life Sciences Forum on Speaker Program Management.  The two-day meeting, which includes a distinguished group of speakers, will be hosted at the Double Tree Hotel, located in Philadelphia, PA.

CBI, a subsidiary of Advanstar, is the leading provider of market-driven, unbiased conferences for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and healthcare industries. CBI offers specialized information presented in interactive formats by thought leaders and regulators.

Conference

The implications of Healthcare Reform are still changing the way pharmaceutical and medical device companies are managing and monitoring their speaker bureaus.  This forum brings together experts in speaker program management to discuss compliant practices and innovative formats that are increasing the value and ROI of speaker programs within their organizations.

Program Highlights Include:

Practical Guidance on Moving Forward with Tracking and Reporting Speaker Programs

• Ensure Speaker Compliance – How to Educate and Communicate Regulations
• Keep Speaker Programs Fresh and Improve Audience Engagement
• Educate and Train the Sales Force on Speaker Programs
• Understand the Crucial Factors that Drive Physician Attendance at Speaker Programs
• The Digital Age of Speaker Programs – Evaluate Alternative Avenues and Successful Practices for New Mediums of Speaker Programs
• Application and Implementation of ROI for Speaker Programs 

 A brief summary of the agenda is listed below. 

Sunshine Act 

Several of the sessions will focus on the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, which has already made a profound impact on the life sciences industry and merited a tremendous shift in how speaker programs are developed, managed and executed.  Now with the release of partial reporting in 2012, what will this mean for speaker bureau professionals?  As individuals involved with speaker program management, at every level, it is critical to maintain compliant and transparent interactions with HCPs through programs.  

CBI’s 4^th Annual Life Sciences Forum on Speaker Program Management helps industry professionals benchmark with peers and develop proven strategies for addressing key regulatory updates with speaker programs.

• Learn how to track and report speaker programs in 2012
• Understand how to educate speakers on current regulations
• Establish disciplinary procedures for non-conforming speakers
• Review the impact of the Sunshine Act on speaker programs 

Tom Sullivan will be giving the opening address entitled, “Walking with Sunshine on Your Shoulders — Visibility into the Future of Speaker Programs.  If there was ever a shift in the way speaker programs are developed, executed and monitored – it is now.  In an effort to increase federal transparency for the benefit of the patient, pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies now have a time-consuming task on their hands.  But tracking and reporting every bit of spend is only the beginning – the public database that will result from such efforts will impact every piece of speaker programs and every person involved.  From the KOLs to the speaker bureau managers, learn what Sunshine has to hold for the future. 

Another session focusing on Sunshine will be the “Practical Guidance on Moving Forward with Tracking and Reporting Speaker Programs,” led by Steven Franchetti, Director, Integrity and Compliance at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, Inc.

His discussion will look at how the Sunshine Act has already made a profound impact on the way speaker programs are developed, managed and executed.  With a significant change in the regulatory environment, comes a significant adjustment period for professionals managing HCP relationships.  During this session, he will examine how large or small companies are implementing compliance strategies to remain compliant with the Sunshine Act and develop new policies to track and report all spend. The session will look at: 

• Accurate tracking and reporting of spend
• State and federal regulations
• The cost of staying compliant
• Use of third party vendors 

In addition, Luanna Saulino, Associate Director, Disclosure Law and Transparency Operations for Bayer HealthCare will give a talk entitled, “Ensure Speaker Compliance — How to Educate and Communicate Regulations.” Her talk will center on the changing regulatory landscape and how this affects influential HCPs that participate in speaker programs.  The Sunshine Act not only affects the companies who administer speaker programs, but also HCPs who speak on behalf of countless brands.  What information do we need to communicate in order to remain compliant?  What kind of questions are HCPs asking and how can we address them?  Learn HCP expectations and reactions in the new regulatory environment to maintain powerful and robust speaker programs.  This session will examine 

• Best practices for compliance education techniques
• Ensure your HCPs understand the regulations
• Consequences of non-complianc
• Learn expected FAQs
• Identify simple answers to tough questions 

In light of the recent proposed Sunshine regulations, CBI’s conference holds a lot of promise for all stakeholders that work and collaborate with industry.  Attendance will provide stakeholders with important insight into the Sunshine regulations, potential risks and liabilities, and the best approaches to achieve compliance with the regulations.