Doctors Ditch Drug Samples to Avoid Influencing Treatment

By April 1, none of the medical center's 530 practice sites will accept samples from drug reps. Instead, doctors can turn to the eSample Center, a "virtual sample closet" launched last month, says Barbara Barnes, a medical center vice president. Pitt doctors can order samples online from participating makers, who ship them for free. "We feel that the direction that we are moving in will give physicians a greater choice of samples," Barnes says.

Instituting a Ban

The Charlotte-based Carolinas HealthCare System went a step further Jan. 1, when it banned its more than 700 doctors from accepting or dispensing samples. At first, says internist Peter Justis, who helped develop the ban, "I can tell you, doctors were not very happy with this decision, nor patients."

Two main factors led to the ban, Justis says: concern about free samples' effect on treatment decisions and most doctors' failure to fill out the "cumbersome" paperwork required when they dispensed drugs.

For those who can't pay to try a drug, Carolinas doctors have vouchers for some pills that cover a prescription at a store. With 24-hour pharmacies nearby, Justis says, that shouldn't inconvenience anyone.