Who is your medical liaison?

It is a somewhat difficult position to identify, but very necessary for offices, hospitals and etc. To know who the right person is, you have to think of them as the gatekeeper and administrator of the professional referral system where patients are the vital revenue stream for hospitals, specialty practices and multidisciplinary groups. Some points that if you notice, it means that you are on the right track:

• Allow an exception in office culture
• Have clear performance expectations
• Provide ongoing support and direction What percentage of their time do they spend in the office? Answer: The right person is a ghost in the office. The job of a medical liaison is outside of the sales position. They may need a desk occasionally, but they definitely don’t need a large office. A medical liaison is a sales representative, not a marketing person. And in turn, a good marketing person is not a salesperson. These are two completely different skill sets. It is almost impossible to find a person who does both jobs well. Many times we think they are the same and we want someone who fits a large part of the spectrum. Don’t do it, there is no better way to fail. Have a clear understanding of the job description and performance expectations. Excellence in a sales position is recognized by the achievement of specific new business measured in revenue. Don’t judge their performance by “creating a brochure” or creative product, but rather by generating new quantifiable revenue. Hey, if they get creative and it works without damaging the image, what’s wrong with it? It’s okay to be different from traditional office culture. The usual, classic environment and cultural expectation is where everyone has an administrative or office job, within the same office, and from 9am to 7pm. You must allow the “culture” of a representative to be different if necessary. A medical liaison is a hunter, a sales position and not a marketing or administrative person that you need in the office all day. Your job is outside, talking to doctors and generating referrals. These things can be difficult to accept since you may feel that you don’t have enough control over how these people use their time. However, if you want a functional medical liaison, you have to trust this person. Especially if your results back it up.