Frequently Asked Questions

• How long have you been in business?
  • The Peer Group celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. In 1983, we created the first interactive peer influence dinner program – the MAP (Moderator Advantage Program) – and over the years have applied innovation and technology to create interactive programs via teleconference (TeleMAP) in 1994, via web-conference (WebMAP) in 2005, and representative-integrated teleconferences via a national link (PowerLunch) also in 2005. Our longevity is a testament to the excellence in execution, exemplary client service, and proven business results that we offer our growing base of pharmaceutical company clients.
      
• What is your pharmaceutical experience?
  • Since 1983, The Peer Group has executed over 100,000 pharmaceutical programs and has engaged over one million healthcare professionals from virtually every major therapeutic category and specialty.
      
• What is a moderator?
  • Moderators are highly skilled communications experts trained to lead interactive medical forums and to drive meaningful clinical discussion. Their goal is to foster an environment for effective learning and exchange of information including best practices and most effective use of specific products. With a fluent knowledge of your therapeutic area, disease state, and compliance, they work with or without a key opinion leader in the more interactive delivery of specific brand messages and product data. The Peer Group is unique in that we maintain the largest team of dedicated moderators and most effectively integrate them into speaker and non-speaker programs.
      
• How do you train the moderators?
  • The success of our interactive programs depends on our moderators’ mastery of the clinical content and issues (including product and competitive knowledge), AND their ability to lead an interactive discussion with stated communication goals to targeted health care professionals. Our internal training process ensures that this skill set is cultivated and refined through continual training and assessment. Once hired, moderators undergo a formal excellence training process that includes:
    
    Orientation – Moderators hit the ground running with intensive orientation, training and skill-building exercises that utilize
    live and simulated sessions and multimedia resources
    Field Training – New moderators go on the road with seasoned peers who provide live training in actual meetings, as well
    as valuable post-meeting feedback
    Ongoing Professional Development – The Peer Group’s ongoing moderator training employs a variety of tools and
    resources to drive moderator performance. These include (1) formal moderator certification process, (2) peer review by other moderators, (3) mentoring programs, and (4) bi-annual assessment reviews
        
• What is the background of a typical moderator?
  • On average, Peer Group moderators have eight years experience leading peer-to-peer events and have collectively led over 100,000 programs with over 1MM healthcare professionals. They are drawn from a wide variety of professional backgrounds ranging from law to the teaching professions. Most come from areas connected to the healthcare or medical fields, such as nursing or the pharmaceutical industry. Moderators also share a number of important characteristics including:
    
    Expertise in your therapeutic area and disease state
    Proficiency in medical communications and clinical dialogue
    The ability to quickly understand and assimilate clinical information and issues
    Excellent communication and facilitation skills within a small group environment
    An engaging, inquisitive, and professional demeanor
    The ability to “think on their feet” and respond quickly to opportunities and challenges
    Enthusiasm, energy and self motivation
      
• How long does it take to get up and running?
  • From our first call to the first scheduled programs, 6-8+ weeks is typical which includes planning and set-up time (with previously internally approved promotional materials from the client). If, though, the client requires much more rapid implementation, ramp-up can be done in as few as 4 weeks from the first call to us to the first scheduled program. In all cases, an experienced client service team is immediately assembled to diligently work with you to make the process as efficient and swift as your needs warrant.
      
• What kind of results can I expect?
  • Results depend on the overall objectives of the program. Typically, communication objectives are set for every section of the program, and for the program overall. Performance objectives are also determined and may include everything from program attendance (numbers), targeted attendance (deciles attending), to qualitative review of physician feedback forms to quantitative analysis of prescription data and market share. Beyond standard metrics, though, we always welcome an assessment of our performance – and have remarkable success stories to share with you!
      
• How do I decide if I should execute dinner programs, teleconferences or webconferences?
  • Every situation is unique, but our 25 years of experience and robust database of over 1MM HCPs with psychographic, behavioral, and geographic information enable us to design the highest impact program for you. Aligning our expertise with your specific objectives ensures a more successful customized initiative.
      
• Do you have any rep-integrated products?
  • Our Power Lunch is a perfect program format for integrating the sales representative. Recognizing that the lunch setting is the most valuable selling time a rep has with a physician, the Power Lunch provides an opportunity for the rep to be an onsite liaison for a Lunch-and-Learn teleconference series to an unlimited number of attendees. The Peer Group provides the event and management support that ensures the program’s success, including the following:
    
    An opinion leader that provides authoritative information and enhances physician attendance
    A trained and experience Peer Group moderator to guide the discussion ensuring your key on-label messages are delivered
    and discussed
    A user-friendly, branded website hosted by The Peer Group...
    Sparks local excitement
    Provides national coordination
    Allows your team to track program participation
    IT, telephony infrastructure and support staff to handle event details, including scheduling, physician recruitment, and
    registration
    Supplemental recruiting if necessary
      
• What do you provide us with in the way of reporting?
  • The Peer Group is committed to providing you with data reporting and business analytics that enable faster, more accurate decisions and course corrections. We understand that every client is different, so we customize comprehensive dashboards and web reporting to meet your specific needs. Many of our clients find tremendous value in the following:
    
    Real-time reporting on program-to-date metrics, upcoming calendar, and spend v. budget
    Ongoing tactical reporting on weekly attendance and compliance
    Monthly high-level summaries including:
    Target list analyses
    Customized dashboards on specific project deliverables
    Survey data
    Program investment summaries
    
    Of course, our goal is to help you achieve your objectives for your brand, so we are happy to design specific customized reports and dashboards that enable you to make more rapid decisions.
      
• Regarding your programming, what stage of the life-cycle works best?
  • Peer influence medical communications programs have consistently demonstrated high impact at all stages of the product life cycle. According to an independent study out of the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, peer influence drives approximately 45% of product adoption at launch and rapidly becomes the predominant factor in adoption as early as three months post-launch. Recognizing physician reliance on peers as a credible source of information and experience, a promotional mix that includes a high proportion of highly interactive peer-influence programs will drive ROI for your product whether you are rapidly growing the brand or minimizing the decline as the product approaches patent expiration.
      
• Aren't dinner meeting companies a dime a dozen?
  • No. There are significant differences between medical communications providers both in the breadth of services and in the ROI you can expect for your brand. The Peer Group is differentiated from other providers both in the unique format of our medical communications services, and in the inherent expertise/infrastructure that ensure the success of our programs. Though The Peer Group is fully capable of providing high-quality didactic presentation programs like other suppliers, our 25 year history successfully providing moderated peer-influence events has validated the exceptional impact of programs that enable peer interaction.

    The Peer Group is also differentiated from competition by maintaining the following:
    
    1. The largest database of healthcare professionals (over 1MM), thousands with long-standing Peer Group relationships
    2. The largest in-house team of highly-experienced moderators with expertise in most therapeutic areas
    3. The largest recruiting organization, including three state-of-the-art recruiting centers with approximately 200 employees
    4. Robust data reporting/business analytics tools with customized dashboards, microsites, and real-time market research
    5. Message sustainability programs through Impact Extender services (e.g., promotional email/direct mail waves,
    tele-detailing, e-learning, discussion monitoring, and web-based surveys)
    
    In summary, our unique moderated peer influence model can provide you with the potential for significant increases in adoption rates and revenue, decreases in detail spend, and sustainability of promotional impact. Additionally, The Peer Group’s recruitment infrastructure and database, relationships with your targeted physicians, depth of moderator expertise, comprehensive real-time analytics, and value-added Impact Extender services will enable you to accomplish the following:
    
    1. Maximize the quantity and quality of event attendance
    2. Increase the ROI of your promotional mix
    3. Enable seamless message and promotional tactic course corrections
    4. Improve proactive decision making
      

• What kind of recruiting capabilities do you offer?
  • We know that targeted attendance is critical to the success of your medical communications programs. That is why our infrastructure includes three state-of-the-art recruitment centers with 200 full-time recruiters trained in your specific program. We also maintain a database of over one million healthcare professionals including psychographic, behavioral, and geographic information. Additionally, our proprietary contact management system enables assessments of recruitability and optimization of tactics, further maximizing your ROI. Finally, we are experts in multiple channel (mail, email, fax, phone) recruiting to ensure your attendance goals are met or exceeded.
      
• What kind of attendance can I expect at your programs?
  • Optimal peer influence is achieved in smaller groups enabling the attendees to easily engage in interactive dialogue with a key opinion leader and with each other. In our experience, programs that have 5-7 attendees in conversation are most effective, though we can adjust the attendance metrics to meet your specific needs (depending on the target list and specialty). Additionally, our TeleMAPs, WebMAPs, and Power Lunches can reach much larger audiences because of the geographic flexibility if you prefer.
      
• Can I do a pilot program with you?
  • We believe that experiencing Peer Group events are the best way to demonstrate the difference in ROI you can expect from our programs compared to traditional didactic medical communications programs. We therefore welcome the opportunity to pilot a program to support your brand. We are confident that you will see the difference.
      
• How much do you cost?
  • Total costs will vary based on your specific program needs, but our pricing structure includes three types of fees:
    
    1. Corporate/Project initiation,
    2. Event
    3. Pass-through
    
    Our philosophy is based on an all inclusive, per-meeting charge which includes physician recruiting, moderator travel, moderator compensation, IT/Admin/HR support, event planning and logistics, an educational item of appreciation and all food and beverage for attendees. Corporate fees may include program management, moderator training, website development and maintenance, data analytics, KOL speaker training, and pre/post program surveys. Pass-through charges include speaker honoraria and travel expenses. We invite you to contact us so that we can customize a program for you that optimally meets your needs.