Your SOP, enforced

Each client's SOP, checked at every step.

Every client sends a standard operating procedure (SOP), and nobody sees it at the step it applies. Pharmagin turns it into checks at every step, from the rep's request to the report, and keeps the record each step leaves. Your client decides how strict each rule is.

Map a client's SOPWatch the checks run

The speaker picker with ineligible speakers shown: one speaker is flagged Over cap, and each card shows the contract, topic, cap and schedule checks.

The SOP map

The rules agencies map most often, stage by stage.

Start from these. Each client keeps the rules its SOP has, switches off the rest, and adds its own. Each client's SOP decides how strict each rule is.

All 36 common rules.

Off The client's SOP doesn't have the rule, so it isn't checked.

Request6 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
RQ-1Lead time	Programs are requested a set number of days ahead, by format.	When a date is picked	Block
RQ-2Business need	Each request states the business need and the intended audience.	At submit	Require proof
RQ-3Approval path	Approvals follow the client's path, by format, cost, or expected audience.	At submit	Escalate
RQ-4Budget line	A request fits the remaining budget line.	At submit	BlockOr: Warn, Escalate
RQ-5Topic limit	Programs on one topic stay within the client's limit per territory and period.	At submit	BlockOr: Warn
RQ-6Approved materials	Only materials with a current review-committee approval are used.	When materials are attached	Block

Speaker7 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
SP-1Speaker contract	The speaker's contract covers the program date.	When a speaker is chosen	Block
SP-2Topic training	The speaker is qualified for the topic and trained on the approved deck.	When a speaker is chosen	Block
SP-3Honorarium cap	The honorarium follows the speaker's tier and stays under the annual cap.	When a speaker is chosen	BlockOr: Warn
SP-4Yearly program limit	A speaker does no more programs a year than the client allows.	When a speaker is chosen	BlockOr: Warn
SP-5Exclusion lists	Speakers are screened against exclusion lists and license status.	When a speaker is chosen	Block
SP-6Schedule conflict	A speaker already booked that day is flagged.	When a speaker is chosen	Warn
SP-7Speaker selection	Speakers are chosen for their expertise and approved by the client's medical team, not by sales.	When a speaker is nominated	EscalateOr: Require proof

Audience5 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
AU-1Attendance limit	An HCP attends a topic no more often than the client's limit.	When an HCP is added or registers	Block
AU-2Audience fit	Guests and the speaker's own colleagues are not the audience.	At registration	BlockOr: Warn
AU-3Trained speakers	A trained speaker does not attend as an attendee, where the client says so.	At registration	Block
AU-4Meal restrictions	HCPs under state meal rules, and government employees, get no meal.	At sign-in	Require proof
AU-5Minimum registrations	A program has its minimum registrations by a set day, or the host decides whether to cancel.	Before the program	WarnOr: Escalate

Venue & meals4 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
VM-1Venue	The venue is a private room suited to an educational program.	When the venue is chosen	EscalateOr: Block
VM-2Meal limit	Meal cost per attendee stays under the client's limit for that meal and city.	At reconciliation	WarnOr: Block
VM-3Alcohol	Alcohol is not reimbursed.	At reconciliation	Block
VM-4Virtual meals	Virtual programs carry no meal costs.	On the request form	Block

Program night4 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
PN-1Personal sign-in	Each HCP signs in personally, with a signature and a meal answer.	At sign-in	Require proof
PN-2Late walk-ins	A walk-in added after the program needs a reason.	When attendance is corrected	Require proof
PN-3Online attendance	Online attendance comes from the meeting itself.	After the meeting	Require proof
PN-4Minimum attendance	When fewer HCPs attend than the client's minimum, the host records why.	When attendance is confirmed	Require proofOr: Escalate

Close-out & reporting10 rules

Rule	What the SOP says	Checked when	Action
CO-1Required records	Required records are in before each stage, such as a signed sign-in sheet before close.	At each stage change	Block
CO-2Rep certification	The rep certifies the program after it runs.	After the program	Require proof
CO-3Speaker attestation	The speaker attests that they presented the approved deck without changes.	After the program	Require proof
CO-4Speaker payment	The speaker is paid once the sign-in sheet and the host's report are in.	Before payment	Block
CO-5Speaker expenses	Speaker travel and lodging stay within the client's limits.	At reconciliation	WarnOr: Block
CO-6Spend allocation	Each HCP's share of the spend is allocated before close.	At close	Block
CO-7HCP identity	Before close, every attendee who could receive value is confirmed: matched to one HCP record, or marked as not an HCP.	At close	Block
CO-8Exceptions	Every exception records who approved it and why.	Whenever a rule is overridden	Require proof
CO-9Spend per HCP	Spend per HCP exports for Open Payments and state reports.	At reporting	Require proof
CO-10Outliers	Reports flag outliers: busy speakers, frequent attendees, high spend.	Across programs	Monitor

Kept on every program

Whatever a client’s SOP says, every program keeps these. They aren’t rules to switch on or off.

Kept	What happens	When	How
One record per HCP	Each HCP is one record, matched to the client's CRM, its target list, or the NPI registry.	When an HCP registers or is added	A planner confirms each match
Close checklist	A program closes only when its checklist is complete.	At close	Shows what is still open
CRM update	Attendance goes back to the client's CRM, from approval to close.	From approval onward	Updated as attendance changes
SOP changes	When the SOP changes, open programs follow the new rules, and approved dates are not reopened.	When the client's setup changes	Applies to every open program

Your client’s own rule

A rule that isn’t on this map is set up the same way: the moment it is checked, how strict it is, and the record it leaves.

Map a client's SOP

The SOP as a process

Every stage leaves a record, and the record goes somewhere.

A rule is checked at one step. What that step leaves behind is what the reports, the Open Payments export for each healthcare professional (HCP), and the client's CRM read later.

Stage	Who acts	The record it leaves	Where it goes
Request	Rep, regional manager	The request, its checks, and each approval with a name and a time	The approvals queue and the budget line it holds
Speaker	Planner	The speaker's checks against contract, topic, and cap	The speaker's cap and the utilization report
Audience	HCPs, planner	One record per HCP, matched and confirmed, with each limit check	Attendance and reach, and HCP data quality
Venue & meals	Planner	The venue and the meal answers	The meal check at reconciliation
Program night	HCPs, host	Each HCP's signed sign-in, and walk-ins with their reasons	The attendance record and the client's CRM
Close-out & reporting	Planner, finance, rep	Matched attendees, actual spend, and each HCP's share	Aggregate Spend, the Open Payments export, and the client's CRM

Five ways to apply a rule

Your client decides how strict each rule is.

The same rule can stop one client's request and only flag another's. Every exception keeps its approver and its reason.

Block
Stops the step until the rule is met.
A speaker over the honorarium cap can't be added.
Warn
Shows the issue and lets the planner decide.
A speaker already booked that day is flagged.
Escalate
Sends the step to an extra approver.
A program for more than ten HCPs goes to a third reviewer.
Require proof
Asks for the document, the signature, or the reason.
A walk-in added after the program needs a reason.
Monitor
Watches across programs and flags the outliers.
A report lists the speakers close to their annual cap.

One rule, three clients.

Bramblewood blocks a request over budget. Tidecrest warns and lets the planner go on. Hollowbrook sends it to an extra approver.

A draft program's status rail with one item to resolve before it can be submitted: insufficient budget, with a button to request a budget increase.

Transcript · Your SOP, enforced · 1:44

Every stage

Your client's compliance team writes the SOP, rule by rule. Lead times. Honorarium caps. How often an HCP can attend. Your planners apply them every day, and nothing records when, or by whom. So when the compliance team audits a program, nobody can show that a rule was checked. Pharmagin turns each rule into a check, at the step where it applies. Pharmagin checks every stage: the request, the speaker, and the audience. Then the venue, the night itself, and the close.

How strict each rule is

Your client decides how strict each rule is. Some stop the step: a speaker over the cap can't be added. Some warn: a speaker booked elsewhere is flagged, and the planner decides. Some add an approver: a program for more than ten HCPs goes to a third reviewer. And some ask for proof: a walk-in added after the program needs a reason. When the SOP changes, it changes once, and every open program follows. Every check and every exception lands on the record, with a name and a time. When the compliance team audits, nobody rebuilds the story. It's already on the record. To start with one client's SOP, reach out at pharmagin.com. Our team maps it with your planners.

From PDF to checks

Bring us a client's SOP. We'll show you the checks.

Step 01
Send the SOP.
Any format the client uses. Redact what you need to.
Step 02
We map every rule.
The assistant drafts the map from the document. Our team checks each rule with you.
Step 03
Review the checks in a workspace.
A demo workspace for that client, with its rules switched on.

When the SOP changes, every open program follows.

The change is made once. Programs already approved keep their dates.

See where it’s set up

One SOP per client, in its own workspace.

Your planners switch clients, and the rules switch with them.

Map a client's SOPWatch From PDF to checks

For your client’s compliance team

Every exception has a name and a reason.

Each check, approval, and override stays with the program, with a name and a time. A program closes only when its checklist is complete.

Each HCP's spend is allocated before close.
A reopened program keeps its history.
Spend per HCP exports for Open Payments and state reports.

Change history for one closed program: expense corrections, the close, the spend allocation, and the post-program certification, each with a name and a time.

A completed program that cannot close yet: the one item left is the spend allocation, and the closure checklist shows attendee reconciliation and expenses complete.

Mapped to OIG's concerns

What OIG looks for, and where the SOP checks it.

OIG's concern (paraphrased)	Where the SOP checks it
Programs with little substantive content	RQ-6Approved materials SP-2Topic training CO-2Rep certification CO-3Speaker attestation
Meals beyond modest value, or alcohol	VM-2Meal limit VM-3Alcohol VM-4Virtual meals
Venues not suited to an educational program	VM-1Venue
Repeat programs on the same topic	RQ-5Topic limit
HCPs attending the same program again	AU-1Attendance limit
Attendees without a reason to be there	AU-2Audience fit AU-3Trained speakers
Speakers chosen for sales reasons	SP-7Speaker selection CO-10Outliers
Honoraria above fair market value	SP-3Honorarium cap

Source: HHS-OIG Special Fraud Alert: Speaker Programs (November 16, 2020). Pharmagin is software, not legal advice.

Next step

See these checks on one of your programs.

Bring a program from one of your clients. We'll walk it from the request to close-out and show where each rule is checked.

Book a Program Walkthrough