When a doctor opts out, pharmaceutical companies need a way to automatically delete the various metrics about that physician in the sales force automation system before the representative synchronizes with the system the next time. 'You have to have really robust synchronization to flip those switches and to test it to know that there is no way the data can get out,' he said. 'The synchronization has to push it out to the right sales representatives and only the representatives. The home office has to push additional information out to help when they are blind.'

The AMA has vowed to aggressively monitor compliance, Hagemeyer said, noting that state legislatures are likely to impose harsher restrictions to prescribing data if the mandate doesn't bring the companies into compliance.

Gartner advises sales and compliance managers in pharmaceutical companies to move quickly to meet the deadline by taking these steps:

-- Contact the sales force automation vendor immediately to find out when compliant solutions will be available and for which software versions. The crux of being compliant lies in rules-based data synchronization that limits physician-specific prescribing data sent to sales personnel calling on doctors.

-- Map out an upgrade path if the compliance enhancements to the sales force automation system don't include the current version.