Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
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Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
Learn more
Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
Learn more
Developing IQVIA’s positions on key trends in the pharma and life sciences industries, with a focus on EMEA.
Learn more
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Learn MoreA curation of IQVIA's best thinking on topics and trends driving change, disruption, and progress in the United States healthcare market.
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"Discover the future through our enlightening podcasts available in the United States.
EXPLORE PODCASTSIf you ever have a few minutes and need a lift, listen to an episode or two of the “My Unsung Hero” podcast. Each installment features an individual recalling an incident from their past where another person – usually a stranger – made a significant impact on their life.
Sometimes these “heroes” offered much-needed words of encouragement. Sometimes they extended a helping hand or small act of kindness. In other cases, a stranger boldly intervened to keep the individual safe. Every story is a reminder about some of the best parts of humankind.
When I think about “unsung heroes” in the context of my work at IQVIA, I can’t help but think about the Field Reimbursement Manager (FRM).
Commercial teams at large biopharmas have included the FRM role in their field forces for about a decade now. Even so, the role is sometimes underutilized. That’s especially true among small and mid-sized companies that are preparing to launch (or trying to understand why a product isn’t performing as planned).
Who, exactly, are FRMs, and why are they so important?
An FRM plays a critical role in getting patients to start and continue therapy. Sales reps are responsible for educating healthcare providers (HCPs) about clinical considerations. FRMs teach an HCP’s staff about the expected patient journey – including applicable prior authorizations or step edits – and what it will take to keep a patient on track.
FRMs are knowledgeable about healthcare payers and plans throughout the geographical areas they cover. They create and maintain strong relationships not only with the sales reps they support within a commercial organization, but also with staff in HCP offices. Effective FRMs help an HCP’s staff save time. They also enable the HCP’s office to focus on medical – not administrative – decisions and tasks. They take worries about affordability and access off their “worry list.” They know that FRMs are truly passionate about helping people.
Compliance rules prohibit sales reps from engaging with HCPs about specific patients. But with patient consent, FRMs can discuss individual patients with HCP staff. So they don’t just profess to be patient centric; they’re delivering tailored support every day.
Beyond that, the best FRMs have a distinctive set of competencies and characteristics. They’re skilled and tenacious problem-solvers with outstanding work ethic. They have a “patient first” attitude as demonstrated by their level of caring and trustworthiness.
In short, FRMs are heroes who help patients more quickly gain access to innovative and much-needed treatments.
Not every therapy needs the behind-the-scenes support of FRMs. However, for therapies that are more complex, more costly, and/or under greater payer scrutiny, the FRM role can be essential.
Ideally, these professionals will be involved as part of launch planning. Imagine having an FRM who has seen how each payer typically functions in the first six months after a new therapy is launched. Their past experiences can help avoid the pain of learning the hard way. Already launched and struggling to gain traction? It may be time to welcome FRMs into the field force.
Of course, this kind of talent is in high demand, making it challenging to identify, recruit, and retain FRMs. What’s more, teams don’t need the same level of support at every stage of the product lifecycle. For these reasons, consider an outsourced model. It provides access to great people with the ability to flex up and down over time.
With an outsourced approach, you also benefit from years of collective experience, as well as documented best practices. For example, IQVIA’s Contract Sales and Medical Solutions group has developed – and continually updates – a playbook for the FRMs we deploy on behalf of clients. We’ve designed the playbook so FRMs can make a bigger impact more quickly. That includes strengthening engagement with HCP offices, navigating health plans more effectively, and serving as “unsung heroes” to even more patients.
Deploy sales representatives, clinical nurse educators, field reimbursement specialists virtually or in the field to communicate the benefits of your therapy.
Gain high value access and increase the profitability of your brands
