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Four Ways EBPs Can Sculpt Seamless Patient Experiences
Jennifer Millard, Vice President of Field Medical Affairs and Market Access Deployment Services, IQVIA
May 08, 2024

Virtually any patient prescribed a specialty treatment will need some kind of help to get and stay on therapy. As a result, understanding and addressing patients’ needs is an imperative for everyone from the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers to the audience for this blog: emerging biopharmas (EBPs).

The life sciences industry continues to make significant investments in patient support services but may not be realizing optimal results. In fact, despite companies spending an estimated $7 billion a year on these programs, only one in four patients remains on therapy a year after starting.

The hard truth is that it’s extremely challenging for people to navigate the U.S. healthcare system. Many drop off from treatment due to an inability to navigate access hurdles or afford the medication. They also stop treatment because therapies can be complicated to administer and cannot remember where to turn for support. Some patients may have forgotten the information provided by their provider the minute they walk out of the office, left with questions on exactly what the next step is. Add it all up, and it becomes too much for many patients to handle.

Does that mean EBPs should give up before they even start? Far from it. In fact, we believe EBPs are uniquely positioned to take advantage of some industry-wide lessons and to tap into the power of behavioral science and data-driven insights — right from the start.


Lesson #1: Design an integrated patient support program (PSP)

Operational siloes are one of the most common barriers to seamless patient experiences. Larger companies have often structured patient services in “best-of-breed” siloes, with different leaders, different vendors and contracts, and different technologies for each service line. The healthcare system itself is already a quagmire, and siloed patient services only make it harder for patients to find their way. EBPs are well advised to design, build, and execute patient support as an integrated whole. This approach will make it far easier to deliver smooth and effective patient experiences. It’s better for operational efficiency, too.


Lesson #2: Think about data and analytics early and often

When building a patient support infrastructure, identifiable data and analytics have not always been a first thought. However, experience shows that this should be among the earliest considerations when designing your PSP. Thoughtful policies and processes will pay significant dividends over time.

When an EBP connects patient data across support services, it can unlock valuable insights about individual patients, service pillars, and overall program performance. Without these connected insights, support services will be designed around “the average patient.” With these insights, it becomes possible to identify the Next-Best Action by individual patient and learn about the services that have the biggest impact on patient outcomes.


Lesson #3: Patients are people (and people are irrational)

Although I have an academic background in behavioral science, I know that most of us don’t need coursework to realize that humans are behavioral creatures. Quite simply, we aren’t machines. We’re irrational. We’re busy keeping up with our lives. So, no one wakes up saying, "I would love to navigate the U.S. healthcare system today!" But at one time or another, most of us must do just that — whether for ourselves, our children, family, or friends.

As an EBP plans for patient support services, behavioral science can help in understanding how patients bring different capabilities, beliefs, and resources to the treatment journey. Patients will have varying capacities both physically and psychologically/cognitively. Patients will be motivated (and de-motivated) by different variables. And they will bring a different set of external resources in terms of health insurance (which can apply different access controls to therapy), childcare and transportation or lack thereof (which can impact a patient’s ability to show up for all required appointments), and patient/healthcare provider (HCP) communication and trust (which can increase or reduce an individual’s likelihood of following through on a diagnosis and treatment recommendation). Yes, people are messy. Don’t ignore the “mess;” design for it!


Lesson #4: Data is the key to tailoring services and optimizing investments

At IQVIA, our experience serving PSPs has reinforced the value of using data to tailor services and make the most of investments. When one of our clients was designing patient support for a lung cancer therapy, we used real-world, secondary, and consumer data to study patients who are underinsured (that is, who have commercial insurance but aren’t getting the level of support they need). That data helped us examine social determinants of health, including race, ethnicity, and income. We also used census data and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data to better understand which lung cancer patients may be underinsured.

Our work identified some 1,200 patients who fit this description in a specific geographical region — empowering the biopharma company to be very intentional and proactive in educating HCPs in specific counties. The ability to direct the right resources to the right providers and patients is invaluable to any company, but especially to EBPs managing comparatively smaller budgets.

There’s no question that designing and delivering PSPs is important work. It’s also challenging work. But by acknowledging the complexity — while staying laser-focused on patients and improving outcomes — EBPs can craft services that meet patients where they with help that truly makes a difference in their treatment journeys.

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