Transform your unique brand knowledge into stronger HCP relationships
Medical device companies spend millions on tools and resources to support healthcare providers (HCPs); However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, field reps’ access to vendors has become more limited, and manufacturers often find themselves competing with other brands for attention in emails and the like. digital channels. As experts in their brand, its unique benefits, and its ideal patient profile, manufacturers have unique insights that can help providers make better treatment recommendations – and improve patient outcomes – s can find the right way to share this knowledge with providers.
Steve Silvestro is the Chief Commercial Officer of OptimizeRx, using his expertise in life sciences commercialization and enterprise SaaS strategy to help biopharmaceutical and medical device companies discover better ways to support healthcare providers who prescribe their treatment and the patients who need access to life. life-saving therapies. In this exclusive interview, he shares his perspective on how life sciences companies can translate their deep brand insight into a forward-looking HCP digital engagement strategy.
1. Why is it so important for life science manufacturers to help healthcare professionals make patient care decisions? How can they add value to doctor-patient interactions?
Life science manufacturers have a unique opportunity to use their deep brand knowledge to help patients get started on the right treatment for their condition sooner. Healthcare professionals see overwhelming volumes of patients and often struggle with limited appointment times and limited medical histories when trying to decide on the best course of care. Because life sciences brands know both which patients are most likely to benefit from their treatment – and the most common vanishing points that contribute to poorer outcomes – they can “step in” in the patient journey. patient and connect physicians to clinically relevant information related to the patient they are treating.
The key to ensuring manufacturers add value to doctor-patient interactions is to ensure their communications are personalized, relevant and actionable to the HCP – otherwise, manufacturer-sponsored content simply becomes a distraction. Fortunately, using tools like artificial intelligence and real world dataand taking advantage of point-of-service channels like EHRwe have unprecedented control over when and where to engage healthcare professionals with content from manufacturers.
2. What challenges do life science companies face in engaging and supporting HCPs? What strategies can mitigate these challenges?
Field reps have traditionally been a major source of brand insights for suppliers, but it’s no secret that COVID restrictions and more limited time for face-to-face interactions have had an impact. on these relationships. Many manufacturers have adopted digital strategies, but these communications become noise if they are generic and not timely or relevant. Additionally, common distribution channels such as brand websites or email require vendors to search for the information they need – and remember to search for it – which limits accessibility and value.
The most effective digital strategies deliver content at the point of care, offer new ways to connect with healthcare professionals throughout the prescribing journey, and complement the role of field teams. For example, OptimizeRx embeds key brand information directly into the EHR, so providers have the resources to help patients get started faster with the right device or therapy. We also give suppliers a direct digital connection of the EHR to their representative in the field, so they can instantly reach the clinical workflow. This makes it easier for healthcare professionals to get support when they need it right now, while helping manufacturers improve the quality of conversations with teams in the field and gain new insights into customer needs.
3. There has been great interest in using real-world data (RWD) and artificial intelligence (AI) to better inform patient care decisions. Where do you see the value of these new tools? What are the pitfalls manufacturers need to be aware of?
Life science manufacturers are using RWD and AI in new and enthusiastic ways; for example, Bob White, Executive Vice President and President of the Medical-Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic, gave an inspiring talk keynote speech at FierceMedtech Innovation Week 2021 on the potential of AI to “optimize access, speed, accuracy and quality of diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making”.
Among life science marketers, we’ve seen great interest in using RWD to identify physicians who are actively profiling patients for their brand, as a way to better direct and inform HCP communications. However, one of the most common pitfalls they encounter is the limited accuracy of historical RWD sources, such as claims data, in predicting future prescribing behavior. To counter this, we took a different approach. Rather than using RWD to predict HCP activity, we apply AI to predict future stages of patient care based on current care activities. As a result, we are better able to anticipate where a patient is in their journey and provide their provider with information that reflects the current – and future – needs of that specific patient.
When used in this way, AI and RWD offer manufacturers a more precise way to tailor content for maximum relevance and actionability, as well as use their unique insights to help guide production professionals. health towards the best options for a patient. Our AI-powered RWD solutions also leverage insights beyond the EHR, helping providers recognize clinically relevant options that they might not otherwise consider, but that could lead to a more accurate diagnosis. faster or to a better choice of treatment – potentially improving patient outcomes.
4. What advice would you give to life science manufacturers looking to revise or expand their current healthcare professional engagement strategies? What steps can they take to better support healthcare professionals and help improve patient outcomes?
The first step is to fully understand what information, content and resources will ultimately help healthcare professionals make better care decisions for their patients. From there, it’s about optimizing communication channels to reflect provider workflows and clinical situations. Integrating brand assets or communications from field representatives in the EHR gives healthcare professionals the information they need the moment they deliver care, and AI/RWD tools can maximize the actionability and impact of that content. With these small changes that increase the accessibility and relevance of brand resources, life sciences brands can not only build stronger relationships with healthcare professional levels, but also better support decisions in care and improve patient outcomes.
