Brandon Salke
Pharmacist in Charge, General Manager of Operations
Optime Care
With the right data analytics, manufacturers can increase patient access, demonstrate efficacy and improve the patient experience.
Data analytics are essential to the successful commercialization of any rare or orphan drug.
The challenge is having a reliable data pipeline that can help manufacturers make more informed decisions.
Optime Care has seen this challenge first-hand. We provided hub services for a manufacturer client whose distribution strategy included several specialty pharmacies. Each one aggregated and shared data differently. Our client told us, “We can’t get the same data out of anyone. They all use different criteria and don’t even report at the same time.” As a result, it was difficult to obtain actionable data to utilize as a guide for strategic planning efforts. The “data disconnect” was very frustrating for the manufacturer and a huge, missed opportunity.
In contrast, the patient-first service model is comprised of a single, reliable source of comprehensive and actionable data across the entire patient experience from enrollment to fulfillment to follow up and outcomes tracking. The availability and quality of this data can help manufacturers succeed with payers, physicians and patients.
Let’s take a closer look.
Improving payer relations
Payers want data to demonstrate that a therapy is effective, which can help make the difference in their decisions regarding patient access and reimbursement.
For example, one of our clients presented a payer with a tremendous amount of data that revealed patients had fewer ER visits and hospitalizations—improved compliance and persistency—and an increase in appropriate utilization, with the right patient taking the right drug at the right time. The payer had been determining whether this therapy should remain on its formulary. After reviewing the data, the payer realized the value of the drug.
Data has other value in payer relations as well, such as obtaining the preauthorization required to establish coverage and start patients on the therapy as quickly as possible.
Benefitting physicians and their patients
How well is a therapy working? During annual reassessments, physicians and patients can review outcomes-driven data that demonstrate efficacy. (Manufacturers can use this same data to demonstrate the effectiveness of their service model and support payer reimbursement.)
Data analytics can also help maintain compliance. Let’s say a particular therapy has a high side effect profile. Because you’re tracking data related to the entire patient population, you notice there’s a consistent drop off in adherence on Month 4 of taking the drug. Based on that trend, you can modify the patient communications plan—for example, adding a new intervention call during that month.
This minor adjustment can make all the difference in patient outcomes. Some side effects may persist for months, and many patients may try to alleviate them by not taking the medication. However, if patients are convinced that remaining compliant will produce the best outcome, they can continue to benefit from the therapy as the side effects ease.
Beyond data for data’s sake
There’s no shortage of data in healthcare. The challenge is to collect actionable data and make sense of it all. Beyond simply collecting the appropriate data, we need to analyze it. That begins by building a data analytics strategy based on understanding:
What do we want the data to tell us?
How can it support discussions with payers, physicians and other stakeholders?
How can we leverage data to make more informed decisions around commercialization?
Every day, Optime Care works with manufacturers to answer these questions and drive the success of the patient-first approach.
To learn more, download our white paper, “How to create a patient-first strategy.”
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