Optime Care President and CEO, Donovan Quill, byline article featured on November 19, 2020: “Patient-First Approach Ensures People with Orphan or Rare Disorders Receive Intense Care, Outreach and Consistent Support for Medication Adherence and Better Outcomes.”
Thirty million Americans live with a range of 7,000 rare or orphan diseases, and while many patients have struggled with reduced care, isolation and adherence challenges for most of their lives, the issue of self-isolation during the pandemic has impacted quality of life. These individuals now face elevated stressors resulting from immunosuppression, concern about potential infection and hypersensitivity to viral threats. Despite restrictions, patients continue to require a high level of therapy adherence support at a time when some pharmacies have reduced their hours. This can impede communication with physicians and other advocates, which has already been severely disrupted due to the need for social distancing.
This article which was reviewed and accepted for publication in Pharmaceutical Executive— a global business and marketing magazine for pharmaceutical executives with over 20,000 unique monthly visitors— examines how a patient-first approach sharply focused on orphan diseases can enable pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists and other members of the care team to better address compliance and adherence to treatment. This model impacts the patient experience and improves outcomes through a focus upon on small patient populations, adapting services to include targeted programs that deliver specialized expertise. The skill set and level of care required goes well beyond the scope of capabilities provided by traditional, legacy care organizations that are simply built for scale.
