Patient Adherence: Focus on the Patient

This post has been relocated to:
http://phonescreenblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/patient-adherence-focus-on-patient.html

View Blog 

Patient Adherence: The Next Significant Opportunity for Manufacturers

In previous blog posts I have discussed in general the changes happening in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. The general theme of “do more with less” is strong and continues to grow stronger. In previous blog posts I have discussed the opportunities with complementary sales channels such as tele-detailing, e-detailing, and web advertising to physicians. Another significant opportunity for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries is increasing patient adherence to treatment.

All chronic conditions have high rates of patient noncompliance. It is commonly reported that patient compliance to therapy averages around 50 to 65%. According to a recent report by Capgemini Consulting, titled “Patient Adherence: The Next Frontier in Patient Care,” only 69% of patients fill their first prescription. Only 43% of patients that start a prescription therapy are continuing that therapy 6 months later. This has a profound impact on future healthcare costs as these patients typically have additional healthcare issues in the future related to earlier non-compliance. Supporting patient adherence is a win:win:win situation—patients gain with better health and quality of life, payers decrease their expenses treating healthcare issues that arise from non-compliance, and companies retain patients on their products.

Patient noncompliance is a significant problem for the industry. Think of the benefit if companies could increase retention to 65% or 75% of patients continuing therapy at 1 year (rather than 6 months as Capgemini found).

As I looked at the Capgemini Consulting report, I kept thinking about the expenses pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies spend to acquire new patients, and the sales to be gained by retaining more patients on treatment. It is a commonly accepted principle in many industries that it is cheaper to retain customers (patients in this case) than it is to acquire new ones. This principle needs to be more of an emphasis in our industry. Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies must take action to develop and implement successful patient adherence programs. Not doing this is like leaving money on the table, and that is NEVER something you want to do.

The first step is to think strategically about patient adherence early in the development of your product. Think of this as part of the product’s value proposition. At PhoneScreen we’ve worked with a number of clients to develop and implement their patient adherence programs through 24/7 live operator support to answer questions, send requested educational materials, and call to remind patients about appointments and refills. There are several essential elements to an effective patient adherence program, and we’ll discuss these in a future blog post.

For now, I’d like to challenge marketers in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies to think about patient adherence as a significant driver for your business. In my first post in 2012 I’ll share my thoughts on how to develop the strategic direction for your patient adherence program. In early-2012, we’ll explore current trends in patient adherence programs and essential elements for successful patient adherence programs.

Do you currently have a patient adherence program for your product? If so, how successful is it at retaining patients? If you haven’t implemented a patient adherence program, why haven’t you? I’d love to hear about the hurdles or challenges you face in setting up/maintaining your patient adherence program.

Until 2012, best wishes for very Happy Holidays and a healthy and prosperous New Year!


View Blog

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences

5 Ways Pharmaceutical Call Centers Expedite Patient Recruitment

Lou Shapiro

In this post, I share five ways call centers can expedite and improve their patient recruitment process.




In a previous blog posting we discussed how slow patient recruitment can delay clinical trials. While it is common for a pharmaceutical company to work with a healthcare communications company to reach out to and screen potential patients, I have worked with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to expedite their patient recruitment for clinical trials via dedicated call centers for many years. A pharmaceutical call center can expedite patient trial recruitment numerous ways, and here are five to consider:

1. Media outreach —Pharmaceutical call centers know how to use traditional media channels such as print, radio, and TV advertising to reach appropriate patients. We also know how to work with patient advocacy groups to reach appropriate patients.

2. Skilled operators conduct patient screening - We start by developing a screening tool that is aligned with your study’s inclusion and exclusion criteria. Next our skilled operators screen all patients with the screening tool. A properly developed screening tool quickly eliminates inappropriate patients and dramatically increases patient referrals to study sites, which leads to increased enrollment in studies.

3. Quick patient referrals to study sites - Our call center operators provide “warm transfer” of qualified patients directly to study sites for further evaluation. This immediate transfer increases patient enrollment and retention.

4. On-going patient support and retention - Our call center operators support patients by following up and reminding them of appointments, pre-visit instructions, and to complete patient logs/diaries.

5. Immediate access to information - Our call center operators provide 24/7 access to information and experts who can answer questions on the treatment and its side effects.

Have you utilized a pharmaceutical call center to help with patient recruitment? If so, did you see an increase in patient recruitment? Was it cost-effective? Would you recommend this to others?

Please download a complimentary copy of our latest whitepaper, “Selecting the Right Call Center Partner: Tips for Success.”

For additional information, please visit the PhoneScreen patient recruitment page on our website.


View Blog 

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

Clinical Trials and the Importance of Patient Enrollment

Lou Shapiro

In this post, I share some of the challenges in patient recruitment as well as many of my key learnings in dealing with these challenges




I frequently hear from my pharmaceutical company clients that they are frustrated with the slow pace of patient recruitment for their clinical trials. Slow patient recruitment is common and can lead to lost revenues due to decreases in the period of exclusivity once a product is approved.

Additionally, recruiting patients for clinical trials is a significant expense. I’m going to share with you a few ways to increase patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials.

At its core, patient recruitment involves identifying appropriate patients and enrolling them in a clinical study. The concept sounds simple and straightforward. However, we all know that implementing patient recruitment is more complicated and time-consuming than it appears.

The primary challenges my clients face with patient recruitment are:

• Reaching appropriate patients
• Prompting patients to act and get involved in a clinical trial
• Ongoing support for patients so they stay enrolled in a trial

Additionally, there are a number of factors, including privacy policies and regulations and study design principles, that effect what pharmaceutical company sponsors can do to expedite patient enrollment. The intentions behind these factors are good and appropriate, and in order to develop alternatives we must be aware of them. So, what can be done to expedite patient recruitment?

I‘ve worked with many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to expedite their patient recruitment for clinical trials. From these experiences, here are a few of my key learnings:

• Outreach is key. Reach patients through traditional media channels such as print, radio, and TV advertising, as well as patient advocacy groups.

• Screening patients is critical to expedite patient recruitment and enrollment. Screening can be a bottle neck for study sites costing quite a bit of time and providing disappointing results. Develop tools or provide support to speed up screening and identification of appropriate patients.

• Support patients’ informational needs. Provide user-friendly and easy-to-understand information on study treatment and risks.

• Develop materials and tools to support patient compliance with study requirements. Patients and their family members are juggling a number of important issues during their treatment.

• Develop materials and support mechanisms that make complying with study requirements simple, easy, and automatic. Think about generating automated reminders for appointments, pre-visit instructions, and reminders to complete patient logs/diaries. Also, think about the age, demographics and preferences of the patient population. Are there common themes with patient preferences such as comfort or discomfort with electronic tools? If so, use these preferences to design patient materials and tools.

An emerging area in patient recruitment is using social media tools to identify potential study volunteers. Social media sites such as Inspire, Patients Like Me, and Army of Women all provide access to their network and followers. While social media can quickly raise awareness of a study with a specific patient population, there are unanswered questions about the potential impact of recruiting patients in this manner. Specific areas of concern are patient privacy and whether discussing the study and side effects from the treatment arms could harm the integrity of the study. At the heart of this question is whether it is possible for patients to figure which arm of the study they are on, and essentially “un-blind” the study. These are important issues to be discussed, and I’d like to hear your thoughts and experiences on using social media tools for patient recruitment.

What have you done to expedite patient screening and enrollment in clinical trials? Please share your best practices and areas to watch for when implementing these activities.

Please download a complimentary copy of our latest whitepaper, “Selecting the Right Call Center Partner: Tips for Success.”

For additional information, please visit the PhoneScreen patient recruitment page on our website.

View Blog 


View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences

Essential Elements of Successful Tele-detailing Programs

Lou Shapiro

In this post, I share four of the most important components in a tele-detailing program.

In a previous blog post I shared that tele-detailing programs can be effective for pharmaceutical products in a number of situations. When implemented effectively, tele-detailing programs can build relationships with healthcare providers and their office staff and support promotional activities. Below are my top four essential elements for a successful tele-detailing program…

• Clearly define the goals for the tele-detailing program. Setting and communicating clear goals ensures the tele-detailing program is designed to achieve these results

• Integrate tele-detailing with all other sales and promotional initiatives. This includes using consistent messages and sharing data on contact activities and follow up items such as sample requests

• Design promotional and product materials to support the tele-detailing efforts. Consider posting them on the product website as well as having PDF versions that can be easily e-mailed as a follow up to the tele-detail

• Choose the right partner to deliver the tele-detailing services. The success of your tele-detailing program is dependent on the company you hire. Look for a company with an established track-record providing call-center support and tele-detailing programs to the healthcare industry. Next, understand their staffing model and ensure they have the educational background your product needs. And last, evaluate the processes and quality assurance program of the service provider. Successful service providers will have clearly defined processes and contingency plans, as well as training programs and processes to monitor the quality of the service their operators provide.

What other elements would you include for a successful tele-detailing program? In your experience did you find particular disease states or healthcare provider specialties that were receptive (or not) to tele-detailing?

Tele-detailing is an effective, flexible and efficient promotional tool. Tips and suggestions for selecting the right partner to provide tele-detailing services was the subject of a previous blog posting.

Please download a complimentary copy of our latest whitepaper, “Selecting the Right Call Center Partner: Tips for Success.” (http://bit.ly/pscallcenter)

View Blog

Is Tele-detailing Right for Your Product?

Lou Shapiro

I often get asked if tele-detailing can help a specific product in pharma. The answer is not always a resounding "yes" or a simple "no."




Have you considered tele-detailing to support your pharmaceutical product(s)? The most obvious application of tele-detailing is to cover vacant sales territories. However, in my experience tele-detailing can be an effective tool in a number of situations including:

• Products that are under-resourced with sales reps. Tele-detailing representatives can provide product information, answer questions, and process and fulfill sample requests

• An established product facing increased competition from new entrants. Healthcare-trained representatives (ie, RNs and pharmacists) can answer clinical and scientific questions from physicians

• A new product entering a marketplace with entrenched market leaders. Tele-detailing representatives can provide additional promotional support to “early adopters”, as well as answer questions and fulfill sample requests

• An established product that is profitable, but gets little detailing time from sales reps. Tele-detailing representatives can call on top-prescribing physicians to share new data on the product, or mid-tier prescribing physicians to remind them of the product’s efficacy, safety, and ease of use

Tele-detailing is an effective, flexible and efficient promotional tool. I’ll share the essential elements of a successful tele-detailing program in a future blog posting.

In the mean time, download a copy of our latest whitepaper, “Selecting the Right Call Center Partner: Tips for Success.” (http://bit.ly/pscallcenter)

We also did a recent podcast with PharmaVOICE entitled "Keys to Partnering with a Pharmaceutical Call Center" (http://bit.ly/ps092011podcast) which you should check out if you are interested in more on this topic.

Have you used tele-detailing to support your pharmaceutical product(s)? If so, what results did you see? Have you decreased, maintained or increased your tele-detailing efforts? I’d like to hear about your experiences with tele-detailing. Please share your thoughts in the comments of this blog post.
View Blog

Valuable Insights into Selecting the “Right” Pharmaceutical Call Center Partner

Lou Shapiro

In my last blog post titled” The Secret to Successful Brand Planning”, I shared two recurring questions that are on many pharmaceutical marketer’s minds as they plan for 2012. The first question on every marketer’s mind is how to “get more impact with fewer budget dollars?” My advice is to engage service providers that have expertise and systems to support your marketing and clinical programs effectively and efficiently.


As a service provider focused on providing call center services to support physicians’ practices, hospitals, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology/medical device companies, we are experts in building relationships with healthcare providers and patients. We can efficiently provide information and materials healthcare providers and patients need, and answer their questions. Engaging service providers adds value and streamlines your initiatives.

A major concern pharmaceutical marketers and communications professionals have is how to select the “right” pharmaceutical call center partner. This is a great question, and there is no easy answer to it. I recently recorded a Podcast through PharmaVoice on how pharmaceutical call centers can support pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies. Also, we recently published a White Paper on selecting the “right” pharmaceutical call center partner. The White Paper offers 9 areas to be evaluated when you are looking to identifying the “right” potential partners. When used together, these two resources will help you identify the “right” partner for your program and company.

To listen to the podcast, please click here. Additionally, if you are interested in a copy of the White Paper, please click here to request it. Please let us know what you think of these two resources—are they helpful or not? Also, would you like to have additional resources in other areas? If so, please let us know what areas interest you.

View Blog

The Secret to Successful Brand Planning

Lou Shapiro

It’s the time of year when we all begin work on brand plans for the upcoming year. I’ve been talking with clients about the challenges and opportunities they face with their products. Two questions continue to come up in these conversations. The first is “how can I get more impact with fewer budget dollars?” The second question is “what should we do on-line?”


There is an obvious answer on how to get more impact with less budget dollars. Engage service providers that have expertise and systems to support your marketing and clinical programs effectively and efficiently. As a service provider focused on providing call center services we are experts in building relationships with healthcare providers and patients. We can efficiently provide information and materials and answer questions. So, my advice is to engage service providers that add value and can streamline your initiatives.

Regarding on-line initiatives, I ran across an interesting study conducted recently by FiercePharma and Sermo (the on-line physician-only social networking site). Sermo launched a study to their members to understand physician thoughts on pharmaceutical dinner programs, their preferred topics at these events, and preferences for alternate programs (ie, peer-reviewed journal articles, on-line presentations, on-line e-details, teleconferences, and meetings with company Medical Science Liaisons).

A few words of caution with the survey, it gathered results from 100 Sermo members, which is a relatively small sample of their 120,000 members. Also, keep in mind that if the respondents are using Sermo they are most likely more engaged in using social media and on-line resources. However, what struck me about the results was that nearly 63% of respondents are looking for information through non-traditional channels such as peer-reviewed journal articles (21%), on-line presentations (ie, 20%), on-line e-details (ie, 14%), and teleconferences (ie, 8%). Physicians are certainly looking to new channels to meet their information needs, and they seem to prefer channels where information is available 24 hours/day and 365 days/year. My recommendation is to implement 24/7 information programs including call centers and on-line information through company, product and disease-state websites.

As you are planning programs for healthcare providers, the FiercePharma and Sermo study also have results on information physicians are interested in on disease awareness, drug information, and practice management topics. I thought the topics were interesting and have outlined them below.

Disease awareness topics including…
• Autism
• Bipolar disorder
• Common dermatologic conditions
• Dementia
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pain management

Drug information on…
• Comparative data
• Latest clinical trials
• New anti-platelet and anticoagulant treatments
• Technical updates vs. the drug’s availability and utility

Practice management issues including…
• Business issues and how to improve the practice of medicine
• Financial planning
• Opting out of Medicare and third party-payers
• Practice management
• Reimbursement issues

Here is a link to the study results if you are interested in reviewing them in detail.

Addressing physician’s interests in your marketing and clinical affairs programs will provide value to physicians. Ultimately building value for the company and product in the minds of physicians, and creating opportunities to interact around meaningful topics. At the end of the day that is what successful brand planning is all about.

Would you consider developing programs on the practice management topics identified in this post? If so, did you encounter challenges from your legal counsel? I’m interested in learning more about the challenges your brand is facing. What are some of the new and unique programs you’re considering? If you have a question on brand planning, please share them.

Visit the PhoneScreen Website at www.phonescreen.com.

View Blog

Pharma’s Shifting Sales Model: How Tele-detailing Can Add Value

Lou Shapiro

We all know first-hand the changes the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries are undergoing. The factors impacting these changes span the gamut from fewer blockbuster products, shifts to specialized therapies, increased drug development costs, and increased reimbursement pressures and uncertainties. Certainly we are all feeling the push to do more with less.


Add to these challenges that physicians are busier than ever, and are adopting “no see” policies for sales representatives. And, the inevitable conclusion is that sales models that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies have used for years must change.

Sales models are adapting to include new “channels”, such as tele-detailing, e-detailing, and web advertising to physicians. The primary channel to date has been live in-office interaction with a sales representative. What are needed are complementary secondary channels that are available 24/7 and on-demand. One such option is 24/7 on-demand tele-detailing to healthcare providers. The benefit of tele-detailing is that it is available at the healthcare providers’ convenience to answer product questions, provide information, and process and ship requests for samples. Additionally, tele-detailing representatives can immediately transfer callers with scientific and clinical questions to healthcare-trained representatives.

The industry is investing more in tele-detailing. In a report published in November 2010, Cegedim looked at promotional spending trends in new media. Their research found that pharmaceutical companies spent $327M in new media between October 2009 and September 2010. Of the $327M, 49%, or $160M, was spent on tele-detailing. This was more than on the other new media options including internet detailing, e-meetings, and web advertising to physicians.

In my experience, physicians’ value interactions that are consultative, and they don’t want to be “sold to”. Sales representatives need to shift their mindset from the role as a “salesman” to an “advisor”. Attributes of an advisor include…

• Continually acquiring scientific and pharmacoeconomic knowledge. In particular be able to communicate the value of your product

• Understand regulatory and compliance issues physician’s offices are facing

• Most importantly, be focused on the physician’s needs rather than the features and benefits of your product

• Nurture relationships with physicians. Take the time to understand individual physicians’ unique needs and provide appropriate solutions. Also, pay attention to timely follow up and deliver materials that have been requested

Over the years I have worked with many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop and implement customized tele-detailing programs that support the important work sales representatives do each day. At Phone Screen we provide live operator support to answer questions at a physician’s convenience, and we can also place “outbound” calls to physicians’ offices to provide a tele-detail on a product or to process sample requests.

Are your sales efforts less effective today? Are there particular challenges you face in developing consultative relationships with healthcare providers? Perhaps you have best practices to share in these areas. Please join the conversation and share your questions, challenges and best practices.

Visit the PhoneScreen Website at www.phonescreen.com. 


View Blog

Pharmaceutical Call Centers: Their Value and 9 Ways to Select a Partner

Lou Shapiro

My experiences with healthcare communication companies have focused on utilizing call centers to support physicians’ practices, hospitals, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology/medical device companies.

There are many services call centers can provide. In particular, call centers provide pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with additional resources to reach healthcare providers and patients, as well as answer questions from these important audiences.

Some of the newer applications for pharmaceutical call centers are…
• Boosting patient recruitment and referral for clinical trials
• Providing tele-detailing support to healthcare providers
• Increasing patient adherence to treatments and clinical trials

My Top 9 recommendations for a selecting a call center partner for your clinical trial recruitment, physician tele-detailing, and patient adherence program needs…

1. Identify companies with an established track record in providing call-center support to the pharmaceutical/biotech/medical device and healthcare industries. Research the services they provide, and ensure they match with your needs

2. Understand staff backgrounds and experiences. What is the educational background and training of a typical operator? Do they have nurses, pharmacists, and physicians on staff to handle calls? If so, typically when do these individuals interact with callers? Based on your program specifications and goals what are their staffing recommendations?

3. Evaluate processes and work flow. Each service provider will have a workflow for how their calls are managed, as well as how their interactive voice response (IVR) system operates. Ask to see these documents and for an explanation on how these documents would be established and used in your program

4. Ask about metrics for measuring service levels and abandonment. Service levels measure the percentage of calls answered in a certain amount of time. Abandonment refers to the number of callers exiting the call queue before speaking with a live operator. Which metrics are most relevant to you depend on your program design and goals

5. Understand the quality assurance programs the service provider has in place. Successful service providers will have clearly defined programs that include formal documented call monitoring, peer-to-peer call monitoring, self-audits, and mock audits. Additionally, understand how this information is provided back to the operators and what on-going training is provided

6. Understand the technology the service provider uses, whether it is validated or not, and whether the system can be integrated with your customer relationship management or adverse reporting systems

7. Ask about compliance with FDA regulations and codes. The applicable FDA regulations are highly dependent upon your program goals and needs. Take the time to understand which regulations apply to your program. Ask the service provider which ones they comply with

8. Know the locations of the call centers. If operators are used from outside of the US, understand the types of services they provide, what languages they are fluent in, and their training on US regulatory and compliance issues

9. Understand hours of operation. Do these complement your program’s needs?


Call centers are an extension of your company and brand. Call centers provide an effective and efficient way to build relationships, answer questions, deliver content and create “good will” for the company and product. I encourage you to take the time to thoroughly research and evaluate potential service providers.

Have you used a pharmaceutical call center? What areas do you feel are most important in selecting a partner for your call center needs? Please share your questions and comments.

Visit the PhoneScreen Website at www.phonescreen.com. 


View Blog