Free Podcast: Improve Patient Adherence with Patient Support Programs

 In the latest podcast, I share my thoughts on improving patient adherence through patient support programs. Specifically, I discuss how patient support programs contribute to higher patient compliance rates, better patient health, lower healthcare expenses, and improved patient retention.

If you would like to listen to this podcast, please click to download it now. After you listen to the podcast, let me know what you think of it—is it helpful? Are you currently providing patient support programs? If so, please share your experiences and insights on these programs. This area is evolving quickly, and we can all learn from one another.

We also recently published a free white paper titled “Increase Patient Adherence and Do More with Less”. We encourage you to download this companion piece to the podcast.

View Full Blog 

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

White Paper - Do More with Less—Invest in Patient and Caregiver Support Programs

A successful model

Patient adherence is a hot issue for all players (ie, payers, healthcare providers, life science companies, and patients) in the healthcare industry. Unfortunately all chronic conditions have low rates of patient compliance to therapy with the average being between 50% and 65%. Patient noncompliance is a significant problem, and for the life science industry it is particularly problematic as patients that start a therapy are not likely to continue it for the needed duration. This has a significant financial impact for life science companies as it costs six times more to attract new patients than it does to retain existing ones.

We have seen adherence rates increase by 10% to 15% after a patient and caregiver support program is implemented and maintained for one year. Increasing patient adherence is a win:win:win situation. Patients gain better health and enhanced quality of life, payers decrease expenses treating future healthcare issues that arise from non-compliance, and life science companies retain patients on therapy.

In our patient and caregiver support programs we have seen significant demand from patients for personalized experiences and information. The days of developing and disseminating materials for the masses are ending. Rather, patients want information specific to them, their condition, and needs.

Opportunities for providing patients with personalized information abound, and I have recently published a white paper on how to develop successful patient and caregiver support programs, as well as emerging trends being used to deliver customized and personalized experiences for patients. Patient and caregiver support programs can help life science companies retain patients on treatment and create real value for patients, healthcare providers, and payers.

If you’d like a copy of the white paper titled “Increase Patient Adherence and Do More with Less,” please click to download it. Please let me know what you think of this latest white paper—is it helpful or not? Also, let me know what areas you’d like to see more information and recommendations on.

View Full Blog  


View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences

Keep it Simple: Focus on the Patient with Adherence Programs

Hi, I'm Moriah Weissman and I'm a Clinical Director at Tunstall AMAC. I work with Lou and our life science company clients to provide clinical insights for the development of patient, caregiver, and healthcare provider support and communication programs. Lou invited me to contribute to the blog, and I look forward to sharing insights and thoughts with you, as well as learning more about your challenges.

In working with our clients there is a lot of interest in life science companies about maintaining patients on a treatment. A number of articles and studies have been published about patient adherence, and I certainly believe patient adherence can be a driver in your business. In looking at many of the patient adherence articles that have been published two thoughts come to my mind…

1. Why do most patient adherence programs seem so complicated?
2. Patient adherence programs are expensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement!

Many of the patient adherence articles quickly become lost in the data, in analysis paralysis, or in defining whether or not a program is truly patient adherence based solely on whether or not it’s driving “behavior change”.

Perhaps I have over simplified the definition of patient adherence. To me, patient adherence is keeping a patient on a specific treatment. There are many ways this can be done, and certainly I agree that it’s important to embark on a discovery process that helps you to understand the patient journey and a patient’s desire to manage their condition. Without this it’s easy to develop a program that doesn’t drive the right actions. In fact an earlier blog post by Lou Shapiro provided suggestions for understanding the patient journey and resources for understanding a patient’s desire to manage their condition.

I believe two critical success factors for effective patient adherence programs are…

1. Develop meaningful programs that engage patients.
2. Collect feedback and data so the program can be continuously improved.

We offer four straightforward solutions to help our clients build effective patient adherence programs. These include…

1. Our focus is the patient. Start with the patient and keep them, and their needs, at the center of your solution.

2. Our AMAC Medical Advisory Board. We have relationships with healthcare providers in a number of therapeutic areas. We engage these experts to help us understand a particular disease-state/condition, current care delivery models as well as patient needs and challenges. We then work with our Medical Advisory Board to develop custom healthcare communication solutions that meet patients’ needs.

3. Our clinical program directors. They have advanced life science degrees in nursing and pharmacy. We tap into their clinical expertise to understand the patient journey and barriers to treatment as well.

4. Our pharmaceutical call center operators. They talk with healthcare providers and their offices, as well as patients and caregivers each day. They hear first-hand about the challenges patients have in managing their condition. Whether the challenges have to do with side effects, dosing, or cost, our call center operators can describe in detail what the obstacles are that patients face.

To build an effective program we take these insights and evaluate them against the product’s goals and needs. Next, we start putting together solutions that we, as a pharmaceutical call center, can provide. We also work with our clients to integrate other services, such as customized direct mail fulfillment, as appropriate.

Of course, I’ve simplified our development process for the sake of keeping this post brief. And my point is this: patient adherence programs are not rocket science. They can be straightforward and still be effective. I’m willing to bet that if you keep the patient, and their needs, at the center of your solution it will be a success.

Now, I want to hear from you. Do you agree, or do you think my oversimplified approach is wrong? Join the conversation and share your thoughts, challenges and questions.

View Full Blog  

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences