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 

Essential Elements for Impactful Patient Adherence Programs

Keys to Patient Adherence

 My last few posts have focused on the opportunities increased patient adherence offers. I hope I have provided convincing information and that you are committed to either developing a patient adherence program (if one does not exist) or to bolstering an existing patient adherence program.

Here are my top 7 critical success factors for implementing successful patient adherence programs:

1. Elevate patient adherence to be a driver in your business. Patient adherence rates are low (on average are around 50% to 65%) and opportunities abound to increase patient adherence and retain patients on therapy.

2. Establish clear goals for your patient adherence program. Patient adherence is part of a product’s value proposition. Ideally, consider patient adherence early in product development. If your product is on the market that’s OK. It’s never too late to support patient adherence.

3. Appoint an owner. To ensure success there needs to be someone driving the program and accountable for its results whether in house or as an outsourced program manager.

4. Understand the patient journey. Patient adherence is a complex issue and requires a thorough understanding of the root causes of discontinuing treatment. Develop a holistic view of the behaviors and challenges in treating the condition.

5. Segment patients based on their desire to manage their condition. Use the Patient Activation Meter (PAM) to help you identify the “right” patients. Next, focus on these patients and their needs. Spend your time and resources reaching out to the “right” patients. For more information on the PAM, please review an earlier blog post on this topic.

6. Engage patients through enriching experiences. Understanding the patient journey, and those patients that want help, allows your program to provide more effective and meaningful materials and support services. Meaningful engagement drives compliance and adherence.

7. Collect data and continuously improve the program. Analyze the data and act on the learning’s to improve the program. Patient adherence programs have the potential to provide win:win solutions for patients and manufacturers.

This list was developed based on my experiences working with AMAC to develop effective communications and patient adherence programs for our clients. AMAC offers a wide-variety of patient monitoring devices used in the home setting, and provides 24/7 call center and click-to-chat support services to provide information and educational materials to patients, providers, and payers.

Do you agree with these critical success factors? Do you have additional ones to share? Join the conversation and share your questions, challenges, and best practices.

- Lou Shapiro

View Blog 

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

Trends in Patient Adherence Programs: Personalized Information and Experiences

The search for valuable information is a common theme for healthcare providers and patients. In the last several blog posts I have focused on healthcare providers, and in this post I’ll shift to patients. Patients are looking for information to help them manage their health conditions, and the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries have the knowledge to be a trusted source of information. Patients are using online resources and networks for healthcare education and support. This is driving the demand for personalized materials and educational experiences. Patients no longer will settle for materials developed for the masses. Rather, they demand information that is specific to them, their condition, and their needs.

How do you deliver this customized information? Options abound, and what is most important is that manufacturers recognize their role in developing effective patient adherence programs. Some of the newest trends being used in patient adherence programs include:

• On-demand live call center support

• Online resources through websites and social networking sites

• Click-to-chat support through websites

• Mobile sites and applications

• Patient monitoring devices

The heart of a successful patient adherence programs is communication. And pharmaceutical call centers can be an invaluable resource to provide 24/7 access to live operators to answer questions, send educational materials, and follow-up with patients to remind them about appointment and prescription refills. For more information on selecting a pharmaceutical call center partner, please see this earlier blog post.

Online resources play an important role in effective patient adherence programs. Online resources such as websites, click-to-chat support, and social networking sites are ideally suited to provide individualized and targeted information based on patient characteristics. However, many pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies are reluctant to move quickly and deeply into providing online resources given the lack of regulatory guidance, concerns about patient privacy and well-being, and the cost of implementing these programs.

Additionally, mobile applications are being used more often to access information, communicate alerts about a particular product, and provide reminders to patients about appointments and refills.

There are numerous patient monitoring devices available for use in the home setting. These monitoring devices provide physicians and healthcare providers with timely information on a patient’s condition. This information allows physicians and healthcare providers to make immediate changes, if necessary. Let’s think about this for a minute. The technology exists for physicians and their healthcare staff to monitor the blood glucose levels, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and temperature of patients in their homes, and to make changes that could have a profound impact on their health today and in the future.

The future of patient adherence is centered on empowering patients to take an active role in managing their conditions. Patients need information, support, and guidance from their physicians and healthcare providers. This can be an overwhelming task for physicians and healthcare providers given the demands on their time. Opportunities exist for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies to provide information and educational materials.

At American Medical Alert Company (AMAC), we are in a unique position to support patient adherence programs. AMAC offers a wide-range of patient monitoring devices that can be used in the home setting, and provides 24/7 call center and click-to-chat support options to share information and educational materials with patients, providers, and payers. We have helped numerous clients design and build successful patient adherence programs.

Please share your thoughts on the emerging trends in patient adherence programs. Are you considering, or have you tried any of these new tools? If so, what are the factors driving your decision to use a new tool or not? Join the conversation and share your questions, challenges, and best practices.

Visit our website for more information on patient adherence and other topics.

View Blog  

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

Patient Adherence: Focus on the Patient

Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but I had great holidays and I’m charged up and eager to build on the new opportunities 2012 will surely bring.

In my blog post before the holiday break I recommended that marketers in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies think about patient adherence as a significant driver for their business. I feel strongly that well-developed patient adherence programs provide win-win-win solutions for all stakeholders.

Valuable patient adherence programs focus on the patient and meeting their needs. As with most programs, the first step is to think strategically about patient adherence. Ideally, this would be early in the development of your product. However, your product may be well into clinical development or post-launch, and it isn’t too late to implement a patient adherence program. I’d ask you to think of these key factors to determine if patient adherence could help your product:

• Treats a chronic conditions
• Dosing or administration challenges
• Low rates of patient retention
• Good patent life (ie, 5 years or more)

I think of patient adherence as a part of the product’s value proposition. To design successful patient adherence programs, focus on the patient and understand their behaviors and challenges in the disease-state your product is used. Understand what behaviors they exhibit and why. Once you have this understanding you can develop targeted and personalized approaches to support patients. Ultimately, provide targeted resources online, via mobile devices, and in print. This targeted approach builds a sense of value, commitment, and trust with patients. Additionally, if patients are able to overcome challenges they will stay on therapy, which provides them with a greater quality of life, and decreases healthcare costs.

Are you wondering where to begin? We start by mapping the patient journey. Despite individual behaviors and attitudes, patients generally follow a typical path in managing their condition.

Judith H. Hibbard and James J. Cunningham have developed the Patient Activation Meter (PAM). This is the first instrument that measures the skills, knowledge, beliefs and behaviors that combine to create an activated patient. It indicates that patients progress through four (4) stages as they become activated. PAM can be used to assess how well interventions work. The authors of the PAM have measured and identified characteristics for patient activation based on population and health status characteristics. The Center for Studying Healthcare System Change has published this information on their website. This is a good resource for gathering information on patient activation in various disease states.

The PAM tool can help to identify the key areas where support is needed and identify patients receptive to help and support. This information ensures time and money are spent on patients that are receptive to help. The goal is to focus on the patient and understand their journey so you can develop a patient adherence program that uniquely supports their needs.

At American Medical Alert Company (AMAC), we are in a unique position to support patient adherence programs. AMAC offers a wide-range of patient monitoring devices (many of them are used in the home setting), and provides 24/7 communication services to share information and educational materials with patients, providers, and payers.

Share your experiences with patient adherence programs. What key insights have you learned along the way? What tools have you used to understand the journey patients are taking in treating their condition? Have you been able to leverage this knowledge to develop more impactful and effective materials and patient adherence programs?

View Blog  

View website for Tunstall AMAC Life Sciences 

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