Patient Adherence: Focus on the Patient

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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!


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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.


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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.

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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)

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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.
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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.

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