6 Considerations When Evaluating Patient Access Platforms

As life science companies strive to ensure easy and affordable access to prescription drugs, they are looking to disruptive technologies that offer the potential to break through barriers to medication. Unfortunately, some companies invest millions of dollars on patient access and advanced analytics solutions but get little in return. Here are six considerations to keep in mind when evaluating a potential patient access platform.

1. Easy access to meaningful data insights

   Data is of little value when it’s locked away in databases and unwieldy platforms. Users should not have to waste time sifting through complicated reports just to find outdated, inaccurate data. Poor data quality is a barrier to digital transformation that often leads to inadequate decision making. An effective patient access solution not only turns a wide spectrum of real-time data into insights that provide an accurate view of the patient journey, but also enables users to rapidly unlock these insights through intuitive, interactive dashboards.

2. Modern engagement

   Advanced digital communication tools fuel greater opportunities for pharmaceutical manufacturers to improve patient engagement, drive prescriber loyalty, and boost medication adherence. Today’s patients expect anytime-anywhere capabilities similar to the Amazon mobile experience, so it is important to consider the types of digital engagement a patient access platform offers. Examples of modern engagement include:

   • Patient and healthcare provider portals

   • Digital enrollment to eHub services

   • Text reminders

   • Digital notifications and alerts

3. Platform scalability

   Once a drug is launched, there are numerous variables – such as higher than expected volume, formulary expansion, and label changes – that could precipitate the need to scale the capabilities of your patient access platform. Scalability is defined as “the measure of a system’s ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to changes in application and system processing demands.” When evaluating a patient access technology application, it’s crucial to investigate how easily the platform adapts to business changes. One of the biggest benefits of scalable technology is that it allows companies to be prepared for future growth with a lower up-front financial outlay.

4. Automated workflows

   Manual patient access workflows – such as benefits verification, prior authorizations, and program enrollments – are inefficient and extend the time to therapy. A technology platform that effectively streamlines patient access processes for all stakeholders involved from writing the prescription to receiving the therapy drives efficiency, responsiveness, agility, and transparency.

5. Integration capabilities

   A patient access platform should ensure connectivity to stakeholders across the prescription journey. Integration with providers, manufacturing, wholesalers, payers, pharmacies, nurse navigator programs, and fulfillment minimizes interruptions to medication access and improves patient experience. End-to-end integration not only gives pharmaceutical manufacturers more visibility across their channels, but also allows them to positively influence outcomes and prove value to payers.

6. Technology specifications

   It’s important to evaluate the following specifications of any enterprise healthcare technology prior to implementation to ensure success and minimize risk:

   • Cybersecurity

   • HIPAA compliance

   • Flexibility

   • Data backup and recovery

   • IT support

   • Interoperability

There are many barriers that prevent patients from receiving their prescribed therapies. By adopting a technology-driven patient access platform, life science companies can minimize many of the factors that lead to prescription abandonment and medication non-adherence. A thorough evaluation of prospective solutions is crucial to identifying the right one that will bring your life science company the best results and the most value.

Phil provides an integrated approach to data analytics across the patient journey that provides life science companies with real-time visibility into their distribution channels and supports efforts to drive medication adherence.

Learn more about how the Phil platform facilitates patient access.