PM360 asked experts in delivering optimal patient experiences how the industry can better understand what patients need and what is likely to be the biggest change to how patients experience healthcare in the coming years. Specifically, we wanted to know:
- How can life sciences companies and marketers develop fuller, more complete pictures of patients to better serve their needs and deliver better experiences?
- What factor or change will have the biggest impact on the patient experience in the coming years? Will this have a positive or negative effect, and why?
First, we must accept that, for the most part, the idea of “patient centricity” is being misused. Most companies—manufacturer side and agency side—are using “patient centricity” as a core value/focus but in reality, it only means they are focused on communicating their core message to the patient. That is only a sliver of the true meaning of “patient centricity.” To truly be patient centric, we must better understand the unique variables and pain points patients face along their unique journeys and realize these items can change over time—even for the same patient.
Therefore, there is no “this is patient with disease X” but rather several types of patients within multiple categories that can be influenced by age, sex, racial and cultural factors, education, access to healthcare, and much more. This is where AI/ML and the use of appropriate datasets can help provide more inclusive insights that enable us to better understand patient identification and how to engage with them on their terms, using their language, and in a way that activates and empowers them. This will enable more genuine communication with patients and caregivers that feels authentic and resonates with patients directly and/or via patient advocacy groups.
Every day our world becomes increasingly more diverse, yet our ability to engage diverse populations with relevant information—be it language or culturally appropriate content—hasn’t kept pace. Persistent racial and ethnic disparities continue to leave many population segments underserved and under-supported, and every day there’s more evidence that some of these segments aren’t receiving equitable care. While life sciences investment in multicultural marketing has increased in recent years, marketers too often are relying on dated, census-based demographic targeting strategies that fall short of reaching valuable audience segments.
Marketers should instead consider a medical claims-based targeting approach. By looking at the entire demographic profile, a claims-based approach enables marketers to have a higher level of confidence that they are reaching every possible patient who could benefit from treatment with relevant, meaningful messaging to empower them. Claims-based targeting can help find populations with high condition prevalence, identify campaign subsets that would benefit from culturally relevant messaging, and extend reach to find under-supported populations. By finding, reaching, and engaging patients in a culturally relevant way we can create real, meaningful connections, maximize impact, and drive better outcomes for all.
The patient experience goes beyond the boundaries of healthcare settings. It encompasses everything: navigating insurance, finding transportation to appointments, interpreting test results via online portals, and much more. And a patient is more than their clinical profile—they are complex individuals with many factors and traits that impact their ability to engage with an increasingly complex healthcare system and make decisions about their health. Thus, to better serve patients’ needs and deliver better experiences, life sciences companies must understand and adapt to the ever-evolving person behind the patient.
To craft more complete pictures of patients and strategize ways to move them, we suggest a three-step process. First, consider social determinants of health, or the environmental, social, and cultural factors that impact a patient’s health-related behaviors and outcomes. Next, analyze a patient’s rational and emotional motivators about treatment, which will help you understand how to position a brand’s offerings successfully. Finally, use human-centered design to develop solutions that foster goal behaviors and enhance patients’ experiences with a brand. It’s also important to reapply these methods as patients change, and to pivot strategies as needed, to ensure optimal experiences throughout the patient journey.
Healthcare consumerism is the leading trend that will continue to shape expectations for patient experiences—experiences that are seamless, transparent, personalized, connected, and equal or better to what they receive from consumer goods and services delivered by other industries. The momentum from healthcare consumerism has enabled many people to compare and buy individual health insurance policies on a public marketplace, compare out-of-pocket costs for branded and generic medications, and connect with HCPs through telehealth or concierge medicine—deciding how, when, and where to receive care.
At the same time, uneven access to care threatens to limit many patients’ options. For example, earlier this year GoodRx research showed the extent of “cardiology deserts,” with more than 16.8 million Black Americans living in counties with limited or no access to cardiology specialists. So, as shortages of doctors and nurses become more acute—especially in cardiology, psychiatry, OB-GYN, and primary care—technology can and will enable digital centers of excellence to help support providers in these care deserts, expanding the role of telehealth and other virtual care modalities. That means pharma must integrate their touchpoints into a new care journey with both patients and providers experiencing and delivering care differently.
AI will influence nearly every aspect of patient care. AI enables the acceleration of drug design and development, which could lead to more abundant therapies affecting unique but rare patient conditions. Applying AI to medical documentation will free up time for HCPs to spend on patient care and help boost patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Greater digitization of personal health data from increasingly sensitive and non-invasive sensors monitored by non-human AI computer systems (intelligent agents) will help patients manage their healthcare better in real time. Clinical records including notes, images, and lab results will be fed to localized secure intelligent agents to assist HCPs in interpreting, diagnosing, and generating treatment plans. For example, intelligent agents will provide suggestions to HCPs on whether a visit should be inpatient or telehealth, but AI-generated suggestions can always be overridden by HCPs or patients to give the ultimate flexibility.
Additional areas of healthcare that will benefit from AI and provide greater flexibility to patients and physicians include mental health and healthcare access. AI will enable patients 24-hour access to mental health sessions and enable patients to access medical care in remote, under-resourced areas of the world.
Financial or cost neutrality—the ability to minimize or eliminate the financial burden of participating in a clinical trial for the patient and their care partner—will have a significant impact on the patient experience in the coming years.
At the moment, we know that many patients can’t afford to participate in clinical research due to the cost of travel, loss of wages from time off work, cost of childcare, etc. Clinical research might be their only treatment option and yet they still may be unable to participate due to cost constraints.
Although some clinical trials offer stipends to patients who participate, the dollar amount is often low, and the option is not universally deployed. With the cost of living increasing, a growing number of patients aren’t able to afford either standard healthcare or the cost of clinical trial participation.
To make clinical research more accessible to everyone, our industry needs to better support patients by ensuring stipends or reimbursement that are fair, ethical, and truly meet the needs of patients and their families.
