PM360’s Focus On section examines a specific area of the life sciences industry. In this issue, we take a closer look at the patient experience and how it is constantly evolving in the pharma industry. From conducting an easier process of scheduling doctors appointments to how patient feedback plays an important role in enhancing the experience, here is what our specialists had to say.
How can pharmaceutical companies enhance their digital platforms, such as websites and patient portals, to improve accessibility and user experience for patients seeking information and support?
JASON GLOYE
North America Lead and Chief Client Officer
VML Health
Enhancing digital platforms in health requires focus on two key areas: patient partnerships and experience design. The first is commonly confused with ‘patient-centricity,’ but goes way beyond it. The second has historically been underutilized by pharmaceutical companies but is essential if we’re going to help people improve their health.
True patient partnerships aren’t just patient-centric, they’re patient-led. Often companies think brand-first or disease-first when creating platforms. It’s the wrong start-point. In many cases, patients’ biggest struggles aren’t the symptoms of disease but the impact they have on their everyday lives; their personal relationships, emotional or financial wellbeing, or their ability to do the things they want. These are highly individualized challenges, but if we want to create platforms that help overcome them, we can’t second-guess what they are. That means thinking patient-first and collaborating from the outset, to ensure every touchpoint gets to the heart of the patient experience and connects with them through radical empathy.
Experience design is another crucial piece of the jigsaw. The goal is to create experiences that matter to the individual. In consumer verticals, that’s relatively straightforward–data can show us where customers go, how long they’re there, and what they do/buy. We can use that data to design personalized experiences to drive customer conversion. Health is more complex. The individual in question may have a life-threatening condition. They may be midway through treatment or looking ahead to life beyond it. When they show up on a platform, they want an authentic experience that’s built on an understanding of who they are, what they’re going through, and what they need.
In health, experience design is about using all the data available to you and marrying it with the insights that come through patient partnerships, to deliver personalized, meaningful, and memorable experiences, at the right moment and through the right channel. It’s a specialist skill, but it’s how we enhance digital platforms in health.
jason.gloye@vml.com
MILO ELMIR
Head of Experience Design
Avalere Health
To enhance accessibility and user experience, merely designing functional websites and patient portals is not enough. A more advanced approach embeds patient feedback into every phase of development, from initial concept to final product.
Central to this approach is prototyping and iterative testing. By involving patients early, healthcare companies can gather critical insights into user behavior, preferences, and pain points. This real-world feedback is essential for refining digital platforms, so they are not just user-friendly but genuinely patient-centric. Testing at multiple stages allows for continuous improvements, ensuring the final product meets the diverse needs of its audience. Simplicity and clarity are critical to good user experience (UX) design. Many patients, especially those managing chronic conditions or navigating complex treatment regimens, find intricate digital interfaces overwhelming. A streamlined design with intuitive navigation can significantly ease this burden, making it easier for patients to access vital information. Regarding AI-driven tools like virtual assistants and chatbots, it’s crucial to consider how different patients interact with these technologies. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work. Instead, AI should be adaptable, responding to individual patient behaviors and preferences. Whether a patient prefers quick, concise answers or needs a more empathetic, detailed interaction, AI can and should adjust to meet these varying needs, transforming basic interactions into meaningful support experiences.
Accessibility must be a cornerstone of any digital platform. While compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is a baseline requirement, true accessibility goes beyond standards. Features including text-to-speech, adjustable text, and color contrast are fundamental for patients with disabilities. Moreover, multilingual content broadens access, ensuring that patients from diverse backgrounds can engage with these tools effectively. Finally, in an era where data privacy is paramount, robust security measures are non-negotiable. Transparent privacy policies and strong encryption are essential to building and maintaining trust with patients.
milo.elmir@avalerehealth.com
What best practices should be implemented for scheduling doctor appointments to ensure a seamless and efficient process for patients, particularly when coordinating with pharmaceutical services?
JENN MILLARD
VP U.S. Integrated Patient Support Services
IQVIA
To ensure a smooth and efficient process for patients when scheduling doctors’ appointments, it is essential to implement the best practices centered around leveraging technology. This includes addressing patients’ needs, preferences, and history.
Data, analytics, AI (Artificial Intelligence), NLP (Natural Language Processing), chatbots, and machine learning all play critical roles in orchestrating a seamless appointment scheduling process. Without advanced technologies, the scheduling process can become cumbersome and inefficient, leading to a range of issues for medical staff and patients. For instance, without leveraging AI and data analytics, there may be difficulties in predicting patient demand patterns and forecasting no-show rates, leading to suboptimal resource allocation and increased patient wait times.
Additionally, without NLP techniques, staff may struggle to efficiently extract relevant details from appointment requests, leading to miscommunication or errors in scheduling. Without the development of empathetic chatbots, there may be a lack of personalized and compassionate interaction with patients during the scheduling process, potentially leading to patient dissatisfaction and confusion. Without training machine learning (ML) algorithms to optimize appointment allocation based on various factors, such as doctor availability and patient preferences, the scheduling process may be less efficient and may not effectively meet patient needs. The absence of these advanced technologies for scheduling can result in administrative inefficiencies, longer wait times for patients, and a lack of personalized and empathetic interaction, ultimately compromising the overall patient experience.
jennifer.Millard@iqvia.com
ELIZABETH WESTERHAUS
VP, Group Director of Experience Strategy
Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness
To ensure a smooth and efficient scheduling process for doctor appointments, especially when coordinating with pharmaceutical services, a few key best practices are essential. Start by creating an integrated digital platform that combines appointment scheduling with pharmaceutical services. This integration allows patients to book appointments, access their medication history, and manage prescriptions all in one place, simplifying their experience. Imagine how much easier it would be for patients if they could view their doctor’s availability in real time and choose a slot that fits their schedule, instantly eliminating frustrating delays and back-and-forth calls with the doctor’s office.
Automated reminders via email or SMS are another crucial feature. They help keep everything on track by notifying patients about upcoming appointments, changes, or necessary preparations. An intuitive, user-friendly interface ensures that the process is straightforward for all patients, regardless of their tech skills. Offering flexible scheduling options, including telehealth, can help accommodate those who may have trouble traveling or who prefer virtual consultations. Multiple scheduling methods— whether online, by phone, or through an app—give patients the flexibility to choose what works best for them.
Integrating pharmaceutical services into the scheduling system is also vital—not just appointments but also medication management and coverage. By linking appointment scheduling with prescription services, you ensure that medications are aligned with treatment plans, reducing the risk of missed doses or overlapping prescriptions. This integration can streamline processes like prior authorizations and medication refills, making the overall experience more seamless for patients.
Finally, protecting patient data is paramount and patients are getting smarter and more aware of it. Robust privacy and security measures build trust and reassure patients that their sensitive information is safe. By focusing on these practices, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies can offer a more seamless, patient-centered scheduling experience that genuinely addresses patient needs and enhances overall care.
elizabeth.westerhaus@saatchiwellness.com
How can pharmaceutical companies better integrate their services with healthcare providers’ systems to streamline the patient’s journey from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up?
DANNY SIGURDSON
CEO and Founder
Courier Health
Streamlining the patient journey from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up requires tight coordination and communication with various stakeholders, especially healthcare providers and office staff. Pharma companies need an internal mission control platform that connects various patient data sets, systems, and teams, providing a 360-degree view of the patient journey without having to rely on disparate data feeds or partners for updates. With real-time visibility on what is happening with patients across the journey of starting and staying on therapy, pharmaceutical companies can ensure HCPs have the information and resources they need, when they need it, which is key to driving better patient outcomes.
Leading companies are investing in innovative digital platforms, specifically built for life sciences, that enable better orchestration of the end-to-end patient journey. With patient and provider contact management, omnichannel communications, and automated workflows, pharmaceutical companies can reduce manual burden and ensure patients and providers don’t slip through the cracks.
Leading-edge pharmaceutical companies are taking this a step further, leveraging advanced analytics to identify trends and other opportunities for continuous improvement. With a program reputation for being top-notch and tailored HCP engagement and support, pharmaceutical companies can deliver a streamlined, differentiated experience.
danny@courierhealth.com
MIKE PALLADINO
VP Sales and Clinical
OptimizeRx
Shared Decision Making (SDM) is a patient-centered approach to medicine and a departure from the traditional medical system in which the health care provider (HCP) dictates care in a silo .Using SDM in practice requires a conversation between patient and HCP. Not only to choose optimal medical management, but to assure the patient understands the seriousness of the condition, the risks, benefits, alternatives, uncertainties, operational requirements to receive health care, and financial requirements to access care.
There are challenges prohibiting the real-world application of SDM including patients’ age, healthcare literacy, and information overload. HCP barriers include competing priorities, negative opinion of SDM, lack of training, and financial restraints. Despite these barriers, there are opportunities for life sciences to improve SDM.
Machine Learning (ML) allows life sciences to use intelligence and data to align both HCP and patient education. ML embeds content in the places that will be most actionable for SDM ,such as within the electronic health record (EHR), specifically when the HCP treats the qualified patient. When we have the right patient and HCP at the right care milestone, tools and educational resources become more powerful.
For example, if we can predict an HCP is seeing an uncontrolled diabetic patient today, we can use the EHR as the point-of-care channel to educate the HCP on updated Peripheral Arterial Disease Screening the 2024 ADA guidelines. Simultaneously, we educate the appropriate patients on the prevalence of PAD in diabetes and arm them with tools and resources to drive a robust conversation with the HCP. By educating both “consumers” at the right time and in the right channel, we find the point of convergence, with the hope of improved care.
mpalladino@optimizerx.com
What role does patient feedback play in improving the usability of pharmaceutical company websites and patient portals, and how can this feedback be effectively gathered and utilized?
SWATI BHASKAR
Managing Partner
Asentech
Navigating the financial landscape of healthcare, especially for patients with costly conditions like cancer, requires a comprehensive understanding of coverage. The pharmaceutical industry’s stringent regulations often make typical chatbots ineffective for life sciences brands, and while patients can enroll in hubs, the process remains cumbersome and disjointed. To address this, digital solutions and websites can play a crucial role in educating patients on navigating coverage and costs for therapies through virtual coverage navigators. This includes educating patients on coverage, what to consider when insurance plans change, copay support programs, and accessing Patient Assistance Programs (PAP).
The technology to achieve this already exists, but brands must take bold steps to integrate people, processes, and technology effectively, creating a more educational and supportive experience for patients. By prioritizing patient education and simplifying financial literacy, brands can make a meaningful difference in patients’ lives, enhancing their overall treatment journey and quality of life.
swati@asentechllc.com
ANHCHI HA
VP, Digital Marketing
JPA Health
Patient feedback plays a pivotal role in improving the usability of pharmaceutical company websites and patient portals. It provides direct insights into how users interact with these platforms, revealing areas where companies can bolster website design, navigation, or content.
By listening to patients as the end user, pharmaceutical companies can identify specific challenge points—such as missing information, issues with functionality, or problems accessing essential features—which might not be apparent without user perspective. Good website development should take these learnings into account and optimize over time, bringing continuous improvements to the end user.
Front-end and back-end activities can be used in tandem to gather more information from patients. Front-end activities involve the patient or end user and may include surveying users on the site. Back-end activities do not require any additional action from the user but are instead reliant on correct set up and monitoring of website analytics.
On the back-end, custom-tagging will capture accurate website behavior and events, such as how users are navigating through the page, where they are dropping off, and which resources or features are being accessed most frequently. Platforms like Google Analytics offer off-the-shelf event tagging; however they may not always capture every possible event, so it’s best to review and customize to ensure the tagging reflects website KPIs.
In short, patient feedback is essential to ensuring optimal website usability, and there are multiple ways to capture useful input to continually improve content and UX.
aha@jpa.com
