The Three Rules Movement

We recently came across a website that is supporting a book by two Deloitte Consultants.  The book is The Three Rules by Micheal Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed and here is a link to the site.  Here is another link to a radio interview on Bloomberg Radio. 

In short, it highlights for us the need to have companies focus on being better before cheaper. Our world today seems to be run by lawyers looking out more for risk mitigation, HR people who are looking for the exact specs on their job postings and finance personnel who are looking more at cost avoidance than revenue generation. Somewhere in all this advancement the last 4 years, industry and corporations focus less and less on the customer.  We believe this is very true in life science companies and to some degree we now see it in healthcare entities as they try to figure out how they are going to manage the US healthcare reform act.  

We are interested in your thoughts. Let us know what you think of the rules and the book.  

Announcing a new capability-Text analytics

We are pleased to announce our latest capability! Text, Voice and Data Analytics.  We have recently partnered with the Thoughtware Group to offer clients in our life science practice an advanced suite of tools to analyze large amounts of data in a quick and economical manner.  

"Big Data" is a term used by many in the industry today.  However, many in the space have failed to acheive an understanding of who says what and why.  For example, whenever marketers observe online digital communication, it remains unclear to them who the person is (interacting with their brand).  Secondly, these insights often remain largely disconnected from the "offline" understanding gained in consumer research. 

We aim to change this proposition by bridging the gap between what online digital communication promises to deliver and what it actually delivers.  With our unique "Thinking Insight" technology we can build segment specific analyses from any type of data feed (Text/Image/Voice) to evolve insights that connect the online and offline worlds.  This will help companies gain insight to the market faster, understand consumer reactions to their brand messages as well as identify new key opinion leaders for their company.

  
Advances in online and social media marketing are mainly focused today on data gathering, targeted advertising and general sentiment monitoring. This new partnership allows us to not only do these things, but when combined with our industry experts, the final product helps clients understand what they should do next with the information.  

Fixing Noncompliance

It is considered as a black mark on a patient’s chart.  Being labeled as a noncompliant patient basically sends the message that no matter what medical instructions a physician gives you, you will not abide.  A recent post by Dr. Danielle Ofri, associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review, discusses what it truly means to be noncompliant and how the issue of noncompliance could be better handled. 

Dr. Ofri quotes the example that a hypothetical medical chart was constructed for a 67-year-old patient with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.  In order to remain truly compliant, the patient would have more than 3,000 behaviors to tend throughout the course of a year!  These include anything from taking medication as prescribed to exercising three or four days a week to attending recommended checkups.  Day in and day out (for some reason medical issues do not like to take time off), the patient must turn instructions into habit so that they may remain compliant.

The question needs to be asked, what can we do as Healthcare and Pharma professionals to improve medical adherence?  This could potentially be a multi-billion dollar question as improved medical adherence would directly impact prescription drug sales and provide new avenues for healthcare companies to facilitate and monetize physician-patient dialogue.  Now that smartphones and apps seem to be within arms length of almost everyone, we believe one key strategy will be to develop apps that allow patients and physicians to monitor key stats such as daily caloric intake and provide the ability to set reminders to adhere to a prescribed plan (see Prescription Smartphone Apps for Medication Adherence). 

However, this is just the beginning.  Improving adherence will require input and effort by everyone involved.  It is important for the Healthcare and Pharma industries to understand that adherence can be a “complicated balancing act” for patients.  Particular issues in a patient’s therapy may trump others and professionals in Healthcare and Pharma need to recognize this so that a prioritized plan can be developed.  Together we can develop strategies that improve medication adherence, and with this improvement, everyone will be better off.

Monitoring Consumer Sentiment in Pharma

Sifting through social media sources is one of the best ways to find information regarding new technology.  While perusing Twitter, we came across this article written by Jennifer Zaino of semanticweb.com.  With today’s world of constant data streams, managing it all and applying it in a meaningful way is a priority of successful companies.  Effectively utilizing this data requires semantic technology and sentiment analytics, and in turn, a user or business can continuously adapt their social customer relationship management (CRM).  Gartner, a leading information technology research and advisory company, recently released its Magic Quadrant for social CRM. 

Several players exist in the semantic technology arena that work with companies to develop business strategies and social experiences that generate improvements for sales, marketing, and customer service, while also benefiting online communities.  Gartner has divided these players into the following four quadrants based on completeness of vision and the ability to execute that vision: niche players, visionaries, challengers, and leaders.  On this spectrum of social CRM players, it is evident that the leaders, such as salesforce.com, are the ones that effectively utilize social and sentiment analysis strategies that are evolving with today’s world of social media and ever developing  “emotional state” of the Internet.  Learning from the leaders of this area of information technology will allow for better overall consumer experiences across industries.  Going beyond keywords for developing a sense of consumer sentiment will be the new normal, and those who effectively utilize this information technology, will be the leaders of their respective industries going forward.   

With regard to pharma, noticeable improvements will be necessary in the future regarding the consumer experience.  Developing efficient methods of monitoring consumer sentiment of various biopharma products will allow companies and healthcare providers to adjust quickly (assuming they are willing to) and provide necessary support for patients in times of non-compliance.  

Cashing in on the 6 things patients want from social media

Attempts at creating the next sexy and flashy social media craze seem to be everyday occurrences.  But, the real issue at stake is developing social media with functionality.  After reading this article on "6 things patients want from social media," we wanted to add our perspective for our clients to consider in their life science marketing strategies. 

The most important point is the first thing patients want (and need): to find information quickly! We are still amazed at all the efforts ongoing in the industry that SEO provides, yet when marketers hire agencies to produce the information for all their print materials, no consideration is given to making that information readily accessible by patients or providers.   Look at some of the trends with video on You Tube. Are marketers really leveraging this channel given its rapid rise?  Patients are much more willing to take 3 minutes to watch a quality, informative video that provides a summary of information that is essential to their diagnosis/prognosis.  Incorporate a product or brand name in the informative video and you have a customer.  Our video marketing expertise will allow your company to effectively reach out to patients in a manner that will educate potential customers while promoting your product.

Other important points to consider when branching into social media to facilitate the conversation and flow of information with patients are:

·      To have information streamlined: This coincides with providing information quickly but also incorporates providing information in a manner that flows so information is easy to find and understand.

·      A clear understanding of the aging population: When developing social media strategies it is easy to produce an interface that attracts younger populations.  But how does one attract the primary demographics in healthcare?  It is essential to have a clear plan and benefits for the use of social media by the aging population.

·      To be engaged: Throwing information at patients and then becoming disconnected is not a good marketing strategy.  You must provide an interface through which patients and brand reps can interact in a meaningful way.

·      To help with the practical parts of care: Unfortunately, payments and paperwork is one of the practical parts of healthcare.  New ways of streamlining this necessary portion of healthcare will increase customer satisfaction and keep patients returning for your product or service.

·      To help with the healing process: For us, this touches back on being engaged.  Throughout the healing process, patients need to feel as if they are the number one priority for a physician and social media can assist with this.  Provide an easy way to keep physician-patient dialogue open and medical adherence will increase.

Social media will have a huge influence on healthcare going forward.  Provide a customer centric approach to marketing and attracting patients that focuses on these patients’ needs and you will see great returns.  Contact us, and we can help you develop your social media marketing plan that will reach out to patients in a meaningful way.

Prescription Smartphone Apps for Medication Adherence

When it comes to embracing new technology, we like to think that we are ahead of the curve.  However, our approval is only bestowed upon technology that provides a substantial benefit, especially given costs or numerous unavoidable advertisements. As illustrated in a recent article by Pamela Lewis Dolan at American Medical News, a new wave of technology will become the norm in healthcare by way of smartphone and tablet apps that will allow physicians to closely monitor many aspects of patient compliance. 

There are a few questions however for the future implementation of these “prescribed apps”:

1. Does the app serve a utility that is worth the cost/adherence?
2. How much data will the app produce for the patients?  
3. Will the physician have the time/man power to properly utilize the data?
4. How will physicians monetize the use of the apps?
5. With data being retrieved without office visits, will this mean decreased revenue?
6. As with any prescribed therapy, how does a physician ensure patient compliance?
7. Will health-related apps be regulated by the FDA?

Physician-patient communication desperately needs creative improvements to ensure therapy compliance and persistence.  With the growing use of smartphones, using healthcare apps and the field of mobile health is only expanding in the coming years. The FDA has already approved a select number of apps to deal with clinical care and bills are currently in place to create an FDA Office of Mobile Health.  For a fraction of the cost for an office visit, patients can purchase an app that allows them and their physician to monitor health progression, collect critical health outcome data between office visits that may reduce visits to the office.  

We know medication adherence and health outcomes can be improved by allowing healthcare professionals to track metrics that normally are not monitored, such as heart rate, glucose levels, and calorie count.  This is not driving the conversation out of the exam room, but extending the reach of the physicians diagnostic and treatment capabilities.  With 10% of smartphone users having downloaded health-related apps, the practice of “Prescribing an app” will continue to catch on.  Generating a large market from the almost 1 billion smartphone user base will be as easy as posting that picture of dinner to Instagram. 

ACOs and Fierce Communication

So here’s a question to ponder while you’re reading our carefully honed prose: How do you attract patients to sign up for an accountable care organization?

Last week, Cigna announced that its two ACO pilots were doing, at least preliminarily, what they should be doing: improving patients’ health and saving money. The giant insurer is so happy with the results that it is planning a national expansion of its ACO program this year.

Here’s why they’re happy: At its multi-specialty medical group practice division in Phoenix, the average annual savings per patient was $336; ambulatory surgery was down 11%; preventive care visits, overall, were up 3%, and up 12% for adults. And, its partner in New Hampshire is “closing gaps in care 10% better than the market.”

A few years ago, Cigna jumped on the ACO bandwagon. The goal: “Achieve the ‘triple aim’ of improved quality, lower medical costs and improved patient satisfaction by creating a care model anchored in the principles of the patient-centered medical home that also builds in accountability by rewarding physicians for results.”

In its press release Cigna says its collaborative ACO model is big on communication. Its doctors and nurses speak frequently with its customers’ doctors and nurses, “to help with coordination of patient care.” Cigna’s program also includes disease management programs and lifestyle management programs, including stress management.

Cigna doesn’t say how its customers reacted to the idea of participating in an ACO. That notion is even more interesting for Medicare patients. How will Medicare—by law, mandated to start pilot programs by next January—attract its seniors, normally an independent, privacy-loving lot? According to the new healthcare law, the pilot ACOs will take care of all the healthcare needs of at least 5,000 Medicare patients for three years, minimum.

FierceHealthcare says the success of these ACOS will require “fierce communication strategies,” like physicians doing things they don’t normally get paid for—contacting patients by e-mail, instant messaging and so on.

But as usual, it comes down to communication. We somehow doubt that it will matter what the medium is: word of mouth, Twitter, radio, smoke signal. If the ACO healthcare providers are communicating among themselves, sharing information about a patient’s well-being, and that patient’s health is improving, along with his quality of life, then that patient will spread the word.

And that can be pretty fierce, don’t you think?