Live from eyeforpharma Philadelphia 2019— Brandi Greenberg, Managing Director of Life Sciences Research Advisory Board, hosted a panel of experts from across the life sciences space.
Stephen Basilotto, Chief Experience Officer of Froedtert Health (an IDN in Wisconsin), opened by saying, “Whether we like it or not, patients’ expectations for healthcare experiences are rising thanks to their interactions with brands in their consumer lives. We must up our game…The old value proposition was simple: fix me and make me healthy. But now the expectations have risen, and patients expect health systems to anticipate what they want, value their time and money, and create an emotional connection to something as important as healthcare.”
Kyle Skiermont, Chief Operating Officer of Fairview Pharmacy Services (an IDN in Minneapolis), explained some of the difficulty here. “It’s not easy—healthcare is complex. You’ve got the pharmacy, the manufacturer, the prescriber and the supplier; the reality is that the patient doesn’t need to hear from all of us, but they do need to be able to understand the essentials. In most other industries, price transparency is the norm—but not healthcare. When a patient asks about the cost of a therapy or procedure, many factors come into play before an answer can be given. What insurance do you have? Have you already tried the cheaper option? Have you hit your deductible?”
Responding with a perspective from the industry side, Greg Apostol, National Vice President of Key Account Management for Alkermes, said, “Today, there’s no finite definition of value. Traditionally, ‘value’ means ‘worth to me.’ Historically, as an industry we always thought of our customer through the lens of our brand. Today, we need to think of our brand through the lens of our customer.”
What do today’s Key Account Managers need to know about the pharmacist or physician to deliver value to them?
From the IDN Perspective:
“All too often, it’s clear that the KAM hasn’t kept up on the increase in the burden and workflow of today’s physicians and pharmacists. Simply coming to the table understanding the realities of EHR clicks, increased records workload, and decreased autonomy is truly valuable.”
—Kyle Skiermont, Chief Operating Officer for Fairview Pharmacy Services
“The scary part to me is that the unprecedented level of change that today’s physicians are facing actually pales in comparison to the speed of change tomorrow will bring.”
—Stephen Basilotto, Chief Experience Officer for Froedtert Health
From Pharma’s Perspective:
“As an industry, we must remember that asking physicians in an IDN to change a behavior that sounds simple to us may not feel feasible to them. Expecting them to add 6 new clicks to accomplish something may sound small, but multiply that by 30 patient visits per day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and you begin to realize the scope of the change we often ask them for.”
—Greg Apostol, National Vice President of Key Account Management for Alkermes
Stay tuned for more live updates from the halls of EFP Philly 2019.
