The pharmaceutical industry is undergoing significant changes that are transforming current patient processes. Although significant advances in treatment across all therapeutic areas have greatly improved patients’ quality of life, they still face obstacles when accessing specialized drugs and novel treatment regimens. Some of the challenges include high costs, challenging treatment courses, and a difficult-to-navigate approval process.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers have developed programs to optimize access to specialty drugs and targeted therapeutic therapies, and these programs have reduced the complexity and burden of connecting physicians and patients. However, many access challenges remain, including:
- Delays – ranging from days to weeks – from the time a prescription is issued until the patient receives the first dose
- Intensive manual processes that rely on non-digital assets
- Indigent patient compliance due to challenging access
- Third-party ownership of digital assets and inconsistency of patient data results
- Constrained visibility into the patient journey, which increases the difficulty of helping patients and anticipating their needs
- Siled access to programs, often created by the brand, limiting the ability to generate insights across the pharma organization
- Leisurely introduction of novel products and delays in program implementation that hinder patient benefits
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The need for a patient services platform
In a crowded market for specialty medicines for chronic and infrequent diseases, it is imperative that pharmaceutical manufacturers establish a powerful bond with their patients. A stalwart patient services platform that delivers an optimized patient experience is critical to achieving this goal.
IBM Consulting offers the IBM Patient Services Platform, which connects services and technology to simplify the treatment process for providers and patients. The IBM platform helps organizations with a patient services platform deliver the crucial services required to improve the patient experience while streamlining operations and gaining valuable market intelligence.
The IBM solution is designed to lend a hand customers improve user experience and engagement in patient access programs using the following approach:
- Promote patient centricity with enhanced digital engagement channels
- Streamline operations that run seamlessly across the care system
- Utilize data and technology to discover deeper insights
How the platform works
The modular patient services platform consists of two components: the customer engagement layer (CEL) and the integration and data layer (IDL).
The customer engagement layer is built on the Salesforce Health Cloud platform and includes portals for patients, providers, field agents, and a command center console. The CEL-enhanced data model meets specific requirements, including patient access, affordability, and treatment assistance. Thanks to its modular architecture, CEL can be configured to suit specific therapeutic requirements and patient programs.
IDL is hosted on IBM Cloud and uses IBM’s best-in-class software for real-time integration and bulk data transfer. Transactional data generated in CEL is aggregated into the proprietary IBM Unified Data Model for Healthcare. The data model provides valuable patient and operational information to improve treatment access and adherence.
IBM uses business associate arrangements to exchange patient data and obtain value-added services, including Copay enrollment, Copay claims processing, electronic benefit verification, prior authorization, specialty pharmacy fulfillment, and free merchandise and vouchers .
IDL is secured by IBM’s security suite that protects patient health information and provides resiliency for uninterrupted service. Both the customer engagement layer and the integration and data layer are HIPAA-enabled and compliant with privacy and payment card regulations.
The IBM Patient Services Platform enables you to deliver the crucial services you need to improve the patient experience while streamlining operations and gaining valuable market intelligence. IBM’s goal is to enable healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical manufacturers to make significant and impactful progress towards a healthier future.
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