Empowering Better Patient Outcomes Intel at Scale
The healthcare system is plagued by a fragmentation that “doesn’t allow us to engage in information when we need it and how we need it,” observed Rebecca Love, OptimizeRx principal for clinical innovation. Thus, it’s never been more crucial to get the right information across at the right time — during the office visit, when clinicians are making treatment decisions for their patients.
During a sponsored podcast with MM+M’s Marc Iskowitz, Love, along with Chris DiCostanzo, VP of client relations, discussed the importance of delivering relevant information and services to HCPs and their patients at the point of care, in order to drive better outcomes.
Love said she believes it’s the responsibility of life sciences organizations to support patients in this endeavor. “Clinicians have so much on their plates managing the disease, patients are busy dealing with the disease, and so access to information and engagement is where life sciences and pharma can step in to educate.”
The OptimizeRx digital health and communications platform is designed to do just that by allowing life sciences to implement and measure patient-engagement programs that support patients from the start of therapy by removing access barriers and keeping patients engaged with prescribed therapies throughout their journey, the two explained.
Integrating directly into EHR workflows, the solution ensures that information is exchanged in real time, delivering the right message to the right healthcare provider/patient at the right moment. In terms of the content of that messaging, OptimizeRx takes a page from behavioral health.
“We are nudging patients toward better health,” explained DiCostanzo. “The neat thing about digital messaging is that you’re not forcing everybody to take the same thing at the same time; it’s about tailoring your messaging to what that patient needs and then working to make small changes, bit by bit.”
For instance, Love shared a case study from the breast-cancer space, in which the platform intervened with information at precisely the juncture when patients might find their medications make them feel ill. By connecting sufferers with patient-engagement support, including the ability to message with nurses, she said, the intervention helped prevent patients from discontinuing therapy. The heightened responsiveness also contributed to a net patient-satisfaction score of 87%.
Helping those suffering with cancer over the hump may have even expanded life expectancy — a testament to the potential power of a patient-engagement program executed well.
OptimizeRx’s programs also take a holistic approach, not only focusing on the clinical aspect of therapies, but moving beyond the medicine and disease. “We use information campaigns centered around creating healthier lifestyles and bringing gratefulness into one’s life,” said DiCostanzo, adding, “Everyone needs a little lift.”
Such messages meet patients where they are. In other words, they’re adjustable for diverse populations and customizable at the patient level in order to “understand who’s using the program, what their needs are and then tailoring communications for that specific patient,” Love explained.
Moreover, the programs are informed by data, so OptimizeRx is able to gather insights in real time, analyze and then adjust moving forward. “The interesting thing about data is everybody’s wrestling with what to do with it,” said DiCostanzo, who shared a real-world example. “We’ve seen something as simple as timed refill reminders outside of the drugstore environment can make a 20% difference in adherence.”
It’s safe to say that all pharma companies are striving to get better at patient engagement. OptimizeRx’s platform offers them one channel to do so and to contribute to a smoother, less confusing disease journey.
