Patient centricity is a big idea that can help the healthcare industry adapt to a very different political, economic and competitive environment. As welfare systems reform and technology disrupts the industry, the clear objective for politicians, payers and physicians will increasingly be how to create the most value for patients at the lowest cost. And this means being patient focused.
JAMES OSMOND CEO, CLEAR
THE PROBLEM WITH PATIENT CENTRICITY nfortunately, much of the investment in patient centricity currently underway fails to make a tangible difference to patients’ lives or company bottom lines.
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here are numerous patient T portals that are absent of genuinely patient focused content. ▪▪ Tools to aid patients often extend little further than simple dosing cups. ▪▪ The application of new technologies and channels usually involves replicating old practices in new channels under the label of patient centricity. For instance, sales reps have been known to turn up armed with an iPad, only to reveal an old detail aid but on a smaller screen. ▪▪
In many ways, the healthcare industry is like the financial services industry was 3-4 years ago: it talks about customer centricity without fundamentally changing the customer experience. In our experience working across the globe in OTC, pharmaceutical and health services, there are a number of reasons why patient centricity so often fails to live up to its promise.
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An overemphasis on product in marketing. This is understandable given the importance of selling pills, devices and treatments, but it risks missing how value will be created in the future. As in any market, price will become a key differentiator unless new forms of value are created. Branded drug companies therefore need to create valuable experiences for patients that go beyond the product and into supportive services. This means the focus needs to be increasingly upon compliance, patient and physician education and extended support services. Siloed operations. Many healthcare companies are not connecting ideas and creating value across geographies, therapy and practice areas. Too often good practices and experiments in one country or division are not shared across the business to improve collective performance. This is reinforced by an organisational structure built around what we do rather than what patients want. Segment prioritization. Healthcare marketing has become far more sophisticated over the last decade.