A Care Sea Change

Now well into our fifth year since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which coincided with approaches that were already emerging in healthcare delivery (i.e., telehealth), it’s as good a time as any to take a comprehensive look at how the point-of-care terrain has indeed changed. We do just that in our September issue of Pharm Exec.

Capturing some valuable perspective, we present a deep dive into point-of-care (or site-of-care) trends in a feature by guest authors Luke Forsthoefel, Yakir Siegal, and Gregory Lief of Asymmetry Group, a life sciences consulting firm. The group finds that the diversification in recent years of point-of-care delivery models is accelerating rapidly. While new and alternative entrants have disrupted the scene from the retail and tech worlds—think CVS, Walgreens, Amazon, and the like—so, too, has the influx of “non-traditional” entrants and those companies specializing in digitally integrated care delivery.

“Generational differences in patient behaviors, a growing urgency to address healthcare inequities, and the expanding burden of long-term chronic disease management among older patients are creating pressures for diversification of where and how care is delivered,” the authors write.

The piece delves into those factors driving this change and also, importantly, the implications for biopharma leaders in their “go-to-market” strategies—providing a framework for altering market-entry models accordingly. For example, the authors note the impact of consolidation among larger health systems, including those physician practices within, in attempts to build competitive advantage. This horizontal consolidation, coupled with the expansion of corporate-owned care delivery entities, have sparked greater centralization of decision-making in care delivery, the piece also explains.

“As a result, the traditional go-to-market focus on the prescriber may no longer be sufficient to drive desired behaviors,” the authors contend. “Instead, it is important now more than ever to take a B2B approach to engaging with care delivery organizations holistically as key customer accounts.”

To that end, the piece proposes three core B2B engagement principles for biopharma: 1) be a partner, not a supplier; 2) think holistically about customer value; and 3) offer solutions, not products. I encourage you to check out the feature for insights on how to put these principles into practice and for more useful information and data on navigating this new era in point-of-care delivery.

As always, thanks for reading.

Mike Hennessy Jr. is President and CEO of MJH Life Sciences