The DTP Balance Sheet: Access Up, Friction Down

To read Part 2, click here.

From “Support” to Systemic Value

Two decades ago, “patient support” meant reactive services for high-touch brands facing closed formularies and intense utilization management. Today, direct-to-patient (DTP) programs redefine the manufacturer’s access operating model itself. They aren’t add-ons – they’re new infrastructure that is measurable, scalable, and defensible under policy and consumer scrutiny alike.

When done right, DTP changes the math. Manufacturers don’t just count how many patients start therapy for select brands; they quantify how efficiently, transparently, and sustainably a patient moves from awareness to refills across a portfolio of brands. The new balance sheet measures access gained, friction removed, and trust earned.

Access Up: The ROI of Speed, Clarity, and Choice

In legacy systems, it takes 10-14 days on average to move a prescription from signature to first fill – and half the time, the patient gives up. DTP compresses that window to days or hours by integrating benefit verification, affordability routing, and fulfillment visibility on a single platform.

That acceleration doesn’t just look good on a dashboard. Every percentage point increase in first-fill conversion compounds through refills, adherence, and long-term brand equity. The investment case is clear: better access drives measurable ROI – in patient outcomes, manufacturer revenue, and provider satisfaction.

And because DTP frameworks operate across insurance, assistance, and cash channels, access is no longer defined by payer restrictions alone. It’s defined by patient readiness – the ability to act when motivation is highest.

Friction Down: The Operational Dividend

Traditional hubs absorb friction; DTP eliminates it. API-driven orchestration replaces manual fax loops and opaque call trees with verified, timestamped steps that any stakeholder can audit. Providers see fewer callbacks. Patients see fewer surprises. Manufacturers see fewer black boxes.

This automation dividend shows up everywhere:

• Time-to-therapy shrinks.
• Abandonment drops.
• Service-cost-per-start falls.
• Compliance and documentation strengthen automatically.

In an MFN and IRA-sensitive world, that traceability is as valuable as the throughput itself. Friction reduction isn’t just operational hygiene – it’s risk mitigation and reputation insurance.

Trust: The Hidden Line Item

Every transaction is a test of belief: Will this brand make it easy for me? DTP programs that surface truth on cost, channel, and status – and give humans the option to help – convert frustration into confidence.

Trust is cumulative. It lowers call volumes, raises persistence, and builds the foundation for next-generation real-world evidence. When patients consent to share data because they trust the system, insights become richer and cycle times shorter. Transparency pays twice: once in experience, again in evidence.

From Pilot to Platform

The early adopters are already seeing it: DTP isn’t a campaign; it’s a capability. The manufacturers that win will treat it as core infrastructure – governed by clear SLAs, built on open data standards, and measured with the same rigor as commercial sales.

The new scoreboard includes:

• Start-to-fill speed
• First-fill rate
• Days on therapy
• Refill persistence
• Patient satisfaction
• Audit readiness

Each metric tells the same story: when access goes up and friction goes down, everyone – patient, provider, payer, and manufacturer – moves forward together.

Bottom Line

DTP rebalances the pharma economy toward the only stakeholder who never had leverage: the patient.
What began as “support” now defines competitiveness. The future belongs to brands that make every step – from awareness to prescription to first fill to persistence – as direct, transparent, and human as it can be.

About Chip Parkinson

Chip Parkinson is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gifthealth, a pioneering digital pharmacy platform focused on accelerating patient access and innovation in pharmaceutical services. Chip leads the company's strategic vision to transform the complex and fragmented patient journey, ensuring consumers receive clear, convenient, and affordable access to their prescribed medicines.

Prior to Gifthealth, Chip served as President of OmedaRx and Chief Pharmacy Officer for the Regence BlueCross BlueShield health plans, where he managed $1.7 billion in annual pharmacy spend for the Northwest United States. In this role, he led efforts to innovate the consumer pharmacy benefit experience.

Before joining Regence, Chip was Vice President, Managed Markets, and General Manager, Urology, at Myriad Genetics. During his tenure, he was instrumental in securing over 75 contracts with national and regional insurance carriers for the company’s diagnostic products. He also successfully led the initiative for Medicare reimbursement of Prolaris®, a prostate cancer prognostic assay, which subsequently was included in the NCCN Guidelines® for Prostate Cancer and saw more than 250% growth in year-over-year order volume.

Chip began his healthcare career with Pfizer Inc. in 1996. Over his 15 years with the company, he held various leadership roles in sales, communication, managed markets, and general management. He concluded his tenure as a Regional Business Director, where he was responsible for the profit and loss of a $275 million primary care portfolio in Massachusetts and the Southwest U.S.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chip-parkinson/