An Example of Analyzing Drug Prescription Patterns

Below is the continuation of the transcript of a Webinar hosted by InetSoft on the topic of Using Claims Intelligence in Healthcare. The presenter is Abhishek Gupta, Chief Data Scientist at InetSoft.

Let's continue drilling into this example of analyzing drug prescription patterns. Rather than looking at this by diagnosis or procedure, it's really useful for us to think about where those referrals are really coming from. Which physicians are sending patients to Dr. Monahan?

If we look at this referral analysis over a 120-day window, we can start to search by code and understand who are the physicians that are really sending patients to Dr. Chan for that the electrocardiogram report.

If I drill down and start to look at all of the physicians who are sending patients, I see that there's a total of 1801 doctors that are referring into this particular physician. Not only do I know the name of the referring physician, but I know their primary specialty, and I know where they're operating out of and how many procedures they're actually sending to Dr. Chan for that referral.

Perhaps there's an opportunity for me to start to work with some of the referring physicians from this list to really influence them and really be able to map out what my engagement strategy is. I finally am able to partner with Dr. Chan as kind of the key prescriber of the ACE inhibitor and then also those referring physicians who send him patients.

You can see from the example that I just walked through that it's really important to think about building a strategy that helps to identify two different things. You want to know who's billing for most of the procedures that are aligned with the indicator for your particular drug. But from there, what you also want to understand who is really influencing their patients and the flow of those patients into that particular doctor.

That way you can think about kind of all the specialists, whether they be upstream or downstream that might be good for you to partner with as you build out your strategies. You know, as a result of this, what you get is the kind of that actionable insight that helps you do a couple of different things that are important in your marketing and sales efforts.

The first is really thinking about being able to target those influencers. You may want to work and communicate with them in a different type of way whether you send them emails, or you may be call them or you actually have the opportunity to think about ways to actually kind of bring knowledge or education about your drug into their environments.

Targeting medical practitioner influencers to help launch a new pharmaceutical drug requires a strategic approach that emphasizes credibility, expertise, and ethical considerations. Firstly, identifying key opinion leaders (KOLs) in relevant medical specialties who have a strong presence and influence within their professional communities is essential. These influencers may include renowned physicians, researchers, or clinicians with expertise in the therapeutic area targeted by the new drug. Building relationships with KOLs through personalized outreach, engaging them in scientific exchange and collaboration, and providing them with access to relevant clinical data and resources can help establish credibility and foster advocacy for the new drug.

It's crucial to ensure transparency and compliance with regulatory guidelines governing interactions between pharmaceutical companies and healthcare professionals, emphasizing the importance of evidence-based medicine and patient-centric care in all communications and collaborations with medical practitioner influencers. By leveraging the expertise and influence of KOLs, pharmaceutical companies can effectively educate healthcare professionals about the benefits and potential risks of the new drug, ultimately driving awareness, adoption, and successful launch in the market.

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The second thing is you can actually think about marketing campaign , so what's the right way to be able to work with those influencers That might be creating a leave behind that actually exists not only for the doctors but for the patients as well at some of those upstream locations. That's much more of a grassroots effort that you could potentially take as a tactic.

Launching a new pharmaceutical drug requires a comprehensive marketing campaign that employs various tactics to generate awareness, build credibility, and drive adoption among healthcare professionals and patients. Firstly, targeted educational initiatives aimed at healthcare professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists, and nurses, can provide valuable information about the drug's mechanism of action, therapeutic benefits, and clinical evidence supporting its efficacy and safety profile. These initiatives may include continuing medical education (CME) programs, scientific symposia, and peer-to-peer interactions with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in relevant medical specialties. Additionally, leveraging digital marketing channels, such as social media, email campaigns, and online webinars, can facilitate widespread dissemination of information and engage with healthcare professionals on their preferred platforms.

Direct-to-patient marketing strategies, such as disease awareness campaigns, patient education materials, and support programs, can empower patients to make informed treatment decisions and advocate for the new drug with their healthcare providers. By employing a multifaceted approach that combines educational content, targeted messaging, and strategic partnerships with healthcare stakeholders, pharmaceutical companies can maximize the impact of their marketing campaign and achieve successful market penetration for the new drug.

Then finally, here, what you can do is you can use this information to be able to track the results that you really see in real time with some of the prescription drug data and the referral intelligence. Are your strategies on the sales and marketing side really helping to influence what the takeoff of your drug is? Are you tackling the market in the right way? Is this kind of two prong strategy effective for making sure you can have kind of quick successes and quick wins?