Things I'm Thankful for in Pharma - - It's Almost Thanksgiving
There are a lot of trends, cool technologies, and interactive opportunities in the healthcare marketplace today. However, Im still thankful for some of the forgotten, traditional means of working together. 1. Sales Representatives: While there are fewer feet on the street, they still play a very important role. While access continues to be a challenge, reps still provide a strong inherent value to the HCP by delivering research data, scientific information, and the depth of a full department focused on them. Yes, there is a shift towards service and maybe that will be deemed to be a good strategy, but at the end of the day, a strong sales person manages the relationship and delivers what the client (HCP) wants at the right time via the right channel. If they are service driven, good representatives can deliver that. 2. The Telephone: When its really important, patient will still call their HCPs for information. Sure, theres WebMD, RevolutionHealth, Google and thousands of other health focused sites, but, the trusted practitioner still rules the roost. It is for this reason, that the HCP driven relationship is still king. Patients may do their own research and drive their own therapy, but without the HCP, they reach a point of inability to proceed. Further proof that HCPs (and their office staff) remain the #1 target for pharmaceutical, medical device, and biotech organizations. 3. In Person Office Visits: Sure, patients get diagnosed over the phone and virtual visits are rising, but the face to face time where HCPs get to know their patients and work to provide a timely diagnosis is not only science, but art as well. The family care practitioner who used to see the entire family and handle wide ranging issues from flu to GI challenges is overburdened and undercompensated. The shift towards specialty medicine still runs through the PCP and I believe that the perceived bottleneck is a great opportunity. There are many tools, sites, and educational vehicles which may help relieve that burden in the short term and establish processes to alleviate the pain entirely in the long term. I think the image of the general practitioner carrying the bag is around the corner (again) and coming to a town near you. As fee for service pressures increase, I think the PCP is going to start treating more than they do today, making them an even more important target in the overall pharma plan for 2011 and beyond.