What is Patient Support?
Why have a Patient Support Program?
What differentiates International SOS from its competitors?
What medical conditions and products are most appropriate for Patient Support?
How long does it take to implement a Program?
What does it cost?
Why should companies invest in Patient Support?
How do I contact International SOS for further information?
What is Patient Support??
Patient Support is a specialized service provided by International SOS to pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of diagnostics products and others who have need to provide product and disease specific medical information to their patients and customers.
Primarily telephone based, our solutions provide a support network of healthcare professionals who provide education to patients on specific medical conditions or support patients through the weeks and months of therapy, to give patients the best chance of completing their treatment and improving their medical condition.
The programs typically involve regular contact with the patient by phone, which is often integrated with mail or SMS text messaging. Website communication is also available to complement the program platform.
- Patient Support is generally funded by the manufacturer of the supported product who wishes to deliver more effective medical programs that can improve patient outcomes, support the medical community and ultimately improve product sales.
- Patient Support is proactive and offers guidance and reassurance from medical professionals to patients who have been diagnosed with a specific condition or who are using a specific product that is critical to their future health
- It enables the sponsor companies to increase patient satisfaction and brand awareness, and to differentiate themselves from competitors
Why have a Patient Support program?
The reasons to establish a Patient Support program are numerous. Some of the most common reasons pharmaceutical companies are budgeting for this function include:
1) They recognize that patients often need additional support or someone to talk to about their medication or condition and that their doctor or pharmacist may be too busy or unavailable to them when they need help.
2) They work! Outreach programs are especially effective in increasing adherence for medications that have irregular dosing schedules, complex or unfamiliar delivery mechanisms or those that require the management of potential side effects. Multiple studies have demonstrated improved compliance/adherence to therapy in the 20-50% range with an active patient contact program.
3) Having a dedicated patient contact center provides comfort that patients will have a place to get advice and report adverse events or any other complications that can help reduce the risk of product safety issues becoming a liability.
4) A well designed program can generate favor with physicians who feel confident prescribing a medication that is well supported, and that notifies the doctor (with patient consent) of specific issues involving his or her patients. What differentiates International SOS from its competitors?
International SOS uniquely offers a combination of medical expertise, customized Patient Support software developed to provide a platform for cost effective, pro-active patient communication and a global support structure which allows client companies to provide patient support programs across the world with the reassurance of consistent levels of service quality. As competitors fail to provide the requisite clinical governance or geographical scope of International SOS, we are the ‘Partner of Choice’ for leading pharmaceutical companies internationally.
International SOS is the clear choice for programs when:
- Live nurses and other medical professionals are required to deliver services.
- The program requires services to be delivered within a center led by a Medical Oversight structure. There is always a responsible medical officer on duty in our centers, 24 hours a day.
- Where a program has very strict regulatory requirements for privacy, safety or reporting.
- Where a program is to be implemented across borders and needs the same level of quality and oversight in each global location. We are a truly global organization in every way.
How many Programs are operated by International SOS?
International SOS provides services to each of the world’s Top 10 Pharmaceutical Companies with over 50 active programs operating globally. These numbers are growing with many new programs in the pipeline.
Live Patient Support is currently delivered from 13 International SOS locations serving 19 markets:
Australia Canada
China France
Germany Hong Kong
Indonesia Latin America
Malaysia New Zealand
Republic of Ireland Singapore
South Korea Spain
Taiwan Thailand
United Kingdom United States
What medical conditions and products are most appropriate for Patient Support?
A Patient Support service is relevant for a wide range of conditions and is particularly useful where the treatment has to be sustained, where dosage levels may change, where side effects my be expected, technical support is required or where behavioral changes are necessary.
Applications can range from treatments where the patient requires additional training, coaching or education to those which require lifestyle changes to those that simply require long-term commitment.
Sample of medical conditions currently serviced:
- Arthritis
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Depression
- Diabetes
- Hepatitis
- Hypertension
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Oncology
- Osteoporosis
- Schizophrenia
- Weight Management
How long does it take to implement a Program?
An estimated lead-time for program implementation is 3 months. Variations in lead-time are dependent upon the nature and size of the program which may impact system development, training requirements and staff recruitment.
Patient Support programs typically become an integral element of marketing strategy and consequently it is often the lead times for the development of new promotional literature as well as provision for internal and external communications which determine the launch date for a new program.
What does it Cost?
There are many variables that will impact the ultimate cost of a Program and include:
- Nature and scope of the Compliance/Stakeholder Audit
- Program implementation, design and development:
- Customization of technology
- Integration of communication tools
- Date and reporting requirements
- Ongoing service and management:
- Duration of program
- Patient volumes
- Frequency and type of contact
- Balance of inbound and outbound calling
- Estimated call durations
- Staffing and recruiting requirements
- Mail fulfilment needs
- Reporting requirements
While costs will vary, our Patient Support experts will work towards designing a Program that delivers measurable outcomes and a positive return on investment.
Why should companies invest in Patient Support?
A well designed Patient Support program will deliver:
- An ethical patient communication solution with benefits for all stakeholders-patients, physicians, industry and payors
- Improved compliance and persistence with therapy leading to improved treatment outcomes
- Patient care solutions that improve patient satisfaction driving brand loyalty and increased sales
- Brand differentiation. Clients differentiate themselves from competitors by demonstrating their commitment to customer care, supporting the medical profession and general community
- Outcomes that are directly measurable ensuring that ROI can be continually monitored
How can I contact International SOS for further information on Patient Support?
Please contact us at patient.support@internationalsos.com, and we will direct your enquiry to your local International SOS Patient Support expert.
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