Insights from a Point of Care Marketing Effectiveness Study

Victoria Summers [00:00:10] I’m excited to speak with you today about the effectiveness of point of care messaging. I work at ZS associates, where a consulting firm that does a lot of research into how different messages are being received in the health care ecosystem. Everything from patient messages at the point of care to physician messages through their sales force and their sales rep. And to be able to understand what’s most effective, what’s working, what might be working better, and to really start to kind of continue to track that over time. So for the past several years, we have been doing research into the point of care space, understanding what’s working, what is really impacting patients and physicians, what is that experience like in the office in the acute care center? How point of care is changing to become in many different areas from your pharmacy to your cell phone when you get home, to a variety of different experiences in telehealth. And what we’ve been wanting to do for a while and work with the point of care marketing association is really start to dig in this understanding of what is the impact of having these messages in the point of care on patients and physicians. So [00:01:22]what we’ve done. Apologies. So what we’ve done is we’ve conducted, a lot of different effectiveness studies in the, in the process of our work at ZS, working with clients, on their programs. And so what we did in this, for this particular study, is we went and took a look at all of those studies that we’ve done in the past to try and determine of those different campaigns that had point of care messages or had different types of initiatives, whether it’s television or digital, and compared them to one point of care was engaged to within point of care was not engaged. [49.2s] And I don’t know if we could have some help from the IT to display the slides. Are they? Oh, okay. Thank you so much. I couldn’t see them here. Apologies. So one of the things that we did is we compared over 90 different of these studies and we tried to control for things like level of spend to the sales force being in place, increasing sales force coverage versus not so that we could really compare apples to apples. And then we took a look at the effect of point of care on those campaigns and on those messages. We also asked a lot of patients and physicians what they thought. So it was a precursor to some quantitative research that will come in 2025. We went out and talked to a variety of patients in different therapeutic areas. We also talked to physicians and asked them what their experiences were with point of care messaging. What was important? What would they like to see? What was really impactful to them so that we could get that perspective as well? This is an overview of the types of different therapy areas that we looked at, so that we you can see that there was a lot of, campaigns that spanned a variety of different patient, conditions, different types of treatment, different types of specialties. We tried to be as broad as we could in our selection. And we looked at those that had point of care as an important component in their campaign. And we also looked at those campaigns that did not have point of care. And these effectiveness studies, were in a variety of different analytic models. They were marketing mix, but they were also multi-touch attribution. They were test and control. So we had a lot of different methodologies that we’re pulling into place. And [00:03:54]what we found is that when Point of Care is engaged in the campaign, the overall effectiveness of the campaign, is 6 to 8% over just TV and digital alone. So when you think about the investments that pharma manufacturers and other types of companies are making in their campaigns to get their messages out to their target audience, whether that’s a patient or a physician. And you think about them maybe deciding whether or not to put point of care in place. It’s critically important that point of care be there. We almost see that as an important pull through to the investment that they’re already making out into other spaces. [34.9s] So it was good to see that, and we’ll continue to kind of watch that and monitor that as it goes forward year over year.

Victoria Summers [00:04:41] One of the reasons that we believe this impact is having such an effect and we’re seeing such a a big increase in the effectiveness with those campaigns that have point of care is because we also monitor at ZS the ability of the pharmaceutical sales reps to get into the office to talk to the physicians. So this is a couple of slides, a couple of charts that show the different level of engagement that sales forces are able to have with physicians. And you can see that, of course, there’s a big dip there. That was the quarantine in 2020 where everything kind of shut down. But as you take a look at these what’s important is that here we are really in 2023, late 2023, September is the last data that we have on this. We’re not back to where we were before Covid. In fact, we’re only about 80% of the way there. And when you think about that, what’s important to know is that it’s a little bit of the reach of being able to get to the physicians. But more than that, it’s the frequency. [00:05:41]The reps are not able to get into the offices on as frequent a basis as they were before. And a lot of times when these calls happen, they’re also happening virtually. So they’re happening with a physician and a rep, that’s discussing over zoom or over kind of a face to face virtual call, rather than being in the office and being able to deliver materials that will then stay in the office with the physician. So that means that point of care needs to work harder, and that they need to be more involved in understanding how those messages are being delivered in the market and delivered in the office and delivered in the acute care center and the pharmacy to make sure that patients have the information and, frankly, to make sure that physicians have the information too. [35.9s]

Victoria Summers [00:06:22] So we talked to physicians. We ask them about point of care, what they these were all physicians that had point of care in their office, usually about 2 to 3 different types of point of care. So it was either waiting room televisions and, digital information check tablets, information that they had posters on their walls, maybe they had brochures. There was usually a variety of different options. What we heard was overwhelmingly positive. [00:06:44]They really believe that it definitely helps them to kind of see things and to have something even to use, almost like a visual aid, with a patient to talk about a particular condition. And they really believe that it provides their staff a value. It takes a burden off of their staff for having to do a lot of that education. And they believe that they’re going to get more information on the screens and the printed materials to  reinforce what they’re telling their patients. [27.1s] We think about some of the key elements the point of care the physicians were bringing up benefits in three key areas. The first one is just information and education. [00:07:24]There’s a tremendous pressure on physicians to be able to educate. I think we heard in some of the panel discussions early this morning that it is very difficult for patients to remember everything that they hear in those sessions. So being able to reinforce the physician messages, maybe being able to improve health literacy for patients that may speak English as a second language or have cognitive challenges. The second bucket was around supporting that patient physician interaction. So we heard a lot of physicians that talked about using some of the materials almost as visual aids with the patients, kind of pointing to different information about a treatment and its indication or its method of action or things that they could expect and safety and efficacy information been very, very helpful. And the last way is diversifying different ways of interacting and engaging. So the idea of having different channels in the office was very valuable to physicians. They really see that patients are able to kind of interact in a way that they find useful. So some patients are very comfortable with digital. Some patients are more comfortable with print. And they liked having it in different forms in their office to connect with them. [63.8s] They’re actually also eager to see more. [00:08:35]They talked about really seeing that sometimes their younger patients, that were ready to adopt some of these new digital techniques would like to adopt more and different types of digital channels. They also think about some of the simpler interfaces for print that can improve patient engagement for older patients. So sometimes they’re looking for things that they could carry with them and maybe share with a family member. And they’re really thinking about optimizing that content and that readability for older patients. I think sometimes they were finding that materials were in the office at a very small font size, or maybe the charts and graphs didn’t make intuitive sense if you didn’t have a medical background. And so they were really wanting to see more opportunity to, to have materials that patients could take and understand. [44.7s] And there’s a quote there that we included from a neurologist that really thinking about the these different types of patients and how they struggle sometimes with technology and being able to have that information in multiple formats. And they really want more refreshed content. We heard that a lot too. I [00:09:37]think there’s a lot to be said about the different types of content. And I think sometimes when I talk to point of care, partners and experts, they talk about how sometimes it’s difficult to get the client and their pharma marketers to invest in new and different point of care content, because they’ve already made this big investment and maybe a television ad, or maybe a digital campaign or a social media campaign, and they’re \really kind of tapped out. And so I think it’s important to reinforce that patients and physicians want more of this content. They want refreshed content. [31.6s] It’s sitting in their offices all the time. Patients are sometimes seeing it when they if they’re going to their physician office, they’re seeing it over and over again, and they’re looking for something new. So to keep it fresh and to keep it vibrant.

Victoria Summers [00:10:23] We then talk to patients. These were all patients who had had an experience with point of care. And we were sharing this in a focus group setting. So sometimes they were kind of building off each other and reminding each other of some of the values. [00:10:35]But what was interesting is that a lot of them see their opportunity to get information about their health as being part of that visit. So it isn’t just to go see the doctor. They’re going into that environment expecting to learn something. So they talked about wanting to watch what was on the TV and looking over the brochures that were available and seeing what was in the office, in the exam room. And so they really are kind of coming in with that learner’s mentality. And there was always kind of this idea that they were staying up to date. They were seeing what was new and different. And there was also this common thread of trust that was running through all of their conversation. [32.8s] And I think that’s even more prevalent now than it has been in the past. [00:11:12]When we’ve talked with patients the prevalence of information online that may not be valid, that may not be accurate, has heightened everybody’s awareness that in digital it may not be the truth. And so I think when we we try to find the information that’s right for us and that’s the real kind of truth that we can trust. It’s sometimes going to a trusted source. And they do believe that the physician is that trusted source. [25.0s] We also heard from patients, and this was not uncommon, that they will drive conversations with their physician when they see something in the point of care that they want as a kind of a new treatment. And so they will be interested and taking a look at being proactive in those conversations. And we heard from several that they had been successful in getting a switch from one medication to another. They saw something at the point of care. They talked to their physician about it, and then they got that, that prescription written. Again, a couple of themes and mention a few of these information and being able to really understand and valuing that kind of educational content. Also trustworthy. And [00:12:19]another element of that trust is also that they believe that the information that’s been put into the physician’s office or the hospital or the pharmacy has been vetted by some of the professionals there. So they feel like they’re getting curated content that has been kind of designed for them and that they can have a little bit more trust [17.3s] and a little bit more interactivity with that. And they also really feel that it’s impactful. They really like getting the information they think about this is an opportunity for me to talk about how I can get better medications or things that might be new or different or how I could be doing something for my health. One of the things that they came through, though, were some asks. And so a couple of these are probably kind of obvious where we’ve got content that might be a little confusing. And I think it’s interesting that that, when you think about the patient, oftentimes they’re just kind of learning about not only their condition, but sometimes what was coming through as they’re learning about this part of their body. You know, we heard from some of our diabetes patients and some of our chronic kidney diseases weren’t even totally clear on what a kidney did and what it was, really. It was this function. And now I’ve got this disease. And so [00:13:27]they were almost wanting that that basic level information and really understanding, as they get into understanding what’s the right treatment for them and how they should be approaching their care. They’re also wanting really simple terms to think about. ‘Hey, I’m not I didn’t get a medical degree and I haven’t done a lot of reading on this yet.’ If we can just make sure that there’s short sentences, easy to understand things, that they can grasp quickly because that will allow them to ask questions once they’re in the office. [27.8s] They’re also talking about being able to find new and interesting treatments. And that was coming through loud and clear. They sometimes will go online and look and sometimes will talk to their physician and not get a lot of information. So they’re looking for that data in the point of care to give them that insight. And lastly, affordability. [00:14:15]Access came up a lot and I don’t know that it was coming up as much. Even a year ago when we were talking to patients, affordability is highly concerning to patients. They’re not sure, they don’t feel a lot of control. They’re not sure if the medication will be covered. They’re not sure if they have to go through maybe a process or paperwork to get it covered by their insurance. And then once it is covered by their insurance, they still have to pay something, but they don’t know what that might be. And so [24.8s] [00:14:40]there’s a lot of anxiety and feeling like they’re having to do a lot of back and forth. And it’s important to understand that this doesn’t happen just when the patient is prescribed the new treatment. It happens every time they refill. [14.3s] So as we’re thinking about the information about affordability and access and support programs, the point of care is a great place to have that. Just important to remember that that isn’t something that patients are necessarily only associating with a start. It’s also an important part of their persistency and adherence. So there’s a lot of opportunities for physicians as well. When they were making their kind of wish list. They would love to see health and wellness content. They also mentioned clinical trials. This is a great opportunity to get information about clinical trials out into the market, if not a lot being done right now for that. So that’s a great opportunity. Insurance policy navigation. Again, that [00:15:37]access and affordability is coming through on the physician side too. Their office staff spends a lot of time doing and supporting patients through that process. And if there’s opportunities where pharma programs or medical device programs have some of that support, it would be great to get that information to the point of care. [15.8s] Support materials for patient consultations. Kind of as I was mentioning, some of these materials are being used as visual aids, both digital and print. And then thinking about that post consultation, what could be like on a QR code, for example, when, a couple of physicians were sayingm, they can then follow and go with that patient as they leave the office, on their phone. And of course, some of the unmet needs for patients. We’ve talked about already, the just the kind of really that realistic guidance and support. I think it was interesting to hear in the panel discussion this morning on stroke about that. What what do I need to do tomorrow? [00:16:33]There’s a lot of focus in the patients that we talked with that’s just getting back to normal. What is what how do I get back to normal? How do I get back to doing what I want to do? [7.9s] Versus just this, this particular condition in this, in this episode, they also want access, to lots of different variety of formats. So that’s the QR codes were coming up. [00:16:53]They really want a lot of transparency around side effect data. And they want to talk to other patients who maybe have experienced some of these things so they could get kind of a real world insight. Shareable information was big. Details on patient support programs, if they exist, and are offered by pharma and device companies was important as well. [19.2s] So there’s a lot of key takeaways here. I think the most important thing to be aware of is that point of care is incredibly impactful and incredibly important to the people that are operating and receiving care in these situations. So when you think about the opportunities to connect with patients, to connect with physicians. It’s still an incredibly important and valuable area of our medical information system and importance that we provide additional data, additional information, different formats and refreshed content. I think there’s a lot of vibrancy that is still being asked for and is, as eagerly awaited by the people that you’re talking to. Apologies. So thank you so much for your time. If you have any questions, I’m leaving my email address up there. Please don’t hesitate to reach out. I usually answer in a couple of days. But please, if there’s anything at all that you’re interested in knowing or want more information on our study or where we’re taking this next in the quantitative phase, please let me know. Thank you so much.