Physicians Favor Brands with Compelling Adherence Platform Highlights of Physician SurveyClick Here for Additional Resources
A conversation with Katrina S. Firlik (see bio), M.D., Chief Medical Officer, and John Ruvane (see bio), Vice President, Sales and Business Development, HealthPrize, highlighting results of an independent physician survey that suggests HealthPrize’s patient adherence program can sway physician prescribing preferences.
The 100-physician survey, designed to assess the value of adherence solutions and their potential to influence physicians’ prescribing, found that the addition of a rewards-based medication adherence solution shifted reported prescribing preferences between two competing drugs by over 30 percentage points.
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BackgroundDr. Katrina Firlik, HealthPrize’s Chief Medical Officer, explains: “Physicians realize that their clinical decisions regarding dosage and medication changes are often compromised by a lack of objective adherence data on their patients. They often don’t know if the drug failed the patient or if the patient failed the drug. HealthPrize can provide them with the data they need to make better clinical and prescribing decisions.”
HealthPrize is an internet and mobile-based adherence platform that uses behavioral economics and gaming dynamics to leverage the combined power of financial rewards, education, and reminders to motivate patients to remain compliant with prescription medications. Non-adherence to medications is one of the most significant and costly problems in healthcare, accounting for an estimated $290 billion in otherwise avoidable medical spending per year due to preventable complications of chronic disease.
The survey was completed by 100 qualified physicians who treat patients with diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol. Physicians were qualified if they were board certified and treated a patient population for which at least 30 percent were diabetic.
Physician responses to HealthPrize generally were overwhelmingly positive. According to one participant: “I think it is a great idea… I think it would dramatically increase compliance in a positive reinforcement method. With the widespread usage of smart phones and computers in the work place, people would be able to visit the site at any time. This plan is ingenious!”
Questions/Topics Discussed- How can a brand use an adherence program as a marketing tool?
- Do you anticipate that these results will translate into a real-world market share shift?
- Is HealthPrize better suited for a product in a particular stage of its lifecycle? Launch vs. facing patent expiry?
- Do you see HealthPrize complementing or competing with other brand initiatives designed to promote loyalty — i.e., co-pay cards, CRM initiatives, etc.?
Guest Bio
Katrina S. Firlik is the author of Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside, published by Random House and reviewed by The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and O Magazine. She enjoys conveying medical concepts to the public and has appeared on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC as a commentator on a variety of medical issues. She is also an inventor of a brain stimulation device designed to enhance recovery after stroke.
Katrina did her undergraduate studies at Cornell University, with a major in cultural anthropology. She attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University, and did her neurosurgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh, one the largest neurosurgery centers in the country, where she was the first woman ever accepted to the program. Katrina also completed a specialty fellowship in epilepsy surgery at Yale University.
John Ruvane offers more than 25 years of entrepreneurial and businessdevelopment experience in healthcare marketing and communications. John’scareer has been highlighted by senior roles with growing healthcarecommunications companies, including MediMedia USA, inChord Communications(now inVentiv Health), and GSW Worldwide, a division of inChordCommunications. Immediately prior to joining the HealthPrize team, asfounder of ComplianTRx, LLC, John focused on research related tomedication adherence and measuring the influence of incentives inmotivating patients to stay on their treatment plans. A graduate ofColumbia University in New York, John began his career at ForestLaboratories and held a variety of sales and marketing positions. In hisposition at HealthPrize, John leads the team’s efforts in engaging withpharmaceutical customers and developing strategic partnerships.
Additional Resources
- HealthPrize Technologies Forum: Find press releases from HealthPrize Technologies plus more information about medication adherence issues and solutions.
