Comprehensive Patient Support Services: Enhancing Pharmaceutical Commercialization Success

Navigating the nuances involved in managing complex, chronic conditions demands a comprehensive, end-to-end approach to specialized patient care. Successfully coordinating this process requires a structured and strategic communication flow across the patient care continuum to ensure proper access to necessary therapies, promote full adherence to treatment regimens and personalized support throughout the patient journey.

Obstacles Preventing a Successful Patient Journey

Patients with complex, chronic conditions typically face a multitude of obstacles that can impede their therapeutic journey. One significant barrier is traversing the insurance requirements minefield. Issues at this stage might include obtaining prior authorizations, overcoming fulfillment restrictions and resolving coverage denials. Additionally, managing across multiple touchpoints often results in fragmented communication, conflicting information, and a lack of cohesion, leaving many patients feeling overwhelmed and unsure of the appropriate next steps.

Another challenge patients face throughout their journey is medication management. Patients often need help understanding dosage instructions, managing side effects, and coordinating complex therapy regimens. Obtaining specialty medications also often requires specific handling and delivery, further complicating timely and effective treatment. This confusion can lead to lower adherence, adverse effects, and sub-standard health outcomes.

The ideal way for pharmaceutical manufacturers to help individuals overcome these obstacles and meet them at the point of need is to offer a full range of patient support services that address every stage of treatment. This wrap-around coverage helps alleviate the emotional strain of patients who might otherwise be working through the process with little or no support, giving them confidence in knowing they have a full complement of expert resources behind them.

AscellaHealth’s Patient Care Team (PCT): the Standard for Specialty Care Delivery

Prioritizing patient needs is essential for providing high-quality specialty care. To achieve this standard, AscellaHealth partners with life sciences manufacturers throughout all stages of commercialization. This collaboration includes the setup and management of customized patient support programs tailored to fit the specific needs of the manufacturer and its patients. 

AscellaHealth assigns each patient population a fully dedicated Patient Care Team (PCT). These expert teams have one singular focus – to support patients through their specific course of therapy and tailor targeted interventions to foster optimal healthcare experiences. This precise focus sets AscellaHealth apart from other service providers, raising the bar for excellence in the specialty pharmaceutical industry.

To illustrate the real-world impact of this approach, let’s consider the plight of a patient with a rare, chronic condition struggling to navigate a complicated therapeutic regimen. The stress and confusion of the situation might cause logistical missteps, inconsistencies with the timing of treatments or even lead to the premature discontinuation of therapy, precipitating persistent or worsening symptoms. To mitigate these potential pitfalls, PCTs work hand-in-hand with patients to simplify and assist in managing treatment schedules, coordinate directly with healthcare providers, and even arrange for the at-home delivery of medication.

AscellaHealth’s PCTs consist of expert resources that focus on key functional areas tailored to the specific needs of each manufacturer partner and their patient population. Each team is customized to fit these unique requirements. Generally, the PCT includes healthcare professionals such as nurses, pharmacists, and other specialists as needed. Program managers oversee the team's day-to-day operations and analyze data to continuously improve performance, while prior authorization and appeals specialists handle these processes respectively. At the center of the team are the Patient Care Coordinators (PCCs), who are essential for building strong and lasting relationships with patients. These resources work together synchronously to optimize patient care and support the manufacturer's core program goals.

Building Stronger, More Personal Patient Connections

This approach to value-based care, placing a focused emphasis on quality, performance and the patient experience, excels not only through a resilient foundation of expertise and a trusted network of resources but also by cultivating strong interpersonal connections. PCT members must work together closely to anticipate challenges and proactively manage care plans to take as much burden off the patient as possible. This highly personalized touch – through detailed onboarding, regular communication, tactical support from the benefits investigative team, access to financial reimbursement programs, and help with enrolling in clinical trials or early access programs (EAP) – fosters meaningful relationships and demonstrates a deep commitment to helping patients achieve their target health goals. "The personal connection we build with patients is so important," says Stephanie Wasilewski, PharmD, General Manager of AscellaHealth's Specialty Pharmacy and Distribution Center, Optime Care. "It’s what helps us identify and overcome barriers that could prevent a patient from accessing care, and it’s also how we provide the level of concierge support that makes a real difference in patient outcomes."

Driving Commercialization Efficiency and Strengthening the Value Chain

By partnering with an experienced pharmaceutical service provider like AscellaHealth, which focuses solely on supporting the access and commercialization of specialty drugs, manufacturers can minimize issues across the patient support process, accelerating time-to-treatment, easing administrative responsibilities and ensuring streamlined communications. These efficiencies help increase the availability of specialty medications for patients, reducing delays during the approval process.

This holistic approach can significantly reduce administrative costs with a more effective structure for managing claims processing and handling reporting tasks. Similarly, an enhanced ability to share data in real-time strengthens collaboration between key stakeholders, ensuring the delivery of comprehensive care while increasing productivity and optimizing treatment workflows. 

These types of partnerships benefit manufacturers by opening up the increased ability to capture valuable insights on compliance, treatment efficacy, and long-term health trends, which allows for the generation of real-world evidence (RWE) that informs market decisions.

“Leveraging a fully integrated approach, we can ensure a seamless experience for both patients and pharmaceutical partners,” says Wasilewski. “By centralizing data and eliminating redundancies, we’re able to expedite patient access to vital therapies while optimizing care processes for more efficient resource use and improved patient outcomes.”

Empowering Pharmaceutical Partnerships Worldwide for Greater Value

The expertise of AscellaHealth’s PCTs in working with specific disease states ensures that patients with complex, chronic conditions receive the comprehensive support they need throughout their treatment journey. This high-touch, patient-centered approach leads to more connected care, improved therapeutic experiences and maximized performance for our partners. We believe enhancing the commercialization process for pharmaceutical stakeholders starts by streamlining the patient’s journey to therapeutic success, and the centerpiece of this process is the dedication of our PCTs and their ability to seamlessly deliver expert patient support services and personalized care.

For more information on how AscellaHealth can partner with your organization to support key pharmaceutical commercialization and patient care initiatives, contact us at businessdevelopment@ascellahealth.com.