Vicki discusses the value of a centralized patient support services solution. She argues that such a solution improves the provider experience, enhances the patient experience, and accelerates speed to therapy.
To learn about CoverMyMeds’ integrated patient support services solution, download the free Medication Access Report: Healthcare Technology.
Improving the Provider Experience to Accelerate Patients’ Access to Specialty Therapy
By Vicki Muscarella, Vice President, Specialty Product, CoverMyMeds
The value of patient-centric solutions and the impact they have on medication access and the patient experience cannot be underestimated. However, while building solutions around patient needs is effective, it’s also imperative to consider the provider and their staff who utilize these tools and services to help their patients access therapy.
Providers are not only responsible for managing the patient’s care, they often also serve as one of the most important advocates for the patient’s access to that care. When we equip providers with the tools and support that simplifies the process, we also enhance the patient experience by easing their access burdens and improving speed to therapy.
While hubs are designed to aid patients starting a complex or specialty medication, historically they haven’t always been optimized for providers. Many traditional hubs are built from services provided by different vendors. This fragmented approach often means the hub will create a single-brand, custom solution for each service, which in turn requires users to log in to multiple portals to complete enrollment activities, adding steps and complexity to a time-sensitive process. This can impact how effectively providers engage with the tools to support their patient’s needs and, ultimately, significantly draw out a patient’s time to therapy.
Here we will review several ways that improving the provider experience not only enhances the patient experience, but also supports accelerating their speed to therapy.
ENABLING PROVIDERS TO DRIVE AN EFFICIENT PATIENT JOURNEY
When we look at ways to improve the provider experience, we first need to look at how those providers are engaging with the solution. Enabling a centralized platform where all patient support services can be accessed has many benefits. By leveraging technology that simplifies repetitive tasks while enabling connectivity, providers can utilize one location to initiate and track all access activities. With visibility into the status of the full patient journey through a real-time case view, the provider and care team can quickly and easily understand what actions need to happen next to move the patient forward.
Different providers have different workflows, so access solutions must allow providers flexible engagement to support a simplified experience. By engaging providers within a familiar workflow, efficiency is maximized as they can initiate enrollment into support activities through various ways—electronically, via EHR or paper/fax. Additionally, efficiency can be found beyond how providers initiate access, but also, when they initiate access.
Sixty two percent of hub enrollments are submitted without HIPAA authorization, and as many hubs require patient authorization before access initiation begins, this can delay the start of benefits verification (BV) and other access activities for 4-5 business days. A solution built around provider efficacy can enable access services to begin before HIPPA authorization is gathered, allowing services like BV completion to happen in as little as one business day. This earlier initiation gives patients an expedited start that often impacts on how quickly a patient can start therapy is significant.
Lastly, while a technology-driven solution is critical to automate and simplify the access process, dedicated human support is more important than ever. Aligning case management resources regionally, along with providing access to expertly trained resources within adherence and nursing support, all through a single connected platform, creates a fluid experience for providers. This also ensures all appropriate services are available for the patient.
CoverMyMeds allows providers access to all the necessary services and support their patients need throughout their journey to begin therapy. Optimizing the provider experience has helped reduce time-to-therapy by as much as 34 percent.
BOLSTERING STRENGTHS TO SUPPORT PROVIDERS AND PATIENTS IN SPECIALTY
Recently, RelayHealth, McKesson Prescription Automation, CoverMyMeds and RxCrossroads by McKesson have come together as one team under the CoverMyMeds brand. In unifying the strengths of each business, we can help improve the provider experience to impact care in every setting and solve some of the most common medication access, adherence and affordability challenges patients face.
As the specialty therapy pipeline continues to grow and span across access, affordability and adherence, it will continue to be a prominent focus for CoverMyMeds as we help reduce barriers to patient medication access. We’re back next week to discuss how our recent unification will enable us to bring to market a more robust specialty offering that delivers on the complete continuum of patient support, provided in one platform, across the patient journey.
Check out the latest edition of our Medication Access Report: Healthcare Technology to learn more about how technology enables our integrated patient support services and can help providers get patients access to comprehensive specialty therapies.
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