Healthcare systems around the world are feeling the effects of COVID-19 at varying degrees: Hospitals are feeling pressure from extreme spikes in care while physician practices are treating a dwindling number of (non-COVID-19) patients. The pandemic is shifting healthcare providers’ focus and leaving some with less time and fewer resources to care for patients with other chronic conditions. New patients with noncritical needs might be turned away, and existing patients might begin to delay routine checkups or refuse care for other conditions to avoid potential exposure. All of these factors affect how providers will interact with other stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem for the foreseeable future. When it comes to the role of the pharma sales rep with the doctor Engagement, there’s certainly no manual for how to proceed during times like these but it’ll be critical to carefully navigate their relationships with physicians and help them put patients first.
Navigating unchartered territory is difficult, and practices are dealing with different challenges. However, there are a few tips that practices can apply in varying degrees to adapt to the new normal while staying safe:
1. Leverage remote monitoring technology – Telehealth gained momentum during the pandemic as a way to care for patients from afar. As states begin to reopen, telehealth and remote monitoring technology continue to be viable options for decreasing potential exposure for patients, physicians and practice staff. Rather than having all patients swarm back into the office, you can decide on an individual basis which patients you can schedule visits with remotely. Not only will this keep the risk of exposure low as the pandemic continues, but it may also help reduce patient anxiety by limiting the crowd in the waiting room.
2. Adapt physical locations – For multi-office practices, consider splitting them into well and sick offices to maintain routine appointments, and ensure every patient is pre-screened in advance of the visit. For single office practices, you can keep well and sick visits separated by time of day, scheduling well visits in the morning with a cleaning break, then sick visits in the afternoon followed by deep cleaning. Also consider curbside visits for patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, meeting them at their car window wearing full PPE.
3. Adopt new collaboration strategies – With some staff working remotely, it can be challenging to stay connected with your colleagues. Technology has become more important in a socially distant world and using HIPAA-compliant messaging technology can help ensure staff members are informed and engaged, all while staying safe. For example, front desk staff who are working remotely can text on-site providers to unlock doors for arriving patients, and providers can text daily reminders to staff around safety policies and other clinical concerns.
4. Connect with your network through user groups – Beyond your immediate colleagues, it’s important to leverage your network connections during this time as a source of moral support, as well as a learning opportunity. As guidelines constantly change, hearing the latest updates from others and how they are adapting to the new rules can help provide valuable insight that physicians can apply to their own practice.
5. Engage patients proactively – Patients need your support more than ever before. Aside from scheduled appointments, check in on patients with chronic conditions or those with a history of mental health issues. Check in on patients whose medications have not yet been refilled or who have seasonal allergies to see how they’re doing. Also consider reaching out to patients who have conditions that place them at higher risk of more severe disease. Proactively engaging patients is a good practice, pandemic or not, but during this time is even more appreciated. Patients may also appreciate being provided with printable information or links to CDC, state, or local health department patient education material.
Beyond looking for ways to optimize the Doctor Engagement, there’s an opportunity for pharma companies to lean on the expertise of these customer-facing roles to help fill gaps in other areas and build some industry trust along the way. When hands-on action becomes impossible, nurse educators, MSLs and sales reps could use their communication and people skills to connect various stakeholders with relevant information.
Reimagining HCP Engagement
The pandemic-induced shift to digital engagement channels is likely to stay even post-COVID. The changes we make now will have lasting value-chain behaviors. HCPs, as well as patients, will get used to the convenience that digital channels offer.
Pharma companies need the right technology and personalized content to fit these new channels. A cultural shift will be required, embracing integration between functions, as well as new metrics and agile ways of working that are constantly evolving to meet changing their Doctor Engagement technique.
