Patient Support Excellence: Critical Programs, Tactics & Tools to Ensure Strong Advocacy & Access to Medicine during COVID-19 and Beyond

Best Practices, LLC conducted this benchmarking research to understand critical patient advocacy and support trends which have arisen in response to COVID-19 - and which will drive patient support excellence in the future.

This report examines key support programs, tools, digital channels, communication frequency, performance measurement, staffing and other vital topics.

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 24 leaders at 20 biopharma companies in this research through a benchmarking survey. Nearly 60% of the participants serve at the Director / Head level or above.

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Creative solutions for continuity of patient care
• Implications of digital technology implementation
• Evolvement and impact of patient assistance/support programs
• Usage and effectiveness of performance metrics
• Key patient support tools
• Communication frequency and staffing
• Post-pandemic changes to supporting advocacy groups

• Key patient support tools: Online FAQs provide answers to the most critical questions. Over 40% of companies who do not utilize this tool plan to do so in the next six weeks.

• Advocacy group virtual engagement: Virtual platforms allow accessibility to online resources via support group sites and digital surveys for patients. There is a learning curve to using new technology platforms which may hamper present cross-collaboration.

Sr. No.	Topic	Slide No.
I.	Overview	pgs. 3-5
	Universe of Learning	pg. 4
	Key Actions	pg. 5
II.	Creative Solutions and Operational Implications of Technology Use	pgs. 6-8
III.	Impact of Patient Support Programs and Metrics Used	pgs. 9-16
IV.	Communication Frequency, Staffing, and Post-Pandemic Change	pgs. 17-22
V.	Participant Demographics	pgs. 23-25
VI.	Appendix	pgs. 26-29
VII.	About Best Practices, LLC	pg. 30

• Creative solutions implemented around continuity of patient care during COVID-19
• Successes and challenges faced by benchmark participants in implementing digital technology and platforms to reach and engage with patients through patient advocacy groups

• Evolvement of patient assistance / support programs during COVID-19 crisis
• Impact of COVID-19 crisis on patient support / assistance programs
• Virtual engagement with patients
• Case study: Manufacturer details innovations in and scope of virtual patient engagement
• Changes in usage of selected metrics for measuring success of patient advocacy activities and relationships due to the emergence of the global pandemic
• Tools to be used in next 3 months to measure the success of patient advocacy activities

• Frequency of reaching out to advocacy partners to provide support around access or information
• Changes in staffing since COVID-19
• Change in the number of advocacy groups supported since the global pandemic
• Approach to supporting advocacy groups after the global pandemic is over