Optimize Your Operations: Take your PSP to the Next Level
January 15, 2018
You have a PSP in place and it’s working. Well, most of the time. There’s the doctor who complained that his patient is still waiting; the patient who continued to receive free drug after her coverage kicked in; and the shipment that got spoiled in transit – you’re not sure why.
These scenarios exemplify the all-too common operational glitches that can hobble the specialty medicine supply chain. Here’s another example: In some operational models, inventory flows to pharmacies along two separate streams: one destined for patients who don’t have full coverage (e.g. those in compassionate or bridging programs) and another for patients with coverage. A virtual inventory model that brings the two streams together tends to reduce time-to-therapy for patients. Mechanisms are also required to ensure free product is not being supplied when it’s no longer necessary.
Then there’s the data piece. Did you know, for instance, that calculations based on medication possession ratio (MPR) often overestimate patient adherence rates?³
Data, stats, metrics – whatever you call it, reliable feedback on adherence patterns and barriers, not to mention spoiled or misused inventory, can help you develop strategies to improve the patient experience.
Understanding your operational processes and having the metrics to evaluate them can boost your PSP to what we call Level 2: Optimized Program. This puts you in a position to reach for the next level, Level 3: Generating Powerful Insights – a topic that will be covered in an upcoming issue.
Understanding operational processes and having the metrics to evaluate them boosts your PSP to Level 2: Optimized Program
References
3. Do You Know the Difference Between These Adherence Measures? Pharmacy Times, July 5, 2015.