A recent study by TNS Healthcare indicates that while rep visits are still important to doctors, other services are gaining in value.
TNS Healthcare surveyed over 1,500 primary care physicians in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, seeking to uncover which pharma companies do the best job of building and maintaining valuable relationships with doctors. What the survey also revealed was that while doctors still find rep visits useful and important, details are no longer the assured path to market advantage. According to a press release issued by TNS, performance by pharma companies “across the full range of other service experiences” made the difference for doctors.
Value-adds
So what are these “other service experiences” that doctors rate so highly? Of the doctors surveyed, most rated physician and patient education programs as valuable. In the US, two-thirds of physicians rated education programs of “high importance.” And, according to TNS, “In the UK, three-quarters of doctors surveyed place high value on physician education—and almost 60% say patient management and education are of key importance.”
The pharma companies garnering the highest marks were those that offered the best mix of value-add services: quality details, but also CME (continuing medical education), Internet support and services, patient programs and staff support. Most pharma companies were found lacking on the more non-traditional services offered, suggesting that pharma isn’t responding as quickly as it should to the changing needs of medical professionals.
Serving ahead of the curve
Responding to these needs quickly and well could be a significant advantage for a pharma company. Andrew Brana, TNS Healthcare’s Global Consultant for Sales Force Optimization, puts it this way: “Although in all the countries we surveyed … physician education is very highly valued, no company is doing particularly well in this area. Physician education represents a powerful chance for companies to differentiate themselves and strengthen their physician relationships.”
Of the 15 pharma companies evaluated by the TNS survey, Novartis, Pfizer and Merck currently lead the field on a range of services. However, the survey clearly shows that all the pharma companies have room for improvement. The Internet in particular is a vastly underused and underrated resource, with only 40% of doctors in the US rating Internet services as “valuable.” Physicians in Germany, France and the UK also see the Internet as a less-valuable resource.
Author: Shannon Perry, journalist, eyeforpharma
