How digitization in life sciences improves patient care

In the modern life sciences market, putting the customer front and center is now the name of the game. But what does this look like in practice? I spoke to Harsh Madan (Vice President, NA Growth, Capgemini’s Business Services) about the impact the digitization of patient interactions is having in the life sciences sector and the role intelligent experience centers and contact center transformation play as a whole.

Welcome Harsh. As you look at the life sciences market space, how can companies overcome patient interaction challenges by utilizing digitization?

Harsh Madan: Many companies in the life sciences sector have embarked on a transformation journey to increase digitization within their patient interactions, in order to achieve their goal of optimizing therapy adherence and patient health outcomes.

Traditional “patient services”– including patient enrollment, patient education, financial assistance, patient therapy, and clinical program capabilities – have evolved to encompass a broader scope of services to engage patients in new ways. With ongoing societal and cultural consumerization, patients now increasingly expect cohesive digital solutions that protect their data, while leveraging it responsibly to optimize their health outcomes.

So, what does this look like in the real-world? How can companies increase patient interaction digitization?

There are four areas companies can focus on in order to increase patient digitization in life sciences. These are digital coaching, telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), and crisis detection and response.

Digital coaching enables patients to receive interactive care directly from their mobile devices through apps that enable them to select and share information with their healthcare professional.

Meanwhile, in the area of telehealth, increasing patient digitization enables providers to offer patient care in their customers’ own homes. This offer gives them access to more frequent check-ups and hospice care/on-call capabilities that are available through their phones 24/7. All of this is built on a solid foundation of proven call centers and local partnerships that continue to grow in order to offer patients more cutting-edge life sciences capabilities moving forward.

For its part, AI leverage large patient data sets to identify key insights that inform more relevant patient communications. This enables better point-in-time care, executes improved clinical trial programs, and generates more efficient patient case management at higher volumes overtime.

Finally, when it comes to crisis detection/response – increasing the implementation of patient interaction platforms could help health professionals manage public health crises by providing communications to patients and the general public.

How does an intelligent experience center help solve patient challenges?

As Steve Jobs, once said, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology, not the other way around.”

For example, in patient clinical trials, pharma companies create personas and journey maps to extensively understand patient test prototypes and optimize the physician and patient experience. This is clearly seen not only in the value delivered by the product or service itself – but also across the entire experience associated with it including learning about this product/service, choosing it, buying it, and leveraging it in day-to-day life.

Creating intelligent experiences is particularly relevant at drug launches because the performance of a new drug in its first six months tends to determine its market share thereafter.

Finally, what are some of the outcomes that digital contact center transformation delivers to our clients?

Contact center transformation can deliver at-home care for our customers’ patients in a frictionless, omnichannel way. This enables them to offer more regular check-ups, and mobile-enabled hospice care with on-call capabilities that are aligned with therapeutic call centers and local partnerships. Digital transformation can also enable them to provide remote patient scheduling and follow ups for clinical trials for their patients.

Thank you, Harsh

To discover how Capgemini’s Intelligent Customer Operations for Healthcare solution can drive frictionless patient and member experiences across your organization, contact: scott.manghillis@capgemini.com

Scott Manghillis helps clients transform their technology into digital, omnichannel, personalized solutions