Focus Magazine - Summer 2015 - (Page 32)

FEATURESTORY "How do we make patient centricity work?" Changing Perspective Unfortunately, for most of the 1990s and well into the 2000s, pharmaceutical companies focused primarily on - well - ourselves. e targets we worked toward were focused more on internal needs than patient needs. But there is now abundant research that shows a better way. When we focus on serving patients, we will actually be better oﬀ than focusing solely on our own needs. Fortunately, senior leaders are seeing the need for this new approach. According to a 2014 eyeforpharma survey of 1200 pharma executives, 86 percent believe that focusing on the patient is key to future profitability. Most pharma companies have put patients at the center of their vision and mission. However, we've had a hard time moving from words to action. We've allocated budget and a corner oﬃce to a director of patientcentric projects. ese projects are oen thought of as an expense. I overhead a senior executive say: "We can't aﬀord to be patient-centric anymore!" So the question remains: I believe that with a subtle shi in perspective and action we can move patient centricity from an expense line to a profit line. When a company, and every person in it, focuses on their purpose (serving the patient), they are more profitable! ink back to Benita's story. Patients were helped as a result of that meeting. And the doctor and nurse knew that would be the case, which is why they were willing to step outside to make the meeting work. Knowing you are evidence-based learners, let me share a compelling piece of research from Jim Stengel. When he was global marketing oﬃcer for Proctor & Gamble, Stengel wondered, "What do the world's 50 best brands have in common?" He set out to answer this question by performing a growth study of 50,000 brands. e study tracked the connection over a 10-year period between financial performance and customer engagement, loyalty and advocacy. He zoomed in on the top 50 brands and asked "what's the secret?" What do the top 50 do diﬀerently? Stengel discovered that the most profitable brands focus on their higher order benefit to the world. What a relief! He oﬀered proof that corporations outperform their competitors by doing the right thing! Great news! So how do we apply this to pharma? Changing Mindsets It starts with a shi in our mindset. We need to focus on the patient in everything we think, say and do. at's the big idea that will help us open doors and gain back our seat at the 3 Tips to Help Trainers Here are three tips to help trainers put the power of patient-focus into the hands of your reps: 1. Start with why. As author Simon Sinek explains: "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." Research shows that when people understand your motivations they are more likely to listen to you. After you do this yourself, guide your people to connect with how they make a difference to patients' lives and train them to communicate that. 2. Check your language. A trainer who encourages her team to increase sales by 30 percent is far less impactful than one who encourages his team to help 30 percent more patients. Would you want to go out there and "sell more drugs" or "save more lives"? 3. Show and tell. Encourage people to share stories of when they made a difference and how patients were impacted. Invite patients to talk with your team. healthcare table. is will move patient centricity from something we do to give back to something that is at the core of how we create value for our organizations. is will shi the implementation of our patient-focused vision from the corner oﬃce (project based) to the doctor's oﬃce (people based). is may be the single biggest key to our sustainability. e good news in all of this? When we do good, we really will do well. We will be more engaged and engaging. Being focused on the patient works. Period. I Jill Donahue, HBa, MAdEd, is author of EngageRx and founder of Excellerate. Email Jill at jill.donahue@excellerate.ca. 32 FOCUS | SUMMER 2015 | www.L-TEN.org http://www.L-TEN.org

Focus Magazine - Summer 2015

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