Engaging Patients: Why Pharma’s Direct-to-Patient Approach Should Be Applauded

Pouria Sanae, Co-founder and CEO, ixlayer

Pharmaceutical companies’ direct-to-patient (DTP) programs have recently sparked conversations and criticism in fear of their potential to “cut out” or influence physicians, the truth is that physicians remain an irreplaceable cornerstone of healthcare—wherever that care occurs. These programs are designed to enhance healthcare access and speed the care pathway, not to sideline doctors—and studies support that.

In a recent survey of US physicians¹, 83% across specialties believe at-home diagnostic tests help move patients through the care continuum faster, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment to support better health. Also, 52% of clinicians believe they deliver more effective treatment and follow-ups via teleconsultations², according to the American Journal of Managed Care.

As a highly regulated industry, pharma companies have been historically slower than most to adopt sweeping technological change. Even within the legal and regulatory parameters that are in place to ensure patient privacy, lack of undue influence and conflicts of interest, pharma has taken an innovative leap to support a better patient experience through DTP programs. For all those reasons, innovative pharma companies should be congratulated for their work to engage patients.

We are facing an unprecedented 58,000-95,000 physician shortage by 2030³, and access to specialists even now is especially challenging (86% of rural counties in the U.S. don’t have access to a single cardiologist).⁴ Physicians are still dedicated under a Hippocratic oath to care for their patients. How that happens, however, is rapidly changing. It’s changing because patients—not pharma—want it to. Consider this:

• 82% of consumers demand personalized web portals for common healthcare transactions⁵
• 52% of consumers now expect to find whatever they need from a company in three clicks or less⁵
• 80% have accessed care via telemedicine at least once in their lives⁶
• 65% of consumers expect connected experiences⁵

Our current healthcare workflows are also hurting physicians. According to the AMA, 48% of physicians have experienced at least one symptom of burnout. While this number is lower than other years, it’s still too high. It has been documented that physician burnout adversely impacts patient health, with the NIH reporting that physician burnout can double the risk to patient safety and contribute to 7%-10.6% of serious medical mistakes.⁷ As physician shortages rise and the over-65 population grows, integrating telehealth technology into physician workflows will help ease their 9 am to 5 pm workday and support clinical decision making.

In that same survey of US physicians, one respondent said, “Virtual care has absolutely made a positive impact on my patients, and I like how quick and easy it is to add these visits in at the end of my day or during a lunch break.”

Pharma isn’t causing the shift towards proactive consumer health management and technology adoption, they’re adapting to it and supporting it because ultimately, better care will be delivered with it. Not only will more patients have access to physicians and medication, they will have better access to the medications they need, earlier—saving and improving lives. It is well documented that earlier interventions make a difference:

• Diabetes: Early detection and management of type 2 diabetes can reduce the risk of complications by up to 50%.⁸
• Heart Health: Regular monitoring and early intervention in cardiovascular conditions can decrease the likelihood of heart attacks by 25%.⁹
• Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Screening for CKD in individuals with diabetes can lead to early diagnosis, potentially reducing the progression to end-stage renal disease by 30%.¹⁰

These statistics underscore the critical importance of early healthcare interventions in managing and mitigating the impact of various health conditions and the faster we can connect patients with doctors, the better.

The physician remains central even as DTP programs are implemented. The independent clinical decisions that happen during an in-person visit are still happening—but they are happening virtually. The idea that physicians that work in telehealth environments are less qualified or thoughtful than in-person physicians is unfounded. In fact, according to the CDC, most primary care physicians (76.7%) and medical specialists (73.1%) were able to provide a similar quality of care during telemedicine visits as in-person visits “to some extent or a great extent.”¹¹

Suggesting that physicians participating in DTP programs are incentivized by pharma to "sell" their drugs is not only an affront to the healthcare professionals dedicated to improving global health every day but also entirely false.

Technology is finally making end-to-end virtual care a reality. From telehealth to lab testing, digital appointment scheduling to Rx delivery—our industry is on the cusp of making real progress toward an easier healthcare journey. Through it all, the physician is central and will always have patient health as their primary objective, wherever they interact with them.
Pouria Sanae, Co-founder and CEO, ixlayer

References

1. Source: ixlayer HCP at-home diagnostic testing attitudes survey, in partnership with The DHC Group and Sermo, April 2024 n=14
2. Patient and clinician Experience with Telehealth: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330544973_Patient_and_Clinician_Experiences_With_Telehealth_for_Patient_Follow-up_Care
3. Source: *The Complexities of Physician Supply and Demand: Projections From 2021 ot 2036, AMC, https://www.aamc.org/media/75236/download?attachment, pg. Vi
4. From Awareness ot Action: Tackling the Rising Burden of Common Chronic Diseases, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-voices/awareness-action-tackling-rising-burden-common-chronic-diseases?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
5. State of the Connected Consumer, Salesforce June 2019 https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/reports/connected-healthcare-consumer-report.pdf
6. Consumer Adoption of Digital Health. https://rockhealth.com/insights/consumer-adoption-of-digital-health-in-2022-moving-at-the-speed-of-trust/
7. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10266854/
8. Diabetes: https://www.ajmc.com/view/population-health-screenings-for-the-prevention-of-chronic-disease-progression?utm_source=chatgpt.com
9. Heart Health: https://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/prevention/secondary-prevention/cardiovascular-disease-high-impact-interventions/
10. CKD: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-022-02438-6
11. Telemedicine Use Among Physicians: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db493.htm