Why health systems marketing (HSM) is a strategic imperative for life sciences companies

The pandemic ushered in a new era of healthcare. The industry at large is experiencing more disruption than ever before, and a variety of market forces are driving accelerated change in patient and provider experiences.

…Patients are looking at care options through the lens of consumerism.

…Chronic workforce shortages are driving the need for care efficiency and innovation.

…Technology is improving access to care and streamlining care delivery.

…Visits are happening from the comfort of home…or through a computer…or even a phone.

…Amazon is delivering patient care in addition to mountains of boxes.

…People are shopping as they access “now care” in retail settings such as CVS. The pharmaceutical and life sciences industry has been impacted as well.

…Patients are bringing the concept of consumerism to healthcare, and competition for their attention is increasing. Pharma companies are not just competing against each other. They are competing for limited share of voice against nearly limitless consumer channels.

…Healthcare providers (HCPs) are busier than ever. Reaching them with education about treatment options has become difficult at best. Sales rep access has been decreasing, and in some cases, has closed completely.

All of these factors have made health systems marketing a go-to-market strategic imperative as a supplement to direct to consumer marketing and HCP marketing. Collaborating with health systems at the leadership level provides an opportunity to improve patient outcomes at scale through coordination of handoffs, processes, and education across care teams and across sites of care.

That’s where Relevate Health is uniquely positioned to assist pharmaceutical and life sciences clients. Whether clients are focused on getting products on formulary and securing systemwide contracts, or if they are pursuing collaborations above the brand for quality improvement and population health management, Relevate Health has teams of experts who understand the needs and priorities of health systems.

My personal passion is quality improvement and population health management. In my experience, that road to success is paved in partnerships and built on a foundation of common goals. To help clients approach that work in mutually beneficial and compliant ways, the Relevate Health team acts as a strategic thought partner and tactical problem solver across the 5 Ps of HSM:

1. Prepare with systems-level opportunity evaluation
2. Prioritize disease state to improve care processes and outcomes
3. Plan with gap analyses and broader stakeholder engagement
4. Protocolize pathways, workflows, and shared decision-making
5. Push Through education and resources to care teams and patients

Want to learn more about how we can help you activate the 5 Ps with your health system customers? Send me a message at lisa.owendoff@relevatehealth.com and I’ll help you schedule an introductory consultation with one of our health systems marketing subject matter experts.

Need help explaining the value and synergies of health systems marketing to colleagues and leaders in your organization? Here is a graphic to help you socialize why HSM has become a strategic imperative.