Experts | University of the Sciences

Money Makes the World of Big Pharma Go Round

“Money makes the world go round” –whether you first heard the idiom in the 1960’s musical “Cabaret” or as the title of an R&B song by R. Kelly, the popular phrase is highly relevant to the pharmaceutical industry (pharma).   According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global pharmaceuticals market is worth $300 billion a year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found that retail prescription drug spending in the US rose to $263 billion in 2011, and did so at a faster rate compared to previous years. This rise was attributed to increased prices, especially for new and existing brand name medications. Following this trend, pharmaceutical companies are striving to what they do best—increase profits. A key component that has been linked to lead down this route of increased profits is medication adherence.

The logic seems simple enough—if  pharmaceutical companies can entice patients to remain adherent to their drugs, they can maximize profits while the patients attain the clinical benefit. Existing patients may stop taking a certain medication for any number of reasons, including costs.  Having recognized this, companies are attempting to offset the costs of losing customers by investing in incentives to keep them adherent. Pharmaceutical companies like Merck, Astra Zeneca, and GlaxoSmithKline are providing funding to patients in an effort to keep patients taking their medications. Aside from traditional coupons and vouchers, there is an increased effort in tackling the costs with patient assistance programs. For example, if a patient needs a product made by Shire, they can apply to get assistance for that medication that they otherwise would not be able to afford. While there are many groups like the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, which help patients identify companies and other affiliates that are willing to contribute to costs, one may wonder what incentive the companies who make these drugs have to give them out for free. A look at the 2011 report from the Capgemini Consulting group could explain. This report found that on average, it costs pharma 62% more to market to new patients versus the costs of keeping existing ones.

While it would be comforting to know that pharmaceutical companies are funding medications for the sole satisfaction of increasing accessibility of costly drugs, it’s not pragmatic. Money does make the world go round—especially if you are talking about the $300 billion pharmaceutical world. While the palms of big pharma continue to itch, we can only hope they keep the importance of adherence on their minds.

Anita A. Pothen, PharmD ‘14

Forecasting Medication Non-Adherence: A Profitable Approach That Helps Patients

$290 billion a year—a study by the New England Healthcare Institute found this to be the amount spent in the United States as a result of medication non-adherence and other avoidable issues. An analysis by Capgemini Consulting estimated that $188 billion account for pharmaceutical industry losses in the United States for the same reason. With such considerable monetary losses in addition to the health risks associated with non-adherence, the profitable future for health information technology (health IT) is becoming increasingly apparent.

After recognizing the significant financial costs associated with non-adherence, many insurance providers are utilizing new initiatives based on health IT that aim to predict non-adherence in an effort to proactively address the issue. In early 2011, CVS Caremark introduced its Pharmacy Advisor™ Program, which pays special attention to patients with chronic conditions like diabetes, who are likely to be non-adherent.  In April of 2012, Express Scripts^® launched a similar predictive tool called ScreenRx, which detects risk for medication non-adherence and then subsequently provides personalized interventions for those patients. Additionally, companies like RxAnte^© and Allazo Health^© apply behavioral science, predictive analytics and claims data to formulate algorithms that will allow them to determine which patients would be at an increased risk for non-adherence. They then take it a step further by tailoring interventions according to patient characteristics.

So since there’s no magic crystal ball one can look into to predict medication non-adherence, how do these companies determine who to monitor and intervene with? The key to the above-mentioned initiatives is the incorporation of patient behavior in forecasting non-adherence.

One commonly used model in analyzing health behavior is the Health Belief Model (HBM). This model explains that a patient’s behavior when it comes to health is motivated and influenced by varying perceptions. In essence, the HBM finds that perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and perceived seriousness all contribute to decision making when it comes to health, which in this case, would be in reference to taking their medications.

So how relevant is patient behavior when it comes to medication non-adherence? Express Scripts^® found that 69% of medication non-adherence was attributed to patient behavior factors including simple procrastination and forgetfulness. With even more advancements in health IT, providers will be able to dissect and rationalize reasons for non-adherence and further analyze patient behavior to formulate optimal regimens that will save billions of dollars all while promoting better health outcomes.

 Anita A. Pothen, PharmD’14

Medication Adherence—There’s An App For That Too!

Medication adherence has been a topic of interest for health care providers, caregivers and third-party providers alike. While practitioners work hard to select optimal drug therapy for their patients, clinical improvements may not always result as expected. This inefficacy in treatment often stems from the inability of patients to adhere to the treatment regimens set forth by providers. While many patients struggle to adhere to their  regimens for a number of reasons, technology-centered initiatives like the MediSafe^© Project are taking advantage of the utility of smart phone applications to steer consumers towards better adherence. MediSafe^® allows patients to scan drug barcodes, add directions and set alerts so that they are reminded to take them in a timely manner. If patients still fail to take their medication on time, the app can be synced to a loved one or caregiver so that they are alerted that the patient did not follow the regimen as indicated. iPharmacy^© is another app available at no cost that offers additional features along with medication reminders.  Some of these tools include a pill identifier, access to information pertaining to drug recalls and a pharmacy locator.

So what if the patient is not particularly keen on the idea of using a smart phone? After all, widespread popularity with smart phones lies predominantly with younger generations. While MediSafe^© in particular is working towards improving accessibility by implementing low-tech solutions, there are additional options already in place. EMMA^®, (Electronic Medication Management System) is an in-house, FDA-approved comprehensive management system for patients with complex medication regimens. EMMA^® houses blister cards of medications that are inserted into the machine like compact discs and can be remotely controlled by pharmacists. The system collects more accurate adherence information, which pharmacists and physicians can access. Though this technology provides considerable accuracy in adherence measurement, it is not a guarantee that all patients will be eligible for coverage and thus may not be able to afford the machine.

While all these approaches differ in one way or another, there is a common theme—improvement in adherence by means of a more involved and integrative strategy that aims to bridge the gap between practitioner initiatives and patient implementation. While finances and the adaptation of the senior population to advances in technology remain as limitations, there is a great deal of progress, such as NCPIE’s National Action Plan that paves the way for better adherence and ultimately, better health outcomes.

Anita Pothen

Pharm.D Candidate 2014

USciences marketing department wins awards

USciences marketing department is proud to announce that we have won two Platinum and two Gold Awards in the MarCom 2011 Competition.  Two of the awards were received for work that the marketing department did solo:

–        Platinum: 2011-12 Roadmap Marketing Plan

–        Gold: The Bulletin, tradition and digital

And two of the awards were received for work that marketing launched, powered by vendor-partner, The Star Group. http://www.stargroup1.com/

–        Gold: Outcomes Survey & PR Effort

–        Platinum: Channel One TV Spot

“MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communications professionals. Award entries came from corporate marketing and communication departments, ad agencies, design studios, production companies and freelancers. Over 6,000 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries were submitted for the 2011 competition.”

First and foremost, USciences marketing department works for results to increase awareness and positive perception; to drive enrollment and support fundraising; however, we are pleased to be recognized through these awards and by industry professionals for the efforts.

“The Platinum and the Gold Awards are presented to entries which exceed high standards of the industry norm. Approximately 18 percent of the entries were Platinum and were Gold Winners. A complete list of Winners can be found on the MarCom Awards website at www.marcomawards.com.”

 

 

Tag! We're It! A Tagline Embodies Tangible Benefits.

 

Quick, name the seven companies or products that go with the taglines below:

• “Just Do It.”
• “What happens here, stays here.”
• “I’m loving it.”
• “The nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine”
• “The happiest place on earth”
• “Can you hear me now?”
• “Eat fresh.”

I’d be willing to bet you immediately came up with six or seven (Nike, Las Vegas, McDonald’s, NyQuil, Disneyland/Walt Disney World, Verizon, Subway). That’s the power of a tagline. A great one serves as a hook, reminding you not only of the product but also what that product will deliver.

In a blog a few weeks ago, we explained the evolution of our brand name and our desire to reinforce what our brand—University of the Sciences—truly represents. As we continued to refine our branding, we wanted to create a tagline that would resonate with students, parents, alumni and guidance counselors, alumni, etc., communicating what USciences is all about and what they could expect from us.

 A great tagline encapsulates our “value proposition,” the benefits that a university, company or product provides to its students or customers, what it promises to deliver, and what makes it the better choice for the consumer. It answers the following questions that a potential customer might ask:

• Who are you?
• What are you about?
• What can you promise me?

 In the case of USciences, our value proposition should give students a solid reason to believe that, when they come to USciences, we are assuring them of a certain type and standard of higher education. What is that education? What do we uniquely have to offer?

 “The culture of a university and its value set are the keys that drive it,” says USciences President Dr. Philip P. Gerbino. “For this institution it’s science and it’s healthcare, and those two values will never change.”

 

“Where science and healthcare converge”—USciences newly unveiled tagline—defines both what we are and what we are not. We are not a liberal arts school. We are a school focused on those values Dr. Gerbino identifies: healthcare and science. “We’ve taken the principles of science and health professions,” says Dr. Gerbino, “bonded those together, and [we] make sure they are integrated into all our programs.”

We have a long history of teaching science as it relates to the health professions, and we have no plans to abandon that proposition. Students who come to USciences will be immersed in scientific discovery, training to be leaders in healthcare fields that are expanding every day. That’s a promise.

It’s a promise that is represented in our students’ career paths:

• Payscale.com has ranked USciences graduates salary potential as 7th in the Northeast and 11th in the nation.
• U.S. News & World Report ranked us 2nd in the nation in student loan repayment rate, an indication of our graduates’ high earnings.
• Our acceptance rate into medical school historically has been nearly twice the national average.
• Historically, within three months of graduation, 90% of our students are employed or have been accepted into graduate school.

“Science is the basis for all the health professions,” says Dr. Gerbino. Nowhere is that better understood—and taught—than at University of the Sciences, where healthcare and science converge.

Hear more of what our president and provost have to say about our new name, logo, and tagline by watching this video.

 

 

What's in a Brand Name?

Our names are important to us. We don’t want someone calling us “Hey, you” or “Ole what’s-her-name.” We’re even happier when someone thinks our personality fits our name.                                        
         The same is true for institutions. A brand name brings to mind not just a product but also all of the attributes that product delivers. It carries with it certain emotions and, if it’s a well-chosen name, encapsulates the brand promise: what the brand will do for the consumer. So it is important that the name fit the personality of the product or, in our case, the university.

Brands can also help us narrow our choices, making sense of the dizzying array of options available. In this age of massive information at their fingertips, students need help navigating overwhelming higher education choices that offer more than 4,400 institutions to choose from and new majors and virtual classrooms being launched every day.

How can our brand here at University of the Sciences provide consumers clarity in the midst of marketplace clutter? How can we ensure our name communicates our brand promise to our potential market?

Over the past two years, the University has taken on an honest self-evaluation. Rather than clinging to our own opinions of our brand, we’ve looked at how our brand is perceived and recognized in the marketplace—with perspective students, with parents, and with guidance counselors. What did we find?

As USciences President Dr. Philip P. Gerbino expresses it in our fall issue of The Bulletin, the University’s alumni magazine: “There is an awareness gap with the acronym USP, and ‘in Philadelphia’ causes confusion or is left out entirely because it is too cumbersome.”

So what does that mean for our institution and how we choose to refer to it in our advertising and communications?

Working with The Star Group of Philadelphia we looked at how our students and alumni and their employers feel about our university. What do they believe we deliver? These are the attributes our brand—and especially our name—must communicate.

What does our organization deliver? Outstanding science education in general, as well as that geared particularly toward healthcare careers. We’ve been doing it successfully for almost two centuries, and our graduates have been and continue to be innovators in their professions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

  

So while University of the Sciences in Philadelphia will remain our officially registered name, we will simply call ourselves University of the Sciences. And in a city where UPenn and UArts are well-known university monikers, USciences seems an appropriate way to shorten our name while differentiating ourselves and still clearly communicating what our brand promise is: superior science-focused education.

What do we hope that folks —our students and alumni, as well as the guidance counselors who recommend them and the employers who hire them—feel about USciences? That the University community delivers on the promise of an unparalleled education that launches them as leaders in the arena where healthcare and science converge.