After Thoughts — DTC National Conference
We are a few weeks removed from the DTC National Conference in Boston. Outcome Health participated in the 3 day event by showcasing our products alongside industry leaders in the direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketing space. In addition to meeting many wonderful people within healthcare, I was impressed by the presence of so many point-of-care companies. What’s even more notable is that each company stands out with capabilities and strengths ranging from network size, unique touch points, and engaging technology.
For the past few years, point-of-care has demonstrated to be the optimal time to reach both patients and healthcare providers with a brand’s messaging. Outcome Health and other companies in this space give brands the opportunity to be the final touchpoint before a patient sees their physician; in some cases, even maintaining a presence during and post consultation. At Outcome Health, we have evolved our vernacular to call this opportunity the “moment of care” because we are reaching patients at the moment of impact with their doctor, when they’re making some of the most important decisions of their lives. Last year, ZS Associates published a study predicting that POC would see 15% year over year growth through 2020. POC marketing drives patients to take action. For example, patients were 84% more likely to ask their doctor about an ad they saw and 31% more likely to fill a prescription after an office visit. Additionally, it was reported that 64% of patients asked for a prescription for a specific medication and 34% were more likely to take the medication as prescribed when POC advertising is present. By understanding patient behavior, we can ensure that we’re evolving our business and providing the best value to our customers.
There was definitely a buzz around the POC booths — representatives from pharma companies certainly see the value in leveraging this innovative channel and were curious how to best insert their brand. In addition to questions around scale and technology, customers wanted to hear the latest updates on auditing and reporting. This is an area where POC has evolved the most over the past 6 months. At Outcome Health specifically we worked with our partners to understand their needs and based on direct feedback, we earned POC’s first independent certification for audience qualification and impression measurement from BPA Worldwide. We now share our next generation reporting systems with our customers so they know exactly what to expect when a campaign is launched and running with Outcome Health.
I’m excited for the future of POC including the evolution of our auditing and reporting as we work to define industry standards, but most importantly, I’m energized by the positive impact POC marketing will have on the lives of patients exposed to our networks on a daily basis.
