Core Drivers in Manufacturers' Digital Hub Decisions

Digital Hubs are vital for helping pharmaceutical manufacturers drive strong initiation, adherence, and persistence for specialty therapies to help patients achieve positive health outcomes. But choosing the Digital Hub provider that is the best fit for particular therapy is an intricate undertaking.  

CareMetx’s  report, "The Evolving Landscape of Digital Hubs,” explores the varied, interrelated drivers behind the Digital Hub decision. It yields valuable insights on how manufacturers are approaching the process to ensure their drug programs achieve their objectives.   

Lifecycle and Market Presence Are Key  

The report, which involved surveys and in-depth interviews with leading pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers, revealed that no matter the manufacturer’s goals, several factors influence the optimal Digital Hub selection. One of the greatest decision drivers is the manufacturer’s current lifecycle stage and visibility in the market.  

If a manufacturer is new to addressing a particular disease state with a therapeutic or has just begun to establish a presence with a new brand, they’re more likely to seek a Digital Hub provider that offers a wide range of capabilities and services they can leverage. On the other end of the spectrum, a manufacturer with a well-established brand presence or in-depth experience in a market or disease state may not need the same degree of support when outsourcing a hub program. Although the research revealed that when an established manufacturer with a mature brand decides to enter a new market or sell an existing therapy through new channels, they’re likely to seek a greater degree of support from a Digital Hub provider.    

Medical Benefit/Pharmacy Benefit Specific Criteria  

How a manufacturer’s drug product is covered—whether as a medical benefit or a pharmacy benefit—also can drive the Hub decision. While it’s true that any drug product will require similar core support functions, including integration across the patient journey and the flexibility to adapt to a manufacturer’s specific requirements, other decision criteria tend to align with the product’s coverage.  

For example, manufacturers with drug products designated as covered by medical benefits typically grapple with issues like the impact of shifting sites of care—with a greater trend toward home care and non-traditional facilities—as well as the continued evolution of therapy modalities, which adds more complexity to benefit designs.   

On the other hand, when a manufacturer’s drug product is designated as covered by a pharmacy benefit, other issues tend to take center stage—including the degree to which patients use copay or other financial assistance programs, or the fact that a therapy may be self-administered without a provider’s direct involvement. The full report on the Hub landscape explores this interesting dynamic in more detail, delving into the various ways a product’s benefit designation can drive very different hub services considerations.  

Therapeutic Area and Drug Complexity Have an Impact

The survey revealed three additional, interrelated factors play a key role in a manufacturer’s decision to outsource a drug program to a Hub: the therapeutic areas a manufacturer specializes in, the drug product’s complexity, and the type of patient population that will be using the drug.  

The interplay among these factors can greatly influence whether a manufacturer needs an outsourced Hub provider. It also impacts whether the drug program requires a lighter degree of support or a more high-touch patient experience.   

For example, complex disease states like oncology—and sophisticated oncology therapeutics, like cell and gene therapies—involve greater engagement among manufacturer, provider, and patient. In turn, an oncology drug often requires a higher degree of patient support, including a variety of educational and disease management services. As oncology therapies continue to evolve, the report revealed that these manufacturers expect their Hub services needs and decision criteria to shift significantly.   

The report uncovers insights on these and other considerations that shape a manufacturer’s Hub services needs and how they approach the critical decision of which Hub provider to partner with. A variety of multi-faceted drivers influence whether manufacturers choose to outsource a drug program to a Hub provider and the capabilities they seek.   These factors include everything from sophistication of the manufacturer’s internal infrastructure (including capital, people, and other resources) to their appetite for capital expenditure investments, or the nature of the patient population they serve 

As a leading Digital Hub services provider, CareMetx is committed to understanding what pharmaceutical manufacturers need in order to optimize their specialty drug programs and support patients throughout the care journey. Our robust technology, automated services, high-touch patient support options, and advanced data analytics enable us to deliver customized Digital Hub solutions that align with a manufacturer’s corporate and brand objectives, lifecycle stage, and product and patient population types.  

To view a detailed report on this informative research, download The Evolving Landscape of Digital Hubs today.