Fast-Track Therapy Adoption: The Power of Hub/ Tech Vendor Relationships

Experienced Hubs understand that successful commercial introduction of a therapy often hinges on how confident providers feel integrating a new prescription into their daily workflow.  

Knowing this, forward-thinking Hubs are forging industry connections that help providers feel more comfortable introducing new therapies into their existing processes. The Hubs leading this charge are beginning to form partnerships with various technology providers who serve medical practices at scale. At CareMetx, we refer to partners of this nature as "access partners." These partners, with their already established, large networks of healthcare providers (HCPs), are uniquely positioned to help Hub services move closer to the daily workflow of today’s providers.  

Prioritizing Provider Ease of Use Reveals a Need for Access Partners  

In the operative sense, traditional Hub services are typically removed from the physician office workflow. Generally, physicians must go to a manufacturer portal or fax forms filled with patient information to enroll a patient into a specialty therapy program— using different portals and fax numbers for each therapy they prescribe throughout the workday.  

CareMetx began to shift this paradigm with the Digital Hub, a proprietary platform designed to enable more efficient patient access management. With the Digital Hub, HCPs are no longer required to leave their electronic medical record (EMR) to complete those necessary tasks.  This model instead represents a “one stop shop,” according to Bret Montgomery, CareMetx’s Vice-President of Partnerships.  

“With our Digital Hub, providers have one central place to complete their work. This totally simplifies the process compared to juggling between various portals. It can speed up time to therapy, making it more convenient for doctors and less frustrating for their staff. Through this model, end users have told us we've cut down the time it takes them to complete an enrollment from 50 minutes to just 15 minutes. Our goal is to make the whole process faster and more efficient, all while reducing the provider’s workload." 

Observing the significant benefits reaped by providers, patients, and manufacturers through the development of this provider-friendly Hub, CareMetx sought to intensify these efforts by getting even closer to, and learning more from, healthcare providers. With these advancements in mind, our ongoing goal is to seamlessly integrate with existing provider workflows, ensuring that these better and faster services continue to make a meaningful impact. 

How Partnering with Technology Providers Brings Us Closer to HCPs 

Many leading Hubs aspire to seamlessly integrate their services into the daily workflow of healthcare providers (HCPs). A practical way to achieve this is by forging partnerships with other technology companies serving providers- think inventory management vendors, EHR vendors, or infusion center software providers. The underlying concept is to embed Hub technology into these various technology tools commonly utilized during a provider’s daily work, allowing Hub services such as enrollment to become familiar and easily accessible. 

For example, there are approximately 3,000 retina specialists in the United States. Often handling around 70 patients per day, these providers can encounter difficulties when incorporating new-to-market therapies into their busy daily workflows. Payer hurdles and the need to navigate new manufacturer portals add complexities to these high-volume practices. To address these issues, these providers seek technology that better supports them, and moves them away from reliance on many, one-off portals. 

To address this challenge, imagine a scenario where a new therapy manufacturer's Hub integrates its access services with a technology vendor that already serves these practices- for example, an inventory management vendor that predominantly services the retina provider population.  

In this example, providers’ staff members are already comfortable using that management tool on a daily basis to track inventory. Now, with integrated Hub services, they can also access essential Hub information in the same place. For instance, while preparing inventory for a patient’s day-of therapy administration, staff can conveniently check if that patient is approved, verify coverage, and confirm the copay – all within the same dashboard, as they prep for the appointment. This integrated approach significantly enhances efficiency and aligns with the providers' preference for a unified and streamlined experience. 

Learn More  

If you’re looking to select a Hub for your therapy launch, consider the pivotal factor of seamless integration into prescribing providers' workflows. A Hub like CareMetx that forges connections with strategic access partners can be the game-changer you need for successful commercialization. Be sure to look for a partner that not only understands this differentiation, but actively makes connections that matter. Contact CareMetx today to learn about our access partners, and how they may help you achieve differentiated success for your therapy launch.