An Introduction to My Journey Working in Big Pharma

My career as a Case Manager in a big pharma patient support program was incredibly fulfilling, with extraordinary learnings, many highs and some very tough days. When I started my new role, I was overwhelmed by the amount of medical terms, company acronyms, onboarding processes, stakeholders involved, and the list went on. The volume of clients I was responsible for taking care of seemed impossible to tackle at first, but I persevered, and eventually found purpose. In fact, after a steep learning curve, and once I settled in, I felt like this job was made for me.

This experience left a lasting impact, and I frequently share stories from this chapter of my career. Analyzing the different journeys every stakeholder went through is fascinating work. Delving into these multiple touch points uncovers some interesting insights about the program and stakeholder journey.

My role extended beyond addressing health-related hesitations. It included conversations around affordability concerns, injection-related anxieties, communication with healthcare providers, and ensuring consistent access to prescribed medications. This included working with pharmacies and insurers and assessing whether or not their customers' best interests were kept in mind. Front-facing interactions with patients provided essential insights for program enhancements and what improvements could be made to help set them up for success.

Working on the frontlines allowed me to encounter diverse scenarios, making me a valuable resource for identifying patterns and trends in the problems, hesitancies, and challenges faced by clients. Collaborating with a Customer Experience (CX) or related team to discuss and brainstorm these insights would have been welcomed in the program. An important lesson learned for any organization aiming to improve customer experience is to involve colleagues from the front lines, who have firsthand interactions with customers. Their knowledge represents an invaluable source of real-life, on-the-job experience through scenarios encountered daily. This wealth of information should be treated as golden nuggets of insights—an aspect unfortunately overlooked by many organizations and the higher up decision makers.

My patients included the elderly, parents, professionals, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, local celebrities, marginalized individuals, veterans, and immigrants. The diversity of backgrounds I interacted with on a daily basis added a fascinating dimension to my work. While some customers were initially skeptical, my commitment to delivering extra help and care, rooted in empathy, more often than not turned skeptics into grateful customers. Dealing with emotions, sometimes even tears of overwhelm due to affordability or health concerns and the fear of the unknown, required a non-negotiable level of empathy, a key consideration in developing a health-focused process.

Not every day was smooth; convincing people of the program's benefits was often a challenge. Big pharma often struggles with mistrust due to ongoing mishaps read and seen in the news. However, witnessing the transformation of a person’s health journey from worry and pain to a renewed quality of life was incredibly rewarding.

I will share multiple facets of my time at this Patient Support Program (PSP), delving into the various journeys I encountered:

1. Patient Enrollment and Health Journey: Exploring the emotional touchpoints and varied experiences of patients starting a new health journey.

2. Provider's Role in Enrollment: Examining touchpoints in enrolling patients, including brand interactions.

3. Program Management: Reflecting on the challenges and successes in running the program and the day-to-day obstacles faced.

Key Stakeholders:

• Patients

• Physicians and Physician Assistants

• Nurses

• Pharmacists

• Insurance Representatives

• Sales Representatives

• Program Colleagues

Stay tuned for more in depth insights into a health care-related patient support journey.