Creating a Platform for Managed Care Pull-Through Success in 2011

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- In today's payer-driven market, managed care formulary access is critical to a new pharmaceutical product. But achieving access isn't an end unto itself. In addition to formulary placement, a new brand's long-tem commercial success is tied to effective pull-through programs and processes to increase market share after the contract is signed.

To help organizations create and maintain effective pull-through programs and processes, Best Practices, LLC has published a new study, "Developing Managed Care Pull-Through Excellence." This timely research identifies quantitative benchmarks and qualitative insights that will help sales and brand leaders understand how to build an effective pull-through program and leverage Managed Care contracts to generate pharmaceutical product sales.

The term "pull-through" is defined in this study as an integrated process aimed at increasing market share and generating sales for a specific product within a given time frame. Pull-through programs are formal agreements between pharmaceutical companies and managed care accounts that specify product utilization targets, messaging themes and support programs.

This 60-page report captures current pull-through operating tactics and strategies used successfully at 24 companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries.

Topics covered in this report include:

• How companies establish structures and processes that optimize pull-through. Areas covered include pull-through leadership, planning, training, staff roles, cross-channel and cross-functional collaboration, internal communications processes and tools, use of templates, effectiveness metrics, and trends in budget and staffing levels.
• Programs and activities that companies use to increase pull-through effectiveness. Contracting strategies, effective messaging, customer segmentation, effectiveness metrics, KOL management, and communication topics, channels and timing are among the topics covered.
• Current challenges organizations face in their efforts to increase pull-through.
• Best practices for pull-through that were shared by participants in survey responses.

This study, which features 200+ metrics and 40 Best Practices, is based on an analysis of survey results and interview content collected from 33 executives at 24 organizations including Abbott Labs, Alcon, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, sanofi-aventis, Takeda, Wyeth and more.

Account Managers, sales leaders and brand executives will be able to use the information in this report to identify and close performance gaps in their pull-through organizations' processes, programs and activities. To download a complimentary study excerpt, go to: http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1029.htm.

ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC

Best Practices, LLC, conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies. Best Practices, LLC has been a leader in pharmaceutical research and consulting for 17 years; our clients include 48 out of the top 50 pharmaceutical companies. For more information visit: http://www3.best-in-class.com.

SOURCE Best Practices, LLC