Study identifies effective market research approaches to understand payer needs, decision-making

The Affordable Care Act has been the catalyst for dramatic change in US healthcare. The power structures that influence this $2.8 trillion economic sector are shifting, but one thing is crystal clear: A large percentage of the pharmaceutical sector's top-line revenues flow from payers. And as the influence of payers waxes, it has become important for organizations to understand not only the different payer segments but also what drives payer decision-making.

To explore these core questions, research and consulting leader Best Practices, LLC conducted a research project to help companies identify what market research approaches are most effective and innovative for understanding payer needs and decision-making. The wide-ranging study also identifies what market research approaches are most effective for understanding payer contracting activities & timing as well as formulary activities & timing.

The 95-page study, "Increasing Market Access through Innovative Payer Market Research: Assessing New Tools & Technologies to Gain Insight into Payer Decision Making," includes more than 200 metrics and 20+ narratives from payer research leaders.

Some of the questions addressed in this study include:

• What research techniques work best during different product lifecycle stages to ensure national, regional and government payer access for therapies?
• What drives national, regional and government payer decisions?
• What drives the decision-making of Accountable Care Organizations and Integrated Delivery Networks?
• How are companies communicating and coordinating payer research efforts?
• What are resource and investment levels for payer-focused research?

Thirty-eight payer research leaders participated in this study. More than half of the participants represent pharma or biotech companies, and another quarter come from medical device companies. Five selected participants were interviewed to add qualitative depth to the study.

Among the insights uncovered in the study was that payer landscape research is well used and highly valued:

• Up to 86% use payer landscape research tactics to understand payer decision making
• Value-proposition testing with payers is the most heavily used and most effective tactic
• Mock P&T committees are used to explore parameters that could change payer thinking