MedSpan Musings — Tips for better market research

MedSpan Musing

Using Adaptive Recruiting Techniques

 

It is not always clear who the most appropriate respondents are for a study. For example, it might not be clear at the onset of a project which hospital executives are responsible for evaluating and selecting a complex patient care program.

For these situations, use an adaptive recruiting technique. Conduct a short Internet survey or phone interview with a few respondents to identify who is responsible for the decisions you are researching.

If you know one job title of interest, you can incorporate the questions for identifying the complete set of decision makers into the main survey instrument. If the appropriate decision makers are completely unknown, identifying the correct decision makers can be a separate exercise.

Conducting research with VACs

MedSpan Musing

Working with VACs

Manufacturers of medical devices, diagnostic imaging equipment and diagnostics need to conduct research with VACs to better understand sales and contracting pathways in ACOs, IDNs and hospitals. Key VAC representatives include:

• Purchasing — Responsible for identifying benchmark products and developing contracts
• Care unit director — For example, Director of Surgical Services or Director of Diagnostics. Non-physician who is responsible for budget and inventory management.
• Nursing — Responsible for evaluating use of devices in daily patient care.
• Section heads/physicians — Responsible for championing the product or procedure.
• Finance — Director of Decision Support is responsible for evaluating product’s impact on hospital finances. For example, works with physicians and nurses to evaluate a product’s impact on incentive programs and cost structures.

 While these executives typically work at the hospital level, they often have IDN- or ACO-level responsibilities. Therefore, screeners need to check for responsibilities rather than job titles.

Provider-Owned Plans — Will they succeed this time?

Provider-owned plans (POPs) have been around for years. For example, the largest POPs, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan was founded in 1945. In the 1990s, POPs gained in popularity. However, many failed. Today, POPs are a hot trend. The question is whether they’ll succeed this time.

Market research — A competitive differentiator

Market research data are typically used to inform product design, marketing strategies and tactics. Sometimes, the data are the end goal. The data can be used to develop a competitive differentiation and deliver value to customers.

Reference Pricing — Coming soon to a health plan near you?

There is great interest in reference pricing in the US for select medical procedures and branded drugs. While only 10% of mid-sized and large employers are utilizing reference pricing, more than 2/3 of employers have an interest in this payment technique. If it takes hold, there is a potential impact on utilization, revenue and quality of care that manufacturers will need to address.