The benchmark framework probed 10 chronic care product websites through 51 support categories that appear across the patient lifecycle, from getting started with a product to becoming a loyal patient who adheres to treatment. Benchmark products examined include: Boniva, Cimzia, Enbrel, Forteo, Fosamax, Humira, Reclast, Remicade, Rituxan, and Simponi.

1. Strategic Benchmarking Research & Analysis
Best Practices, LLC
REPORT SAMPLE:
Online Patient Support Excellence:
Using Brand Website Services
to Grow Loyal Customers

2. Table of Contents
PROJECT BACKGROUND
 Benchmark Overview
STUDY FINDINGS
 Online Patient Support Area #1: GETTING STARTED
 Learning About the Condition
 Learning About Treatment
 Tools for Obtaining Treatment
 Online Patient Support Area #2: REIMBURSEMENT AND ACCESS
 Support Offered for Gaining Access and Reimbursement
 Using Reimbursement Specialists
 Online Patient Support Area #3: TRAINING AND ONBOARDING
 Online Patient Support Area #4: ONGOING SUPPORT
 Patient Resources
 Patients Tools
 Achieving Online Support Leadership: Additional Website Analysis
 Appendix: Additional Case Examples
 About Best Practices, LLC

3. BESTPRACTICES,
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Study Methodology: Reviewing Online Support
Forteo
10 Chronic Care
Brands &
Blockbusters
Osteoporosis
Rheumatoid
Arthritis
Oncology
Crohn’s /
Imflammatory
Conditions
BenchmarkTheFullScope&Rangeof
PatientSupportServicesProvidedby
ChronicCareProductWebsites
Conditions
Examined
Products In
Benchmark
Website
Services
Benchmark
• Learning about the
condition
• Learning about the
product
• Tools for obtaining
treatment
• Help in gaining
access &
reimbursement
• Using reimbursement
specialists
• Internet-based
training and
onboarding tools
• Ongoing patient
support resources
• Patient tools
• Loyalty programs
• Achieving on-line
leadership
Important Themes &
Categories
Framework For
Conducting
Review
• Getting
Started
• Reimburse-
ment and
Access
• Training and
On-boarding
• Ongoing
Support
• Achieving
Online
Internet-
Based
Support
Leadership
This internet benchmark review and analysis studied 10 leading chronic care product
websites and their corresponding online patient support services. The benchmark
framework probed 51 categories that appear across the patient lifecycle, from beginning
treatment to becoming a loyal patient who adheres to treatment.
Patient Support
Focus:
Compare 10 Chronic
Care Brands
Enbrel
Humira
Remicade
Cimzia
Boniva
Reclast
Fosamax
Simpon
i
Rituxan

4. BESTPRACTICES,
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Study Map: Optimizing Online Support throughout the
Treatment Lifecycle
The path to online patient support leadership traverse several critical patient lifecycle
phases: from learning about the condition and starting treatment to developing and
maintaining product loyalty. The Internet supports a wide array of tools, information
delivery, kits, hotlines, access to experts, and many other critical patient tools.
Patient Support
Services Excellence
Through The Web
1.
Learn about
Condition:
Disease, Terms,
Search & Product
2.
Learn About
Treatment: PI, FAQs,
Spokespeople,Testi-
monials, Competitors
& Alliances
3.
Align Treatment Tools:
Hotlines, Kits, Signature
Support, Directories,
Guides
7. Support Adherence
Thru Updates, Calen-
dars, Reminders,
Caregiver Support,
Diet & Exercise
4. Help Gain
Access:
Insurance Q&As,
Support, Prior
Authoriza- tion &
Medicare Part D
5. Using
Reimbursement
Specialists:
Hotlines,
Counselors &
Experts
8. Offer Maintenance
Services: Product
Travel and Storage
Support, Tipsheets, Rec
ycling, & Waste
Disposal
10.
Winning Online
Leadership: Search
Engine Optimization,
Multilingual Options,
etc.
6. Provide
Training &
Onboarding thru
Animation,
Graphics, Video,
Phone, Internet &
Home Visits
9.
Offer Loyalty
Programs & Cards
To Support Patient
Adherence

5. BESTPRACTICES,
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Chronic Care Brands Examined:
Universe of Learning: Chronic Care Brands Examined
•Boniva
•Cimzia
•Enbrel
•Forteo
•Fosamax
•Humira
•Reclast
•Remicade
•Rituxan
•Simponi
This study analyzes ten biopharmaceutical product websites and their associated online
patient support services. All of these products (which are listed below) treat chronic
conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, for which treatment is often
expensive and patient education and long-term support are essential.

6. BESTPRACTICES,
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Patient Support Area #1:
Getting Started

7. BESTPRACTICES,
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SAMPLE DATA SUMMARY: Learning About the Condition
Benchmark brands use the following services and features on their websites to inform and
educate patients about their medical conditions and prepare them for critical healthcare
decisions. The following slides examine the prevalence of each support feature,
highlighting innovative examples from actual brand websites.
“Learning About the Condition”
Benchmark Average:
(% of Brand Websites Using)
Disease State Information xx%
Website Medical / Disease State Glossary xx%
Website Search Function xx%
Differentiated Disease versus Product Information xx%
(n=10)

8. BESTPRACTICES,
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SAMPLE DATA SLIDE: A Medical Glossary Enriches a
Patient’s Educational Experience
Does the brand website include a medical /
disease state glossary?
Opportunities for
Innovation:
• A systematized medical
glossary makes patients
more effective
communicators in their
interactions with a physician
• At least one site provides a
disease state information
section that explains the
concept of Bone Mineral
Density (BMD) and a
patient’s resultant “T-score”
as a measure of bone health
Yes, 20%
No, 80%
An educated patient can better engage on each brand service front, from understanding
the disease itself to understanding how the product works to treat the disease to
effectively communicating with a physician to secure optimal treatment.
(n=10)

9. BESTPRACTICES,
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A Product Timeline Positions Enbrel as a Treatment Leader
The product information available on Enbrel’s website demonstrates a long clinical history
and timeline of FDA approval for various treatment indications. For newly diagnosed
patients, this kind of longevity can engender a sense of product credibility.
Clinical information provides a
compelling, transparent window
into a product’s background and
establishes treatment credibility.

10. BESTPRACTICES,
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Unique or Notable Product Features Often Highlighted
Does the brand website highlight a unique
or notable product fact or attribute?
Yes, 70%
No, 30%
Most brand websites seek to underscore a unique or notable product attribute in some
way. While some brand websites promote clinical success and effectiveness, others
promote unique compound formulations or methods of drug delivery.
(n=10)

11. BESTPRACTICES,
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Some Product Advantages Are Built into Brand Logos
The website for Forteo asserts that the product “is the only osteoporosis medicine that can
help build new bone.” This distinct product advantage is made especially visible to
patients entering the brand website or searching for product information online: the
treatment benefit is actually integrated directly into the brand logo.
Website declares a singular advantage
of treatment with the product, echoing
claim in brand logo.
Visual graphs serve to demonstrate
product advantage, namely the ability to
rebuild bone in osteoporosis patients.
FORTEO Logo:

12. BESTPRACTICES,
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Highlight Unique Treatment Features: Ease and Comfort
of Use
For musculoskeletal diseases requiring treatment by injection, ease and comfort of use are
key product differentiators. Cimzia’s website highlights a branded partnership with the
designer/manufacturer of its award-winning prefilled syringe. In so doing, the website
articulates a crucial product advantage in terms of quality of life for its users.
Oversized menu tab
draws attention to
unique product
feature.
Arthritis Foundation “Ease-of-Use
Commendation” distinguishes
product in a crucial aspect of
treatment – injection.

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FAQ Pages Impart Product, Disease, and General Info
Does the brand website incorporate a
resource page that answers frequently
asked patient questions (FAQs)?
Opportunities for
Innovation:
• While some websites group
disease and treatment info
together with insurance info,
other websites separate this
info into distinct FAQ pages,
which may be easier to
search and navigate
Yes, 70%
No, 30%
“Frequently Asked Questions” pages collect the answers to common patient inquiries in a
convenient place and in a useful format. A well-designed roster of FAQs can engender
patient confidence by allaying pressing concerns and pointing toward treatment and
service solutions.
(n=10)

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An In-house, Online Doctor Responds Directly to FAQs
FAQ pages provide “one-stop education” for website browsers, passing on a wide breadth
of information on treatment and services from a single webpage. This FAQ page stands
out for its use of video as a medium of response to whichever question is selected.
Multimedia (text and
video) reinforces patient
knowledge and caters to
different learning styles.
Interactive drop down
menu engages patients
and enhances website
experience.FAQ pages deliver crucial information in easily
digestible form; fill in key knowledge gaps.

15. BESTPRACTICES,
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Patient Support Area #2:
Reimbursement & Access

16. BESTPRACTICES,
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A Glossary of Terms Makes the Insurance Picture Clearer
Does the brand website contain a
glossary of key insurance terms?
Yes, 20%
No, 80%
Some forms of support are simple: helping patients understand key terms (such as “prior
authorization”) that they will confront in the access and reimbursement process.
Glossaries that help patients navigate the reimbursement bureaucracy can be empowering.
(n=10)

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Patient Support Area #3:
Training & Onboarding

18. BESTPRACTICES,
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Injectable Medicines Are Supported by Nurse Hotlines
Do brand website support services include
a hotline staffed with nurses who can
answer patient questions?
Opportunities for
Innovation:
• Nurses are available 8 AM –
11 PM, seven days a week,
in two benchmarked
programs, and 8 AM – 8 PM,
Monday through Friday, in
another
• One brand website enables
you to “Request a Nurse
Call” at a convenient time
over the Internet
Yes, 60%
No, 40%
As part of their signature patient support programs, some brand websites provide patients
with the opportunity to speak with registered nurses who can answer questions and offer
administration assistance.
(n=5)

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Some Brands Provide 7-Day-a-Week Access to
Healthcare Professionals
Enbrel’s patient support phone number provides patient access to nurses every day of the
week for 15 hours, even though its other services (such as reimbursement and insurance
assistance) are only available Monday-Friday, 8 AM – 8 PM.
Link for Report: Online Patient Support Excellence

20. BEST PRACTICES,
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Copyright © Best Practices , LLC
20
Copyright © Best Practices , LLC
Best Practices, LLC
6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
www.best-in-class.com
About Best Practices, LLC
Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that 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.

21. BEST PRACTIC
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