Patient support programs have risen in importance in recent years as the consumer role in healthcare decisions have also increased. With this increase in patient support programs, leaders are now seeking to better understand which activities are most effective and to learn more about the value of relationships with patient support groups. Best Practices, LLC designed this benchmarking study to help leaders to better understand the growing importance of establishing patient centric programs and how it can positively impact patient outcomes & commercial results. Read more at: http://www.best-in-class.com/bestp/domrep.nsf/products/reshaping-commercial-models-to-serve-acos-idns-emerging-provider-networks?OpenDocument

1. Patient Support Excellence:
Structure, Activities and Resource
Levels to Ensure Patient-Centric
Products and Services
Best Practices, LLC
Strategic Benchmarking Research

2. Table of Contents
 Executive Summary pp. 4-15
 Research Overview pp. 4
 Participating Companies pp. 5
 Key Recommendations & Findings Overview pp. 7-9
 Detailed Key Findings pp. 66-71
 Best Practices and Pitfalls pp. 10-14
 Patient Support in Pharma pp. 15-20
 Participant Demographics pp. 21-25
 Program Structure pp. 26-35
 Program Effectiveness pp. 36-42
 Staffing and Program Drivers pp. 43-46
 Program Staffing pp. 47-51
 Program Budget pp. 52-58
 Program Activities and Alliances pp. 59-65
 Detailed Key Findings pp. 66-71
 About Best Practices, LLC pp. 73

3. Best Practices, LLC, conducted a customized benchmarking study to better understand the growing importance of
establishing a patient centric organization and how it can positively impact patient outcomes & commercial results.
 Best Practices, LLC engaged 19
Patient Support leaders from 19
pharmaceutical companies through a
benchmarking survey.
 Research analysts also conducted
secondary research regarding
different platforms that companies
are using to engage with patients.
Research
Goal
Research
Methodology
 Produce reliable industry metrics on
current trends in Patient Support
group structure, activities and
resource/investment levels within
the biopharmaceutical sector.
Topics Covered
 Patient Support Organizational Structure
Type
 Patient Support Organization Location –
Dedicated Group or Within Another
Function
 Patient Support Group Effectiveness
 Key Functions Represented within
Patient Support
 Patient Support Group Budget –
Localized and Global
 Patient Support Group Staffing –
Localized and Global
 Funding Sources for Patient Support
Group
 Investigate Patient Support group
structure, effectiveness, activities and
staffing/budget levels that companies
are using to create and maintain a
patient centric approach to their
medical and commercial operations.
Research
Overview
Research Project Objectives & MethodologyPatient Support Research Project Objectives & Methodology
3

4. Benchmark Class:
Large Companies
(Revenue > $11 Billion US in 2013)
Mid-Sized Companies
($4-11 Billion US in 2013)
Small Companies
(< $4 Billion US in 2013)
(n=7) (n=6) (n=6)
Canada
Universe of Learning: 19 Companies Participated in Study
Nineteen Patient Support leaders from 19 different companies participated in this study. Participants were
recruited because of their involvement in Patient Support programs.

5. 79% of Participants at Director or VP Level
More than three-quarters of the participants in this research study were at the director level or above,
signifying executives with many years of experience dealing with issues around Patient Support shared
their perspectives and insights.
Manager
5%
Senior Manager
5%
Head/Lead
11%
Director
26%
Associate
Director
11%
Senior Director
26%
Executive
Director
5%
VP
11%
Study Participant Titles
Vice President
Executive Director Patient Strategy
Director
Associate Director
Senior Director
Senior Manager
Director, Patient Support Services
Director
Group Vice President & General Manager
Director
Marketing manager
Senior Director, Patient Advocacy & Corporate Philanthropy
Senior Director, Patient Centric Marketing
Global Patient Affairs Lead
Director, Patient Programs
Senior Director, Patient Engagement
Sr. Director, Global Head of Strategic Marketing
Associate Director, Marketing
Head of Quality Care Strategy & Planning

6. Insights Summary:
Patient Support Study Insights
Patient Support
Programs Rated as
Very Good Share
Traits
Low Patient
Engagement is
Achilles’ Heel of
Programs
Focused Patient
Support Activities are
Key to Success
 Co-pay assistance programs were singled out as the most effective Patient
Support program.
 Corporate web pages should provide clearly marked, highly visible
links/information for Patient Support programs.
 Alliances with patient advocacy groups are important; 100% of participants felt
creating alliances with advocacy groups was either highly important (56%) or
moderately important (44%).
 Majority have centralized structure
 40% have dedicated Patient Support group
 Programs have highest patient awareness/engagement for targeted group of
patients – 57% patients aware / 45% patients engaged in programs
 80% have Patient Support leadership/headquarters in U.S.
 100% say patient co-pay assistance programs are highly effective
 An underlying weakness of many Patient Support programs in this study, and
likely across pharma, is lackluster engagement with their target patient group.
 At the midpoint (median), companies in the study make 50% of their targeted
patients aware of support activities and just over 20% of those patients are
actually engaged in Patient Support activities.
 The difficulty Patient Support programs are having with patient awareness
and engagement may reflect lack of adequate staffing; organizations that
were rated Very Good had 24% more global staffing than the Good or So-So
companies’ combined global staffing.
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Copyright © Best Practices, LLC

7. Merck Home Page Replete with Patient-Oriented Links
Top 10 Pharma company Merck demonstrates its focus on patient through its corporate Web site where
the home page has three high-profile portals to patient support programs.
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8. Sanofi Takes Visible Steps to Establish Patient-Centric Organization
In its endeavor to be a truly patient-centric healthcare company, Sanofi has undertaken
various initiatives to ensure it includes the patient’s perspective across the organization.
Sanofi appointed Dr.
Anne C. Beal to the
position of Chief Patient
Officer on 31st March,
2014, a first for a Top 10
Biopharmaceutical
company.
Sanofi has created a Centre of Excellence
for Patient Centricity (CoE for PC). The
Center has the vision of improving patient
outcomes by evolving a patient-centric
model and focus for Sanofi globally within
the following framework:
• Patients’ inputs to align and design
solutions based on patients’ unique
underlying needs
• Creating products and solutions that fit
into people’s lives to improve patient
outcomes
• Engaging and supporting employees to
create a more patient-centered culture,
which promotes employee engagement.

9. Patient Support Often Decentralized; Centralized Seen as Effective
Almost half of the participants reported a decentralized structure for their Patient Support organization.
However, almost 40% are in a centralized structure and a majority of participants who rated their
patient program as “Very Good” were in a centralized structure.
Centralized, 37%
Decentralized by
Geography, 11%
Decentralized by
Business Unit, 37%
Hybrid by
Geography, 11%
Other, 5%
Patient Support Organizational Structure Type
Total Decentralized= 48%
In their qualitative responses,
50% of the participants with a
decentralized Patient Support
structure said the lack of a
centralized approach was a
pitfall of their Patient Support
organization.
Data Points:
A majority of study participants
(60%) who rated their Patient
Support program as “Very Good”
said they had a centralized
structure.
• Function currently does not
exist
Other:
N=19
Indicate which choice best describes the organizational structure of your Patient Support function. (Choose one)
9

10. 0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Very Good Good So-So
Patient Support Reporting Structure by
Effectiveness
Dedicated PS Commercial Marketing Medical Other
Dedicated Patient Support Groups Get Highest “Very Good” Rating
Most of the participants who self-rated their Patient Support groups as Very Good also reported having
a dedicated Patient Support group rather than reporting into another function.
Under what function does your patient support group work and report – segmented by effectiveness rating?
10
N=19

11. Participants Average 15 Global FTEs for Patient Support
On average, companies participating in this study have 15 FTEs for their worldwide Patient Support
program.
11
N=10
Segment First
Quartile
Average Median Third
Quartile
Your Area XX XX XX XX
Company
Wide
XX XX XX XX
How many FTEs are allocated to Patient Support for your area of responsibility?
How many FTEs are allocated to your company’s worldwide Patient Support organization?
Patient Support FTEs for Your Area of Responsibility and Globally**
** -- FTEs provided in full report.

12. Worldwide Patient Support Budget Averages $32M for Participants
The varied size of the companies in this study produced a range of company-wide budgets for Patient
Support, going from less than $10 million to more than $45 million.
Please estimate the total budget for Patient Support initiatives for your area of responsibility and your company’s
worldwide Patient Support organization. (Exclude DTC advertising, labor and large one-time capital costs.)
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N=12
Segment First
Quartile
Average Median Third
Quartile
Your Area $2M $10M $7M $18M
Company
Wide
$10M $32M $27M $45M

13. Best Practices®, LLC is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of best practice
benchmarking®. We are a research, consulting, benchmark database, publishing and advisory firm that
conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior
economic performance by leveraging the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of
world-class companies.
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Chapel Hill, NC 27517
(Phone): 919-403-0251
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