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Kirby Forlin is Senior Vice President, Data Commercialization & Advanced Analytics at McKesson.
In an era where data reigns supreme, healthcare organizations find themselves with unprecedented opportunities to use data to transform patient care, operational efficiency and commercial outcomes. However, the true power of data is realized when disparate sources are integrated.
By leveraging multimodal datasets, professionals can unlock new use cases, enhance existing ones and streamline processes. Connected data proves especially valuable in accelerating the time-to-market for new treatments, optimizing market entry strategies and enhancing targeting and segmentation for commercial success.
The Case For Connected And Multimodal Data
Connected and multimodal data bring together diverse datasets such as clinical trial results, patient demographics, claims data and prescription patterns. This integrated approach provides for a comprehensive view that enables insights previously unattainable through siloed systems. By connecting data sources, healthcare organizations can uncover patterns, correlations and opportunities that significantly impact both clinical and commercial efforts.
In healthcare, this capability can mean the difference between months of delays and swift progress in bringing a life-saving drug to market. For commercial teams, it provides the clarity needed to identify high-value regions, tailor marketing strategies and engage healthcare providers more effectively.
Accelerating Time-To-Market For New Treatments
The process of developing and launching new treatments is both time-intensive and resource-heavy. Connected data has the potential to dramatically shorten timelines, particularly in clinical trials and regulatory submissions.
• Integrating Clinical Trial And Historical Treatment Data: By linking clinical trial data with patient demographics and historical treatment outcomes, researchers can better identify profiles of ideal candidate populations for trials. For example, instead of conducting broad recruitment campaigns, data integration enables pinpointing patient profiles with specific genetic markers, co-morbidities or treatment histories that fit the drug’s intended use.
• Leveraging Real-World Evidence (RWE): Connected datasets enable the analysis of RWE to complement clinical trial findings. This can support faster regulatory approvals by providing a more comprehensive view of a treatment’s effectiveness and safety. Regulatory agencies are increasingly valuing RWE, and organizations that harness connected data can gain a competitive edge.
For instance, a pharmaceutical company developing a new oncology drug could integrate genomic data, electronic health records (EHR) and historical outcomes to identify profiles of patient subgroups most likely to respond positively. This approach also enhances the credibility of regulatory submissions.
Optimizing Market Entry Strategies
Launching a new treatment in a competitive healthcare landscape requires a keen understanding of where and how to focus resources. By weaving together insights from diverse datasets, organizations can develop a precise roadmap for market entry.
Understanding prescribing behaviors and treatment patterns helps uncover regions with high unmet medical needs or areas where existing therapies fall short. For example, data from medical and pharmacy claims can reveal gaps in adherence or treatment access, while clinical data insights highlight patient demographics and disease prevalence. Layering in provider details—such as specialty, affiliation and referral patterns—creates a comprehensive picture of where demand is likely to peak.
This approach allows organizations to zero in on high-priority regions, tailoring launch efforts to address patient needs and provider dynamics. A company introducing a biologic therapy for autoimmune diseases, for instance, could use these insights to identify where patients are concentrated and which specialists and care networks are driving treatment decisions. This precision ensures that marketing and sales resources are deployed effectively.
Enhancing Targeting And Segmentation
Targeting and segmentation are critical components of any successful commercial strategy. Connected data empowers organizations to go beyond surface-level segmentation for a nuanced understanding of their audiences, particularly healthcare providers (HCPs) and patient populations.
• Identifying HCPs Likely To Adopt New Treatments: By analyzing prescribing trends and connected referral data, organizations can identify HCPs most likely to adopt new treatments. For example, physicians who frequently prescribe similar therapies or those affiliated with academic medical centers may be early adopters. Connecting this data with clinical insights and patient outcomes reveals which providers are most likely to influence treatment decisions.
• Creating Detailed Patient Personas: Connected data allows for the creation of highly specific patient personas, combining demographics, clinical histories and treatment adherence patterns. This level of detail helps tailor patient education campaigns and ensures that the right messaging reaches the right audience.
For instance, a company launching a new cardiovascular drug could use connected data to identify cardiologists who treat many eligible patients. With referral data, the company could also identify physicians frequently referring patients to these specialists, creating a comprehensive engagement plan across the care continuum.
Foundational Elements For Success
To fully leverage the power of connected data, organizations must establish a strong foundation, including:
• Reference And Master Data Management: Standardizing reference data (e.g., codes and taxonomies) and ensuring accurate master data (e.g., patient and provider identifiers) are critical for connecting datasets. Without these foundational components, the risk of inaccuracies and inefficiencies increases significantly.
• Partnering With Specialized Vendors: Vendors offering expertise in integrating multimodal datasets and providing data connectivity solutions can accelerate an organization’s ability to harness connected data. Look for partners who prioritize interoperability and data enrichment.
• Investing In Scalable Data Architecture: Building a scalable data infrastructure that supports integration, storage and real-time analysis of multimodal datasets is crucial. Cloud-based platforms and data lakes, for instance, can provide the flexibility and capacity needed to handle the increasing volume and complexity of connected data.
Transforming Healthcare With Connected Data
The integration of connected and multimodal data has the potential to revolutionize both clinical and commercial outcomes in healthcare. By accelerating time-to-market for new treatments, optimizing market entry strategies and enhancing targeting and segmentation, organizations can drive meaningful impact for patients and stakeholders alike. However, success depends on a commitment to foundational data management, strategic partnerships and a data-first mindset.
Healthcare professionals and data experts must embrace the power of connected data to remain competitive and innovative. By starting with small, focused initiatives and gradually expanding capabilities, organizations can unlock the full potential of their data assets, ultimately transforming the healthcare landscape for the better.
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