In my last blog post, I provided an overview of PeopleMetrics' Patient Hierarchy of Needs. This model includes five core patient needs and 15 questions that link to each need:
This model was developed to help Patient Support Services teams measure and improve the patient experience, and is based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, whereby certain needs must be fulfilled before higher order needs become relevant.
Today, I'm going to walk you through the base level of the pyramid: financial security.
Level 1: Financial Security
For Patient Support Services teams, the first level of patient need that must be fulfilled focuses on affordability - can the patient afford their new medication?
We call this “Financial Security,” and it is the base level need in the pyramid below:
Unless the patient can afford their new medication, nothing else really matters.
When measuring the patient experience with your patient support services offering, it is key that you measure how well you are helping patients navigate the often complex world of insurance for new medications.
PeopleMetrics' model includes two questions that get at the financial security need. Each is asked on a 5 point agreement scale (“5” = strongly agree, “1” = strongly disagree):
- I received the insurance or financial assistance information I needed to begin my treatment
- My case manager clearly explained my financial assistance program options (e.g. insurance benefits, co-pay assistance, etc.)
The first question can be asked for any type of patient support services program, from a high-touch approach with case managers for a rare disease medicine, to a digital approach for mass market medications.
The key is to get an indication as to whether your team helped the patient get the financial information they needed to begin treatment.
If the patient feels good about that, your team can move on to other key issues.
If not, no other issue matters.
For high-touch patient support services programs with case managers, we also recommend an additional question specific to the case manager's ability to explain financial assistance program options. Ask this if your medication is in the rare disease space and you have case managers helping patients.
Next time, I will focus on the questions we ask to understand if the next tier of patient needs are being fulfilled – logistical support.
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Read all of the blog posts in this series:
- Introduction to PeopleMetrics' Patient Hierarchy of Needs
- Level 1: Financial Security
- Level 2: Logistical Support
- Level 3: Medication Administration
- Level 4: Support System
- Level 5: Confidence
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About the Author
Sean McDade, PhD is the author of Listen or Die: 40 Lessons That Turn Customer Feedback Into Gold. He founded PeopleMetrics in 2001 and is the architect of the company’s customer experience management (CEM) software platform. As CEO, he guides the company’s vision and strategy. Sean has over 20 years of experience helping companies measure and improve the customer experience. Earlier in his career, he spent five years at the Gallup Organization, where he was the practice leader of their consulting division. His company offers CEM software with advanced machine learning solutions and hands-on analytical support to help companies make sense of their CX data. Sean holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in marketing science from Temple University in Philadelphia. He has published eight articles in peer-reviewed scholarly journals and has taught over 25 marketing classes. Sean was named a 40 under 40 award recipient of the Philadelphia region. He is an active Angel Investor, including investments in Tender Greens, CloudMine and Sidecar.
Topic: Pharma CX
