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CHAPEL HILL, N.C., July 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Physicians and payers alone do not contribute to product success in the biopharmaceutical market. Patients are better informed and getting increasingly involved in the process of selecting and switching therapies. This shift in power is reshaping the healthcare marketplace and is pushing marketers' efforts toward patient-focused marketing.

As part of this evolving approach to patient engagement, marketers have learned it's important to educate, communicate and engage patients throughout their experiences with a disease - from awareness to therapy selection. By mapping the patient journey and employing a consumer marketing program that follows this path, marketing groups can more effectively engage with patients.

Mapping the patient journey is just an initial step to reconfigure a company's focus to be more patient centric. Turning this conceptual step into a company-wide initiative will take considerable amounts of time and resources.

To help marketing leaders refocus their organization's patient marketing efforts, research and consulting leader Best Practices, LLC undertook a benchmark study, "Patient-Focused Marketing: Engagement Milestones along the Patient Journey."

Companies are successfully using the "Patient Journey" as a framework for shifting their marketing focus to patients. In crowded markets, many factors influence patient preferences and choices; patient-focused programs and support are increasingly forms of differentiation.

Study participants acknowledged it is difficult to transform a large enterprise from product to patient focus. Successfully shifting companies to placing patient interests at the center of the traditional product-centric system requires process management discipline, they said.

Key topics addressed in this report include:

• Investment in Patient-Focused Activities & Programs
• Future Investment Levels in the Patient Journey
• Investment within Patient Marketing, Foundation & Leadership Categories
• Deployment of Patient-Focused Activities & Programs
• Activities Timing Across the Patient Journey
• Best Practices Shared by Benchmark Participants
• Effective Patient Loyalty Programs
• Pitfalls for Patient Marketers to Avoid

Marketing leaders can use this study to evaluate how their patient engagement programs compare with industry averages and trends.

The research is based on a benchmarking survey instrument that engaged 22 leaders at 19 companies. Qualitative data came from in-depth interviews with seven participants. To learn more about this report, download a complimentary report excerpt at http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr1368.htm.

For related research, visit our Best Practices, LLC Web site at http://www.best-in-class.com/.

ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC

Best Practices, LLC is a leading benchmarking, consulting and advisory services firm serving biopharmaceutical and medical device companies worldwide. Best Practices, LLC's clients include all the top 10 and 48 of the top 50 global healthcare companies. The firm conducts primary research and consulting using its comprehensive proprietary benchmarking tools and analysis. The operational insights, findings and analysis form the basis for our Benchmarking Reports, databases and advisory services to support executives in commercial and R&D operations.

SOURCE Best Practices, LLC