Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) are modifying their business strategies due to changes in the industry, such as healthcare reform and financial pressures. IDNs influenced by the B2B strategy are shifting their operating models and changing the way pharmaceutical and medical device companies interact with them. It is also important to acknowledge that as more IDNs are created and others continue to grow, each has its own set of motivators and values important to their leadership and key decision makers.
This poses an opportunity for national account managers (NAMs) to be more organized in their account planning by using data and analytics for the basis of their strategies. If NAMs capitalize on this opportunity, they can create stronger IDN targeting strategies for not only commercial teams but also marketing, contracting and pricing teams. Advanced digital capabilities with analytics at the forefront of NAMs will enable commercial teams to engage with key decision makers at IDNs for more valuable and efficient interactions.
Moving Away From B2C
Many IDNs are seeking to emulate corporate operating models, driving demand for B2B strategies rather than B2C. Therefore, sales strategies need to shift to mirror the changes occurring within these large organizations. Conversations and messaging will need to address higher level topics such as improving efficiency and effectiveness across the entire network for more simplified healthcare delivery.
With a focus on standardization, it’s important that suppliers and manufacturers keep top of mind the importance of patient outcomes and care quality. Commercial teams engaging with IDNs should use product-related data points to provide a level of credibility regarding the standardization of their products in an effort to reduce medical errors for these networks. Utilizing a B2B approach will therefore require a strong understanding of the organization’s product portfolio as well as it’s competitors’ value propositions.
The Unicity of IDNs
While a B2B approach is a strong starting point, NAMs and commercial teams need to also consider the unicity of IDNs. All IDNs are unique given that each organization within the network has a multitude of practices, specialities, and treatment areas they focus on. Therefore, each IDN requires its own targeted engagement strategy from the perspective of medical device and pharmaceutical companies.
Analyzing medical claims data regarding patient procedures and diagnoses will help commercial teams narrow down which IDNs are a suitable target for their therapies. Additionally, it is important to analyze each IDN carefully to gauge what they value depending on the healthcare network data and insights at hand. These analyses will drive more successful targeting strategies to enable meaningful engagements with IDNs that will land your commercial team closer to a contract.
Relationships with the Top
Who should these engagement strategies be targeting? With the focus on B2B selling strategies and the standardization of healthcare delivery, engagement strategies should be targeting the key decision makers within IDNs. The shift from individually targeting physicians to administrators with institutional objectives can be difficult and require NAMs and their commercial teams to conduct in depth analyses regarding each IDN and its respective leadership team.
When engaging with these customers whether they be purchasing executives, a pharmacy committee head, or GPO, it is important that reps better understand the unmet needs of the targeted IDN. From there, reps can position their organization’s products to address those unmet needs while providing maximum value at the best cost. Reps need to be equipped to discuss topics such as market share gain and ROI with these decision makers.
Equipping your Team for IDN Targeting
TikaNAM enables commercial teams to profile and target specific IDNs in one platform using constantly updated analytics. This solution helps managers optimize team efficiency by providing them with access to individual IDN and GPO performance by hospitals, units, and revenue. National account managers are able to segment IDNs, create strategic plans, generate proposals, analyze how each product group is doing and track the performance of the IDN itself across geographies.
Creating customized engagement strategies for each IDN and focusing more on a B2B strategy, will help your organization align more closely with the needs of the healthcare network. With the right solutions for your commercial team, TikaMobile enables more contracts with lasting success and profitability.
Citations
https://www.zs.com/insights/what-do-idns-care-about-we-have-the-data