Health Outcomes Liaison Excellence: Role Differentiation, Customer Engagement, and Future Trends

STUDY OVERVIEW

Concerns about compliance and legal limitations are forcing companies to re-examine how they utilize different emerging educator groups, such as Health Outcome Liaisons (HOLs). In addition, companies are also trying to better differentiate roles of these educator groups and delineate their responsibilities in order to maximize the utility they provide the diverse group of customers they regularly engage.

Best Practices, LLC conducted this study to provide information on how the roles of HOLs are evolving in the changing pharmaceutical environment and how regulatory concerns are affecting the HOL landscape. This research also presents benchmarks and insights around how companies differentiate the roles of HOLs, how the function engages with customers and future trends for the role of HOLs. Biopharmaceutical and medical device executives can use this study to determine the best practices for utilizing HOLs and eliminating unnecessary overlap when engaging internal and external customers.


KEY TOPICS

• Health Outcome Liaisons: Role Differentiation
• Health Outcome Liaisons: Customer Engagement
• Health Outcome Liaisons: Looking Ahead
• Participant Demographic Data

• Differentiation of HOL/MSL responsibilities
• HOL/MSL client overlap
• Top practices for HOL function that are valued most
• Primary HOL activities and time dedicated to each
• Initial HOL involvement with drug in development
• Length of HOL involvement over drug lifecycle
• Percentage of time HOLs spend in the field
• Level of involvement with payers for different activities
• Length of face-to-face visit with thought leaders and payer groups
  

• Decision Makers Will Increasingly Rely on Health Outcomes Data: As health care reform changes take effect, comparative effectiveness and health outcomes data are becoming increasingly important, with some predicting that member outcomes data will eventually be more influential than clinical data when health care leaders are charged with making reimbursement decisions.
  
• HOL Roles Are Differentiated from MSLs: Participants take a variety of approaches to differentiating roles of HOLs from Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs), Key Account Managers, and other customer-focused resources. Frequently, companies differentiate HOLs and MSLs by assigning them to different customer groups, with HOLs focused primarily on supporting payers and the Commercial Sales staff that calls on them. MSLs support physicians and the sales reps who see them. HOLs are also defined by their clinical experience and ability to understand and communicate deep clinical knowledge.
  

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