Real-World data also includes data that may be aggregated from multiple publicly and privately available sources and leveraged for research purposes in the form of a geographic information system (GIS). Assessing combined demographic, geographic, and psychographic data can provide insights into where optimal patient personas can be found. This type of geospatial analysis and modeling can be used to develop region or county specific consumer targeting plans to increase product adoption.
Client Need
A large medical device company who is a leader in the peritoneal dialysis (PD) space needed to understand where best to target marketing efforts as part of their growth strategy, which was based off which patients would require renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the near future. With limited direct-to-consumer (DTC) and prescriber targeting resources, they wanted to understand which markets had the highest potential for PD adoption.
BSP Solution
BSP performed a comprehensive literature review to understand and define risk factors and predictors of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as well as success of PD therapy. We assessed patient demographics and health history, socioeconomics, community indices, payer types, dialysis center availability, and other factors that impact patient outcomes. BSP then aggregated epidemiological data from a variety of datasets (e.g. US Census, US Community Survey, CDC, Medicare, NHANES, client datasets) to develop a predictive geospatial model. The model was developed in a flexible manner and allowed the client to view and compare markets in a variety of ways (e.g. by county, city, metropolitan area, state).
Results Achieved
BSP was able to uncover previously overlooked markets that had higher PD potential compared to traditional large metropolitan areas with higher marketing costs. In addition, BSP was able to provide the client with a list of geographically, demographically, and psychographically matched markets to foster A/B messaging. This new data, when overlapped with information representing the client’s current market penetration, supported the development of a phased marketing outreach strategy.
Through these efforts our client was able to develop variations of marketing materials and stakeholder engagements based on unique geographic variations, that led to more targeted messaging of patients and providers in more cost-efficient markets.
Key Takeaways
Today’s information-intensive healthcare environment allows geographic information system (GIS) to integrate a wide range of data sources, to add more utility to complex data sources. As outlined above, GIS technology can be used by medical device and pharmaceutical companies to improve management practices, employ sales professionals for specific territories, track prospective clients, and perform market analyses.
This article was written by Anjani R. Parikh, MPH, Santosh Telang, MS, and Kunal Ladoya, MD. Our team of healthcare consultants, data scientists, and medical professionals would like to hear your thoughts on our data-driven approaches and discuss how BSP’s diverse capabilities can be used to create an effective market strategy for your product.
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