Eugene Sefanov has a nice post on the value of a patient portal for those who use a specialty drug or drug device. He goes into some detail on the possible use cases with that kind of portal. I like the approach he takes. Just being prescribed a drug doesn’t mean you are going to get the right outcome. Anything you can do to ensure the patient has all the support he or she needs will improve that outcome.
An effective way to provide patient support is through a portal that is specific to a particular drug or medical device. A good case study revolves around a patient portal that Eisai, a pharmaceutical company with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders, implemented for their weight-loss medication called BELVIQ. The portal is designed to help patients reach their weight loss goals, sustain their efforts, as well as provide safety-related information.
Users of BELVIQ can access Eisai’s portal for free and leverage a variety of educational resources and tools including:
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Articles and tips on how to manage weight issues through eating and staying active
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Overview of the drug
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Important drug safety information and how to report adverse events
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Customized meal recipes
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Access to a mobile application for tracking calories and exercise
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Savings card and coupons
Euguene goes on to list other possible uses of the portal so be sure to check out the entire post.
