DDMEX: A Digital Solution Supporting the Pharmaceutical Industry's Challenges (Part 1)

In today's rapidly changing social landscape, both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies face numerous challenges. To address these through digital technology, Dentsu Digital Inc. launched " DDMEX (Dentsu Digital Medical Experience Transformation) " last year. DDMEX is a comprehensive medical solution that supports communication from both the physician and patient perspectives within healthcare settings.

This time, we interviewed Chihiro Maeda of Dentsu Digital Inc., who handles the CX strategy for DDMEX, and Norihiko Tosaka, responsible for business production. In Part 1, we asked about the service's overview and background.

A Solution to Realize Better Treatment Experiences for Patients and Physicians

Q. We understand that DDMEX, released by Dentsu Digital Inc., is a solution specialized for the medical and pharmaceutical industry. Could you provide an overview?

Tosaka: DDMEX is a medical integrated solution centered on the concept of "Better-Connected Patient Experience." It leverages digital technology to support communication between physicians and patients from both perspectives, placing particular emphasis on creating a "better treatment experience" for patients.

In today's healthcare environment, patient-centric care—treatments prioritizing the patient's perspective—is increasingly valued. While the medical and pharmaceutical industry has traditionally focused on curing diseases, the emphasis now shifts to "what matters most to you (the patient)." While disease treatment remains fundamental, the ability to choose treatment options is now highly valued. For example, patients have individual circumstances and lifestyles, such as "I want to continue working while undergoing treatment" or "I have young children, so I want treatment at home." Physicians are now expected to understand these circumstances and work collaboratively with patients on their treatment plans.

This necessitates better communication among the three parties: the patient, the physician, and the pharmaceutical company. To improve this communication, we have developed DDMEX. It serves as a mechanism to understand the customer journeys of both physicians and patients and enhance their respective customer experiences (CX). We propose this solution to pharmaceutical companies.

Q. What are examples of the physician journey and patient journey?

Tosaka: The physician journey includes building relationships with pharmaceutical company sales representatives (MRs), engaging with pharmaceutical companies' digital channels (such as physician-only membership sites), and establishing connections with Medical Affairs (MA) or Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) who provide physicians with the academic background information supporting the pharmaceutical company's products. To support these CX elements, we must understand physician insights. To grasp physician insights, we need to leverage various data, including data held by physicians, using platforms. DDMEX supports this.

In the patient journey, pharmaceutical companies provide disease awareness initiatives, advertising and social media to encourage hospital visits, and support tools to maintain motivation for patients undergoing treatment. To enhance these offerings from a CX perspective, it is equally crucial to properly understand patient insights. This is precisely why we are building the data platform with DDMEX.

From HACS, which embodied the patient-centric approach, to DDMEX

Q. What was the background behind the creation of DDMEX?

Maeda: I previously handled numerous projects for pharmaceutical companies at Dentsu Isobar (merged with Dentsu Digital Inc. in 2021). When considering CX within the pharmaceutical industry, I felt the necessity for a patient-centric approach. Therefore, in 2020, Dentsu Isobar, with its digital marketing perspective, and companies in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry collaborated to develop " HACS (Healthcare And Customer Solutions) ", a healthcare solution aimed at realizing patient-centricity. This became the predecessor to DDMEX.

Tosaka: Therefore, the various DDMEX menus weren't created from scratch after launch. They consolidate actual cases supported by Dentsu Digital Inc. and Dentsu Isobar into a single solution. DDMEX's strength lies in clearly organizing proven methods into menus to support pharmaceutical companies' communication activities and help them deliver value to physicians and patients.

DX Accelerated by the Pandemic: How Digital Technology is Transforming Communication Between Physicians, Patients, and Pharmaceutical Companies

Q. What impact has the pandemic had on the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry and on DDMEX?

Tosaka: Even before the pandemic, hospitals had gradually begun restricting MR visits. However, the pandemic significantly increased situations where MRs couldn't enter hospitals and visit physicians. In the past, to connect with physicians, MRs from various companies would wait in hospital hallways, approaching physicians as they emerged to explain their products in just a few dozen seconds. Unable to conduct face-to-face sales activities, MRs began connecting with physicians online. It's undeniable that there used to be an unspoken feeling within the industry that online sales were disrespectful to physicians. However, in recent years, the mindset has shifted to accepting online meetings when necessary. Therefore, it's fair to say that the pandemic brought about a significant change in how physicians and MRs communicate.

On the other hand, for patients, the pandemic made it difficult to visit hospitals for anything deemed "non-essential and non-urgent" beyond COVID-19 infection. A particularly problematic issue was cancer patients becoming hesitant to attend appointments. Cancer patients undergoing treatment have weakened immune systems, making them highly vulnerable to severe impacts if infected with the novel coronavirus. Consequently, the government hastily relaxed regulations, which became one factor accelerating the shift towards online consultations.

Consequently, the pandemic can be seen as having propelled the digitalization of Japan's medical and pharmaceutical industry and accelerated the development of DDMEX.

DDMEX is a solution born to enhance communication between patients and doctors in healthcare settings where patient-centered treatment is advancing, and to enrich the evolving interactions between doctors and medical representatives (MRs) post-pandemic. In Part 2, we explore the current state and the vision behind this solution.