Specialty Pharma Can Learn from Tinder – Part I

You’re at the doctor’s office, just after learning that you or your loved one has a disease you’ve never heard of. The doctor says it’s not a death sentence but in the same breath describes an overwhelming regimen of lab tests, weekly injections, nutritional guidelines and pills with scary names. Your mind is flooded: What is this? How will I pay for it? What will happen to my family? What will my friends say? How will we treat it? What will I have to change? Who can possibly understand what I am going through?

Now imagine you can pick up your smartphone, and swipe to find five other people around your age, maybe even from your city or state, who have been living with the same disease for quite some time. They can’t make the disease go away and it still sucks, but they’ve offered to lend a hand – or a shoulder to cry on – that might make dealing with it easier. Meet Jane, her daughter was born with a rare condition and she can offer insights on a helpful exercise routine or diet tips. Or perhaps Anne is a better fit – she was recently diagnosed and has already tried a number of treatments about which she has many opinions.

Companies like Uber, Tinder and LinkedIn have brought “matchmaking” technologies to dating, job hunting, networking and ride-sharing. It is convenient, instantaneous, feels personal and can be so effective that couples get married after “the internet introduced them”. So it only makes sense that such technologies may also benefit in a situation like the above, in the lobby of the doctor’s office, flooded with questions.

In the specialty health sphere, on top of sending shockwaves through the lives of the entire family, and overwhelming the daily routine with notoriously complex specialty , a new diagnosis also may bring extreme loneliness upon the individual, a result of the small size of many patient populations. In such small patient groups, the impact of successful matchmaking can make the difference between desperation and hope.

This is why we are so excited by the patent Helparound was recently granted, for our unique algorithm for matching patients with similar others. Matchmaking can be so important in helping an individual navigate through tricky insurance issues, getting used to a new, complex treatment, accessing new treatments if necessary and, most important, staying motivated. Or in our industry jargon, patient matchmaking technologies may help drive therapy Access, Activation and Adherence.