CMR Institute | Education for Pharmaceutical Representatives, Biotech, & Medical Device Industries

Outcomes: Measurement, Management, and Marketing

This course provides an introduction to the topic of measurement and management of outcomes to ensure that quality care is being provided across the spectrum of healthcare-delivery settings. It discusses the trends in outcomes research and specific methodologies for conducting outcomes studies. The course also discusses the ways in which providers, especially MCOs, are trying to maximize clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes. In addition, the course describes how outcomes data are being applied in the marketing of healthcare services and products, and the role of the pharmaceutical industry in outcomes research and management.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to discuss how the trend toward outcomes research has evolved and the types of outcomes being measured; discuss how outcomes research is conducted; describe tools used to measure clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes; describe ways in which providers, including managed care organizations, are coordinating their resources and processes to maximize outcomes; and discuss how outcomes data are being applied in the marketing of healthcare services and products, including the role of the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare representatives in outcomes research and management.

Who Should Take This Course

Managers, sales representatives, and others who interact with those healthcare providers and administrators in managed care organizations (MCOs) who use data from outcomes studies to evaluate pharmaceutical therapies or who conduct outcomes research themselves.

Career Applications/Benefits

As managed care has grown more popular, the emphasis for purchasing pharmaceutical products has shifted to include cost factors, as well as the efficacy and safety of a product. Outcomes research provides a way to look at the total cost and benefit of treating patients with various therapeutic alternatives, including pharmaceutical therapy. Many pharmaceutical companies find it beneficial to collaborate with an MCO to conduct outcomes studies and evaluate the use of their pharmaceutical products as part of an outcomes management program. This course will be of particular benefit to those who interact with MCOs, which are focused on ways to provide quality healthcare as efficiently as possible. The course also has value to anyone involved in the process of obtaining formulary approval for pharmaceutical products. Outcomes study data described in this course can help demonstrate the value of pharmaceutical products to physicians and pharmacists interested in evidence-based decision making. Outcomes data can also be a valuable selling tool for healthcare representatives, particularly for expensive pharmaceutical products.