A Balancing Act

Paul Navarre, CEO, Ferring Holding Inc. United States

Session: Bring humanity back to healthcare

Presenter: Paul Navarre, CEO, Ferring Holding Inc. United States

Watch our exclusive interview with Paul here at eyeforpharma Philadelphia 2018.

Discussing humanity in terms of healthcare should be simple. After all, medical care begins with the Hippocratic Oath and its pledge to “first, do no harm.” That’s about as compassionate as a promise can get

Yet with time – and remarkable advancement – healthcare professionals are today juggling their allegiance to an oath created sometime between the third and fifth centuries BCE, enormous technological progress, and medical algorithms that provide better information to doctors at the point of patient care.

It’s not about patientricity vs. technology… technology, algorithms, and humanity should be in balance, with an equal emphasis placed on what’s right for the patient”

Advanced analytics and technology improve patient healthcare, “but in the meantime we’re losing bits of the human side of the physician/patient relationship,” stressed Paul Navarre, CEO of Ferring Holding Inc. United States. “Things are much more processed now and at the end of the day, healthcare providers are not necessarily doing what they know is right for the patient. We sometimes betray our own values.”

To get back on track, Navarre presented on three key topics:

1. Why we must recognize the danger of putting a premium on systems, data and processes, and neglecting human relationships.
2. Has pharma lost its humanity? Avoid the endless restructuring of our commercial model and bring back partnerships with authenticity.
3. How to translate humanity into the physician’s office: use category management and medical education to build credibility and establish long-term customers.

The why’s and how’s to accomplish all this requires more debate and discussion, Navarre said, although he feels strongly that “finding a balance” is key. “It’s not about patientricity vs. technology,” he cautioned. Instead, he added, technology, algorithms, and humanity should be in balance, with an equal emphasis placed on what’s right for the patient.

Navarre suggested possible paths to find this balance.

• Be patientcentric, with more information going to the patient, more interaction with the patient, and recognizing the patient as the ultimate decision maker for much of the success in preventing and treating many chronic diseases.
• View every decision from a short-term and long-term perspective.
• Embrace technology but also keep in mind that technology is first and foremost for the patient’s benefit.
• Engage the talent—the great minds – in healthcare.

During the previous two decades in particular, “things have become more complex, and we have more processes to contend with,” Navarre said. However, closing on a hopeful note, he continues to believe that we will nail that “balance” and then digital innovation will promote personal engagement – and bring humanity back to healthcare.