This blog is Part 3 of our ‘Asembia 2025 series’ and features original insights inspired by sessions we attended at Asembia's AXS25 Summit. You can continue exploring this series by reading Part 1 and Part 2.
The path from prescription to patient is rarely straightforward. What appears to be a simple handoff between doctor and pharmacy actually involves multiple stakeholders and countless potential friction points. Recent insights from healthcare experts at the AXS25 Asembia conference reveal how leading organizations are transforming this chaotic process into a seamless, empathetic journey that puts patients first.
The Three Pillars of Access Excellence
Success in patient access doesn't come simply from perfecting individual components—it emerges from coordinating three critical elements:
1. Distribution: The Foundation Layer
Think of distribution as the invisible infrastructure that makes everything else possible. It's not just about storage and shipping; it's about strategic network design that considers both operational efficiency and patient needs.
Real-world impact: One company initially pursued an "open distribution" strategy but discovered that a smaller, more focused network actually delivered better results—smoother operations, superior inventory control, and faster patient access.
Another organization learned this lesson the hard way. Their exclusive dropship model worked well initially, but as their portfolio expanded, operational issues mounted. Stock-outs, fulfillment delays, and customer setup challenges created barriers for patients. By transitioning to a targeted partner network with disease-state expertise, they achieved therapy delivery within two business days.
"I've spent nearly three decades advocating for specialty medication access, and this idea is crucial: distribution is non-negotiable. As the foundation layer, strategic network design must balance operational efficiency with patient needs. When products aren't available at the right time and place, everything else falls apart."
-Chris Dowd, ConnectiveRx, SVP, Market Access
2. Dispensing: Where Logistics Meets Humanity
This is where the technical process becomes deeply personal. Dispensing can either accelerate patient care or create devastating bottlenecks.
The coordination challenge: One manufacturer discovered that their specialty pharmacy, patient support program, and field reimbursement teams were working in silos, creating confusion for providers and frustration for patients. The result? Therapy abandonment.
The solution: The brand team implemented a comprehensive process redesign that defined clear ownership, established escalation paths, streamlined collaboration, and created shared workflows. The outcome was dramatic—patient abandonment, dropped significantly, issue resolution accelerated, and provider relationships improved.
"This description of how siloed teams create confusion for providers and frustration for patients mirrors what we've observed in the market. At ConnectiveRx, we've seen therapy abandonment drop significantly when brands implement comprehensive process redesigns that establish clear ownership and streamlined collaboration, breaking down those organizational barriers."
-Chris Dowd, ConnectiveRx, SVP, Market Development
3. Customer-First Support: Beyond Transactions to Transformation
The evolution from service provider to experience curator marks the difference between good and exceptional patient support programs.
The vendor selection strategy: Rather than choosing from countless available options, they evaluated nearly 100 vendors but selected only those that would meaningfully impact their specific patient population.
The Future of Patient Access: Trends to Watch
The industry is rapidly evolving from siloed, transactional models toward:
- Predictive models that anticipate patient needs
- Omnichannel solutions that create seamless experiences across touchpoints
- Personalized approaches tailored to individual patient circumstances
- Hybrid solutions where manufacturers take strategic ownership of key components
Data is becoming the secret weapon, enabling better program decisions and more precise patient interventions.
Five Principles for Patient Access Excellence
Based on these insights, here are five essential principles for optimizing patient access:
- Design for the ideal, not the existing: Start with the experience you want to deliver, then build the structure to support it
- Think systemically: Distribution, dispensing, and customer support must function as one integrated system
- Perfect the foundation: Distribution is non-negotiable—products must be available at the right time and place
- Clarify ownership: Dispensing complexity requires crystal-clear team responsibilities and accountability
- Focus on feelings: Customer-first support means prioritizing how patients feel, not just what services you offer
The Bottom Line
The organizations leading in patient access understand a fundamental truth: success comes not only from optimizing individual touchpoints, but from orchestrating a symphony of interconnected elements. When distribution, dispensing, and customer support work together, guided by data, empathy, and clear process design, the result is more than improved metrics. It's faster therapy access, reduced patient frustration, and ultimately, better health outcomes.