IDN Pharmacy Performance Metrics: Opportunities for Manufacturers to Engage
Welcome to the July 2023 edition of our Monthly Insights Series. This month we want to share some more thoughts on opportunities for manufacturer engagement with IDN stakeholders—the IDN pharmacy/pharmacists, in particular.
As part of our 2023 integrated delivery network (IDN) Annual Oncology Trend Report, we asked oncology pharmacists which performance metrics are tracked, and which are most important when evaluating a pharmacy’s management of cancer care.
Unsurprisingly, the metrics that rise to the top are process and operational focused, with dispensing accuracy as most important with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 (Figure 1).

Source: HMP Market Access Insights – 2023 IDN Oncology Trend Report.
Abbreviations: FTE, full-time equivalent; IDN, integrated delivery network.
Performance metrics impact individual and department incentives. A stronger performance means more budget and resources for the department and higher compensation/bonuses for the staff. In addition, our survey results indicate two-thirds of pharmacists are willing to increase their engagement levels if manufacturer personnel possess “deep understanding about my network and specific information needs.”
So how can manufacturers support these pharmacy stakeholders? A few ways come to mind:
- Provide pre-built order sets for new brands, along with relevant drug administration details to support dispensing accuracy: approximately two-thirds of all IDNs surveyed report department protocols to develop order sets for oncology drugs on formulary.
- Present real-world evidence where available to support disease state outcomes: real-world evidence ranks top 3 in terms of most useful/desired data from manufacturers.
- Supplement payer reimbursement support: many pharmacies are tasked with and measured by prior authorization completions; data or additional information to support successful prior authorizations or appeals saves pharmacists time and gets the selected treatments to the patients.
More details and insights are available in our 2023 IDN Oncology Trend Report now available on our Client Portal.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you may have.