Q&A: AI’s place in leveraging compliance data for clinical trials

As the industry changes the addition of transparency requirements have added a layer of extensive documentation of interactions between healthcare providers (HCPs), healthcare organizations (HCOs), and patients. With this documentation, the industry now yields a large amount of data that can be leveraged for clinical trials, among other industry developments.

We spoke with Justin Will, senior principal of compliance computing at IQVIA, about how companies like IQVIA can use the data collected through compliance documentation. Will explains how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can translate the data collected through the documentation into actionable items for industry stakeholders.

OSP: What are some of the actionable insights that AI can uncover in this data?​

JW: Today, life science companies dedicate 80% of their resources to leverage their data but realize only 20% of its value in the form of actionable insights. Maintaining a competitive advantage requires life science companies to break down data siloes by bringing all relevant data under a single technological roof. In centralizing the information through connected intelligence, companies can harness the power of AI to create a robust, compliant commercial ecosystem that optimizes business operations, reduces risks and personalizes the customer experience. 

Data generated from the numerous exchanges, phone calls, emails, geographic assessments and other commercial activities between commercial teams and healthcare providers (HCPs) and healthcare organizations (HCOs), equip life science teams with the tools they need to personalize communication and engagement. These actionable insights answer the questions of who, when and how to engage from a customer-centric perspective. 

OSP: How can these data points be leveraged for clinical trials?​

JW: These applications of AI in clinical research and development include identifying molecules that have the most potential, finding patient populations that fit inclusion/exclusion criteria, and reviewing scans, claims reports and other healthcare data to interpret trends to improve and accelerate decision making. 

This use of AI is also revolutionizing the efficiency and precision at which HCPs can treat patients. Prior to AI-supported technology, the volume of treatments in clinical research environments was difficult for providers to assess as opportunities for their patients.

OSP: How is IQVIA using AI to analyze this data? ​

JW: In many commercial organizations, the compliance function is separated from workflows, creating disjointed business processes and customer experiences. To ensure that process is no longer a siloed operation, it should be embedded in relevant systems and processes to mitigate risk at the point of interaction and drive business efficiencies. Through Connected Intelligence, AI and ML are able to translate these datapoints into actionable insights that equip life science professionals with tools to improve both process efficiency and risk mitigation.

A key to creating and utilizing the data is process automation. Optimizing or automating process serves numerous purposes, one being to free up human resources to focus on risk priorities and mitigation efforts, another to more efficiently build in controls to manage risk and let the business operate as efficiently as possible. By embedding the compliance function into the DNA of a technological solution, IQVIA provides real-time transparency into upstream and downstream sales and marketing activities, promotional programming and all kinds of HCP touchpoints. 

OSP: What kind of connected intelligence does IQVIA leverage to find these data driven interactions? ​

JW: IQVIA leverages its global healthcare domain expertise, transformative technology, unparalleled data and advanced analytics to transform insight into action. Obtaining actionable insights requires data that sufficiently supports analysis; however, the siloed nature of commercial systems makes this a unique challenge. Yielding more comprehensive datasets can only be achieved through strong interconnectivity between departments and interoperability within systems, which requires an organizational shift.

IQVIA meets this challenge through an agile connected commercial ecosystem that serves a unified purpose of improved interactions with HCPs, providing precise insights that are easily adopted by the end user. This helps commercial teams seamlessly coordinate across all customer-facing functions to ensure there is full visibility of all interactions, across all channels. In positioning HCPs as the center around which engagements are focused, rather than the life science company, IQVIA synthesizes all generated data to enable smarter, more timely interactions.  

Traditionally, coordinating all customer-facing roles was nearly impossible given the influx of engagement channels and business processes involved. IQVIA’s Connected Intelligence solution executes seamless information sharing across teams and increased visibility of all touchpoints, adapting to evolving industry trends by supporting scalability and flexibility as circumstances change.