Dedicated health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) teams that develop data to demonstrate a cohesive value proposition to payers are a vital part of a successful managed markets strategy, according to a new report by life sciences intelligence firm Cutting Edge Information.

The study, Building World-Class HEOR Teams: Creating Convincing Value Proposition for Payers, found 89% of companies now have some type of dedicated HEOR group within their structure. Global health economics teams at large companies provide support for country-level managed markets teams. Country-level teams often conduct independent health economics research in response to specific payer needs.

“A significant advantage of dedicated groups is the ability to develop multiyear plans that fully explore the health economics and outcomes of each company’s products,” said Jacob Presson, senior research analyst at Cutting Edge Information. “On average, surveyed teams dedicate the largest headcount to HEOR analysts—the essential team members responsible for collecting and working with pharmacoeconomic data.”

Dedicated HEOR teams can interface directly with managed markets account managers to ensure that they are trained to either deliver health economics data to payers or to bring in health outcomes liaisons or medical science liaisons that specialize in presenting comprehensive pharmacoeconomic data.