Ask NAVLIN: The AI chatbot innovation driving a better global customer experience

Demonstrating EVERSANA’s commitment to innovation, a new artificial intelligence technology aims to improve NAVLIN for both existing and new customers.

Designed to be a single ‘one-stop shop’ for answering the toughest pricing and market and access questions and challenges, Ask NAVLIN provides a comprehensive view of pricing and country overviews, together with policy news and pricing analytics software. And it operates in over 100 countries around the world.

To find out more, pharmaphorum spoke with EVERSANA’s Andrew Hanhauser, SVP, Product Design & Data, and Alan Crowther, General Manager, Global Pricing & Access.

AI for accuracy: Why automation is the future

Ask NAVLIN combines an expansive amount of data and presents this collected data in a single conversational style interface, for customer ease of use. This unique capability – the technology, as Crowther describes it, tracking “every molecule out there and every health technology assessment decision that rates how payers evaluate these technologies” – is a key draw; so too is its safe and secure operational environment.

Indeed, development of Ask NAVLIN was first set in motion when the NAVLIN team observed, both internally and externally, that there was a call to shift processes from the “manual and time-consuming” to automated.

“Automation through AI is crucial for boosting productivity,” explained Crowther. “Studies indicate that AI can increase task completion by up to 12.5% and reduce task execution time by 25%. These gains are essential for maintaining competitiveness in today's fast-paced industries.”

“Our goal is also to enhance the analytics that it can provide to users with the ability to increase their productivity and drive better business outcomes,” added Hanhauser. “And so it allows users to extract more value from their data with speed and efficiency, which I think is very important, and also to understand the why behind the data […] It typically can require more intensive research to do that, whereas using ask NAVLIN it can be done in just a few seconds.”

Leveraging insights from NAVLIN's HTA database, for example, specifically benefits stakeholders because HTA documents are critical for understanding how payers evaluate and reimburse products. Automating the analysis of these documents – often lengthy and multilingual – can significantly streamline decision-making processes, improve patient access to new treatments, and ensure fair reimbursement strategies.

“We employ rigorous validation processes for all data sources integrated into NAVLIN. Each piece of information undergoes thorough quality checks and verification before being used in generating insights or responses through Ask NAVLIN,” said Hanhauser. “Moreover, our AI models are trained not only to analyse data, but also to understand context and potential biases that might affect the outcomes. This ensures that the answers provided are not only accurate, but also reliable in various scenarios our clients might encounter.”

AI for efficiency: Cementing brand values with a natural language interface

Certainly, one of NAVLIN’s key brand values has always been ease of use – and that mindset leant itself readily to application of advanced technologies.

“We saw an opportunity to dramatically simplify what's already the leading easy to use product through this natural language interface,” said Crowther. “From the very start, NAVLIN was designed to be this comprehensive platform. Even though we've started using it [Ask NAVLIN] with NAVLIN data, it was designed to be something that extends across the whole platform – both our data that we manage and also the clients' data.”

Very soon, they’ll also be rolling it out to their tender database, NAVLIN software insights, and revenue operations modules, all within the ecosystem. 

“It's extendable across any part of NAVLIN, which is really cool,” continued Crowther. “We can also integrate clients' own internal data, providing a more personalised and comprehensive experience in their own environment. One way that we do that is by providing our clients with an API, which more technical resources can use to build it into their own systems as well. So, it's not only accessible throughout our ecosystem; it can be extended into the clients through the API.” 

The power of Ask NAVLIN

Ask NAVLIN has the ability to generate insights for clients based upon their internally set business priorities.

“A client could say, ‘How is my current launch performing compared to benchmarks?’ or ‘What is the impact of a new IRP rule in Columbia on my portfolio?’ and it can generate those answers using all of the existing data and the system,” Crowther noted. “Another question they could ask is, ‘What are the five biggest decisions we reviewed last year relative to a specific business case?’. It's really cool how you can access the data comprehensively across the system.”

Additionally, the information is secure and confidential – a crucial consideration when it comes to building responsible AI.

“Security is paramount when it comes to developing an AI-driven platform like Ask NAVLIN ,” explained Crowther. “Our goal has always been to provide our clients with not just accurate and comprehensive information, but also with the confidence that their data is secure and handled responsibly.”

“We take a multifaceted approach to ensure the security and reliability of our AI platform,” added Hanhauser. “First and foremost, all data within NAVLIN, whether it's our own managed data or client-specific information, is treated with the highest standards of security protocols. This includes encryption both at rest and in transit, strict access controls based on roles, and continuous monitoring for any unauthorised access attempts.”

The importance of client trust and protecting against AI biases

Throughout this process, there is additionally the critical consideration of trust and transparency.

“Transparency is key to building trust with our clients,” noted Hanhauser. “When Ask NAVLIN generates a response or insight, we ensure that the sources of data used are clearly cited. This transparency extends to the methodologies and assumptions underlying our AI algorithms. Clients have visibility into the data's origin, the frequency of updates, and any adjustments made to the models over time. This allows them to verify the information independently and understand how it aligns with their specific business needs.”

“Bias mitigation is a critical aspect of our AI development process,” he continued. “We implement strict guidelines and controls to identify and address biases in our data sources and algorithms. This involves diverse testing scenarios to detect any unintended outcomes and adjust our models accordingly. By involving our data scientists, domain experts, and clients in this process, we ensure that Ask NAVLIN delivers insights that are fair, objective, and relevant to the client's operational context.”

In order to achieve this, extensive testing is undertaken at multiple stages of development.

“Initially, our team internally tests the AI models against a wide range of scenarios and use cases,” Hanhauser explained. “This helps us refine the algorithms and ensure they meet our standards of accuracy and reliability. Subsequently, we engage in beta testing with select clients to gather feedback and validate the performance of Ask NAVLIN in real-world environments. This iterative approach allows us to continuously improve the platform based on actual user experiences and evolving business requirements.”

Future advancements and customisation

Looking ahead, the team is focused on enhancing the scalability and adaptability of Ask NAVLIN across different industries and global markets. This includes further advancements in AI algorithms to handle more complex queries and expand the integration capabilities with external data sources through APIs. 

“AI mitigates human error inherent in manual data processing,” noted Hanhauser. “By automating the extraction of key information from complex documents, AI enhances the reliability and consistency of insights delivered to users. This not only saves time, but also improves the overall quality of decision support.”

“Moreover, AI's capability to handle large datasets efficiently is crucial. It accelerates the identification of relevant information, which is vital for strategic planning and regulatory compliance in the healthcare sector and beyond,” added Crowther.

Customisation, however, is key. And, to this end, NAVLIN collaborates closely with clients to integrate AI solutions seamlessly into their workflows, ensuring alignment with industry-specific standards and regulatory frameworks.

“Security-wise, we remain committed to staying ahead of emerging threats and compliance requirements, ensuring that ASK Navlin continues to be a trusted partner for our clients' strategic decision-making processes,” said Hanhauser.

“Ultimately, by leveraging AI to automate mundane tasks and analyse complex datasets, NAVLIN empowers stakeholders to focus more on innovation and strategic decision-making, driving business growth and competitive advantage in their respective markets,” concluded Crowther.

About the interviewees

Andrew Hanhauser is responsible for EVERSANA’s international pharmaceutical price database, NAVLIN Price & Access Data, as SVP, Product Design & Data. He oversees a team of more than 50 people across the US, Europe, and India. With more than 15+ years of domestic and international business experience, Hanhauser has served Fortune 500 corporations on operations, technology, and business strategy, leadership, product management, and innovation. Prior to working at EVERSANA, he worked at BearingPoint, IBM Global Business Services, and Alliance Life Sciences as a management consultant and product manager. Hanhauser holds a Master of Science in Business Administration (MBA) from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University. 

Alan Crowther has spent close to 20 years doing commercial work for the life sciences industry. His experience includes creating innovative solutions for global pricing and access, including work on price optimisation, global data collection and analysis, and the use of advanced algorithms to support commercial decisions, including pricing. Crowther has shared his expertise and insight and has spoken extensively at a number of pharmaceutical conferences on drug and device pricing. He was previously the CEO of Alliance Life Sciences and prior to that held positions as vice president in life sciences at Adjoined/Capgemini and as managing officer in Andersen Consulting, where he led a number of large technology projects. Crowther is a graduate of Princeton University.