How We Work

Putting your skills to work from day one.

Scientific and clinical knowledge. Technical know-how. Business acumen. As a Health Advances staff member, you’ll have the unique opportunity to apply your knowledge immediately. You’ll work with team members and stakeholders at all levels to solve some of the industry’s most challenging problems.

Typical Project Flow

At Health Advances, we help clients address a range of diverse challenges. While our work varies widely depending on the nature of the challenge, each project progresses through the following ten stages:

  • Determining the challenge and how we can be a resource.

    Example: Entering into negotiations to out-license a novel imaging technology to a major medical device firm, our client sought our assistance to help them ensure they negotiated an attractive, fair partnership agreement.

  • Our role, specific activities, timing, staffing, and estimated budget.

    Example: We agreed to support our client in three ways:

    • Provide an objective valuation of the technology.
    • Fully explore their partners’ motivation and deal history.
    • Outline a negotiating plan and target deal structure.

  • Focus on issue analysis and extensive debrief.

    Example: Our client kick-off focused on understanding the fundamental nature of the imaging technology, R&D studies completed to date, the status of discussions with the potential partner, and a preliminary set of deal objectives.

  • Arranging in-depth interviews with experts, reviewing secondary research materials, gathering competitor intelligence, analyzing client data and information and preparing financial models.

    Example:

    • Conducted in-depth interviews with clinicians, hospital administrators, and reimbursement specialists to support our valuation estimates.
    • Analyzed the partners, their product lines, development programs, and deal history to better understand their perspective.
    • Investigated comparable deals as negotiation benchmarks.

  • To discuss findings, review industry trends and events, brainstorm strategic options and build consensus around action steps.

    Example: We held multiple meetings with the client focused on the product positioning and differentiating features. We developed a negotiation profile for the partner and discussed tactical options for approaching the negotiations.

  • Provide periodic progress reports and solicit suggestions and ideas.

    Example: During meetings with senior management we raised questions about deal alternatives, which included other partners and a go-it-alone strategy.

  • Pressure test options, outline implementation steps, and integrate our findings into pro forma financials.

    Example: Two key financial models were prepared:

    • A market-based valuation model as a basis for negotiating value.
    • A financial modeling of deal terms and development costs to evaluate offers.

  • Refining our conclusions and building consensus around the recommendations with client’s management team.

    Example: Working with key members of client’s management team, we developed a comprehensive negotiation briefing document and agreed on a target deal structure.

  • Ensure that all the questions and issues have been addressed and that the recommendations and action steps are clear.

    Example: A summary of the plan and the approach was discussed with the leadership team and the Board to gain preliminary approval to initiate negotiations within defined parameters.

  • Continue to work with the client on specific implementation tasks.

    Example: Detailed negotiations with the partner ensued, leading to a final agreement. In parallel, we initiated an effort to look at other applications for the technology and other potential partners.

“Health Advances wants to play to people’s strengths and passions, and has the structures in place to help you excel.” read more

Health Advances Analyst

“Small case teams with active involvement from client heads provides tremendous opportunity to learn quickly and play a key role in the project, even as an analyst.”

Health Advances Analyst

Typical project team

For each project, we select a specific group of professionals whose skills and experience address the client’s particular needs. Here’s how we staff a typical project team:

Partners and Vice
Presidents

At least one and often two representatives of senior management are actively involved in each project, overseeing the team, participating in all key meetings, contributing insights and experience, and ultimately ensuring that we are responsive and deliver a high quality product.

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Directors and
Engagement Managers

These highly trained professionals are healthcare experts who are also skilled at leading internal and client teams through a rigorous, creative problem solving process. They are directly responsible for providing a high level of service to our clients and for delivering a high quality product.

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Consultants

Becoming a team leader at Health Advances is one of the hardest transitions. Consultants are given the opportunity to take on significant leadership roles within a project, either by directing portions of the work plan, by providing intellectual leadership for critical analyses, or by leading the team under the monitoring of a seasoned leader.

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Senior Analysts
and Analysts

Drawn from a group of professionals with a diverse set of skills – some with strong technical skills and others with business and financial backgrounds – each team will include 2-3 additional staff chosen to address a client’s specific needs.

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Functional
Support

Each team is supported by professionals with specialized skills, including Knowledge Management professional, a Graphics Specialist and Case Team Assistants – all contributing to both the quality of the product and the efficiency of our process.

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Other Resources

Teams also draw upon the expertise of various practice areas (e.g., reimbursement, market research) and clinical area specialists.

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Sample Health Advances projects

  • Helping biopharma companies understand how the changing landscape of delivery, reimbursements, and regulatory issues affects their growth potential.
  • Providing medical devices companies with strategies for integrating healthcare information technology into their products.
  • Aiding diagnostics firms in understanding the implications of emerging technologies and innovations.
  • Working with HIT firms to develop commercialization strategies based on market analyses, competitive assessments, and portfolio optimization.
  • Assisting investors in identifying and screening potential targets and rapidly performing due diligence.
  • Guiding service businesses as they anticipate and evaluate products in development.

Learn More About Our Case Studies >