New practice areas thrive

Higher Education

BR&C Inc. is now working with the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications, a Colorado-based non-profit which promotes the effective use of technology in higher education.

In early 2006 BR&C research and analysis allowed WCET to expand its “EduTools” service offering -- independent product reviews, side-by-side comparisons and consulting services to help colleges and universities make smarter purchasing decisions for e-learning technology.

Specifically, we introduced financial profiles of the technology vendors, many of them entrepreneurial start-ups.  These reviews enabled prospective customers to better assess their likely longevity.  Our data, developed from the target organizations themselves, covered the following issues.

• Number of customers & installations
• Current major or showcase customers
• Customer growth curve
• Distribution model
• Implementation, support & maintenance services, if any
• Financial health

BR&C was initially retained to profile suppliers of e-portfolios, collaborative workspaces that allow students to store their work, create documents, work with advisors and demonstrate competencies. See eportfolio.edutools.info We are now working with WCET to develop a subscription-based offering that would provide a rolling series of product and provider assessments.

BR&C’s growing education practice is designed to help schools challenge assumptions and reach conclusions on what is successful, efficient and effective.  The aim is to help our educational clients succeed in an era in which satellite campuses and new-technology initiatives – especially web-based programs – are making formal education cheaper as well as more accessible and competitive.  We provide information and insight in the following areas:

• Enabling technologies that make e-learning possible
• Quality of competing online curriculums
• Ease of program delivery
• Development of ancillary services to support students & faculty

“Colleges and universities have to spend more time building and differentiating their brands, while students need help identifying educational options that a few years ago didn’t exist,” said Dave Giguere, BR&C’s managing director. “The best strategies for doing both will depend on solid research and analysis.”

Pharmaceuticals

BR&C continues to grow its two-year-old pharmaceuticals practice.  Over that time the company has successfully executed projects in the realms of multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, Alzheimer’s, organ transplants, hemophilia and oncology.  Issues explored have included:

• Target indications for new drugs & treatments in clinical trials
• Clinical program goals & staffing requirements
• Status of existing clinical trials, including enrollment challenges & interim results
• Efficacy, side effects & drug interactions
• Comparisons with other drugs & likely positioning
• Formulation & administration
• Timing for next phases of development

We have also studied the changing nature of pharmaceutical sales forces given an operating climate that has grown much less friendly.  The work included how sales reps are judged for efficiency and effectiveness in the face of challenges posed by such developments as the AMA’s call for more distance between doctors and sales reps, medical institutions ratcheting back on access, the shift to managed care etc.  The research yielded keen insights on the evolution of metrics and incentives used to boost performance in this challenging new environment.

We helped execute a comparative analysis of current care and disease-management programs, including program structures and performance guarantees, ROI, pricing for different constituencies, predictive modeling, nurse staffing ratios and consumer-directed features.

In addition, BR&C was engaged to study the impact of the Medicare Modernization Act a full year before the law took effect, giving our client ample lead time to address new mandates and provide seamless service to retirees and employees about to retire.

BR&C foresees continued growth in pharma and biotech.  Managing Director Dave Giguere noted that the company specializes in partnering with its clients.  “BR&C’s function is to help clients in early identification of developments and patterns that may present exceptional opportunities or pose unacceptable risks,” he said.  In a world swamped with studies and claimed expertise, BR&C seeks to identify and isolate key data.  Added Giguere:  “The No. 1 thing that organizations want is early warning.  The biggest thing we hear from clients is: ‘I don’t want to be surprised.’”