In a tightening market with rising complexity, many manufacturers continue to rely on the same default move when patient support programs fall under pressure: lift-and-shift outsourcing.
On the surface, it seems efficient: move the work to a vendor, plug into their model, and hope for smoother operations.
But in reality, lift-and-shift often replaces one set of problems with another.
The issue isn’t outsourcing itself.
It’s outsourcing without redesigning the underlying model.
And the cost of that approach is far higher than most teams expect.
Where Lift-and-Shift Falls Apart
1️⃣ You inherit old problems instead of solving them.
If your prior authorization delays, benefit verification bottlenecks, and caregiver confusion existed before, simply shifting them to a new partner doesn’t fix them.
It often recreates them inside a new system, sometimes with even less visibility than before.
2️⃣ The model rarely fits your therapy.
Vendors push standardized workflows to control cost.
But specialty therapies — especially oncology, infused biologics, and multi-benefit products — need therapy-specific pathways, not generic ones.
When the model doesn’t match the therapy, time-to-therapy suffers.
3️⃣ You lose strategic control.
Lift-and-shift outsourcing hands over your data, your provider experience, and your patient journey to someone else’s process.
That’s risky in today’s environment, where access and experience are core elements of brand equity.
4️⃣ Compliance and audit risk increases.
Legacy models often run on outdated documentation, inconsistent case notes, or limited audit trails.
When regulatory expectations shift — and they will — manufacturers are exposed.
5️⃣ You pay twice: once for the move, and again to fix it later.
Most brands eventually return to redesign the PSP.
By then, they’ve lost time, trust, and far more budget than if the redesign had been done up front.
Why a Hybrid, Tech-Enabled Approach Works Better
At eMAX Health Patient Services, we’ve helped many manufacturers rebuild programs that didn’t survive lift-and-shift outsourcing.
We don’t replicate outdated models — we redesign them for speed, clarity, and compliance.
What works?
A hybrid model that combines:
✔ Therapy-specific workflow design
✔ A tech-enabled platform (HealthPACER®) that reduces bottlenecks
✔ Real-time reporting and FRM visibility
✔ Case-management expertise tailored to your brand
✔ The right division of responsibilities between in-house and partner teams
When the model is built for your brand, not bolted onto it, access accelerates — and the entire ecosystem benefits.
Outsourcing isn’t the problem.
Outsourcing without rethinking the model is.
Teams win when they take the time to rebuild workflows, streamline data paths, and modernize operations — not when they replicate old processes in a new location.
If you’re considering a change, make sure it’s not a lift-and-shift.
Make it a redesign.
Curious what a modern, hybrid PSP model could look like for your brand? Let’s map it out together. email: info@emaxhealthps.net