How Queueing Science Could Fix Hub Staffing Guesswork

Simvera launched Simvera PSP on Sept. 15, a staffing and optimization platform that lets pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers simulate patient support hub decisions before committing budget, using queueing science to project how staffing, vendor and program design changes affect cost, service level and patient experience together.¹ The software addresses a staffing approach that Simvera says is difficult to defend with data, at a moment when fewer manufacturers rely solely on third-party vendors to make that call.²

Why Does Hub Design Need a Modeling Tool?

According to Simvera, patient support programs are typically staffed on a simple ratio of patient volume to agents.¹ That approach is difficult to defend with data, and the cost of getting it wrong runs in both directions: a hub staffed too lean leaves patients waiting or abandoning treatment, while one staffed too rich builds cost a manufacturer cannot justify later.

"The gap in effective patient support hub staffing and optimization has been tools, not talent," said Douglas Bock, founder and CEO of Simvera, in a press release.¹ “After thirty years in this industry, I built Simvera because the questions that matter most — how to staff a hub, what true program costs will be, and ultimately, how proposed modifications may impact patients — have never had a reliable way to be tested in advance. Now, with Simvera, they do.”

The distinction matters because hub staffing decisions are typically made once, at launch or during a transition, and are expensive to unwind. Simvera PSP applies queueing science, the modeling approach used to optimize call centers and emergency departments, to simulate a hub's actual patient flow and case volume so a manufacturer can compare an indication expansion, a launch ramp, a vendor transition or a shift in call mix against projected cost, service level and patient experience before the change is made rather than after.

Why Is this Landing Now?

Simvera PSP arrives as manufacturers' reliance on third-party hub vendors is loosening. A 2026 Guidehouse survey of patient services, market access and trade executives found that 60% of respondents primarily used third-party partners for hub services last year, compared with 37% today, as organizations shift toward insourced (23%) or hybrid (40%) hub models.²

The same survey found limited interoperability between core systems and inconsistent vendor reporting ranked among the leading causes of program delays, a data gap that leaves manufacturers making staffing and vendor decisions without a clear view of how a hub is actually performing.

In a previous Pharmaceutical Commerce roundtable, Josh Marsh, vice president and general manager of Sonexus Access and Patient Support at Cardinal Health, explained that hub transitions are largely driven by compliance requirements, poor patient and provider experiences, and the need for more scalable, insight-driven models.

Vendor transitions are accelerating across the industry, and manufacturers evaluating a new service provider are increasingly testing capacity and cost assumptions before they sign a contract rather than after go-live, Simvera said.¹ Simvera PSP is built to give users a way to do that, comparing competing vendor proposals against the same modeled scenario before a decision is made, and the company plans to extend the platform across the broader commercial lifecycle in the coming months.

References

1. Simvera, Inc. "Simvera Launches the First Software Built to Simulate and Optimize the Patient Support Journey." EIN Presswire, Sept. 15, 2026. https://www.einpresswire.com/article/941550715/simvera-launches-the-first-software-built-to-simulate-and-optimize-the-patient-support-journey
2. "2026 Patient Support Programs Trends." Guidehouse. 2026. Accessed Sept. 15, 2026. https://guidehouse.com/insights/healthcare/2026/patient-support-programs-trends/ps-thank-you