At Asembia’s AXS26 Summit, one theme rose above the rest: it’s time to rethink patient support and market access. Across our conversations, it was clear that long-standing assumptions about how patient services are delivered — and by whom — are being actively reconsidered.
Models and technologies on the fringes of patient access just a few years ago were front and center as solutions to volatile payer and regulatory dynamics. Meanwhile, what was once considered core by some patient support providers is being redefined, deprioritized or dismantled entirely. When stability and innovation are essential to staying ahead, uncertainty is a crucial risk.
Below are the key takeaways we heard at AXS26 and how market access and patient services leaders can navigate what comes next.
1. Patient Support Provider Dynamics: A Market in Motion
The patient services landscape is undergoing meaningful structural change. Across the market, life sciences organizations are navigating vendors announcing:
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- Divestitures and portfolio exits
- Reputationally driven rebrands
- Service wind‑downs and dissolutions
- Senior leadership turnover
As a result, patient support and market access leaders are actively evaluating new patient support providers for their programs, often under significant, timely pressure. Many are re‑evaluating partners not just on innovation or breadth, but on focus, commitment and operational resilience.
Life sciences organizations are beginning to think through their patient support program transition strategy, and selecting the right vendor to transition to is critical. With deep experience across access, affordability, adherence and insights, AssistRx delivers patient support with long‑term commitment and adaptability built in. Leveraging our proven hub transition methodology, AssistRx successfully transitioned five programs encompassing 17 products in less than nine months. For another client, we transitioned 3.7 million patients’ historical data.
2. Direct‑to‑Patient (DTP) Models: A Response to Access Pressure
Direct‑to‑patient (DTP) models were another dominant topic at AXS26. Life sciences organizations are increasingly exploring DTP approaches in response to:
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- Growing payer complexity and utilization management
- Demand for self‑service, digitally enabled experiences
- Heightened scrutiny of traditional distribution and benefit pathways
- Pressure to reduce friction between prescription and therapy start
At their core, DTP models combine digital intake, automated access services and streamlined routing to dispensing and delivery, designed to accelerate speed to therapy while reducing administrative burden. They are most successful when they complement existing access and patient support strategies rather than compete with them.
CoAssist from AssistRx enables DTP within a broader access ecosystem. It delivers low‑friction digital intake, automated access services and scalable operational delivery. With CoAssist, life sciences organizations are able to meet patients and healthcare providers (HCPs) where they are in their lifeflows and workflows.
By intentionally balancing technology and talent, AssistRx helps life sciences organizations design DTP models that improve visibility across the patient journey, accelerate time to therapy and remain flexible as distribution strategy, payer dynamics and consumer expectations evolve.
Read our direct-to-patient programs case study to see how AssistRx supported a DTP model that scaled 26x over one year while utilizing affordability-first fulfillment to both identify coverage for 75% of patients and enable cash-pay dispense.
3. Artificial Intelligence: From Experimentation to Operations
Artificial intelligence (AI) has moved decisively from concept to capability in patient support. At AXS26, conversations reflected a clear shift: AI is no longer viewed as experimental. It is becoming foundational to how programs operate and scale.
AssistRx recognized this shift early and expanded its AI capabilities through our 2025 acquisition of AllazoHealth, a healthcare AI company focused on predictive analytics and personalized patient engagement. This investment significantly enhanced AssistRx’s ability to apply data‑driven intelligence across access and support workflows.
Today, AssistRx utilizes AI as an augmentation layer across all business units, supporting operational efficiency and consistency. Within patient support programs, AssistRx AI capabilities enable:
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- AI targeting and next best action – Predictive intelligence integrated into patient support and field team workflows, enabling AssistRx to personalize interventions at the individual patient level.
- Generative AI for call center excellence – Supports call center teams before, during and after patient interactions to improve call effectiveness, quality and patient experience.
- AI-enabled pharmacy workflows – AI supports end-to-end pharmacy operations and prescription management with automations that improve efficiency, accuracy and service continuity.
As AI becomes embedded in every aspect of business, AssistRx views it as a critical enabler of efficiency and adaptability in a complex and changing market, helping ensure that innovation strengthens program stability.
See how AssistRx delivers personalized, AI-driven patient engagement in our case study.
Moving Forward: Rethinking Patient Support and Market Access for What’s Next
AXS26 made one thing clear: patient services are evolving. Whether due to market changes, regulatory updates or heightened patient expectations, delivering access, affordability, adherence and insights requires a partnership that delivers stability, adaptability and innovation.
To learn more about how AssistRx is helping life sciences organizations navigate change with confidence, connect with our team below.