Case Study: Reimbursement Strategy and KOL Engagement
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 30
"What impressed me most was how quickly Peak Spirit got up to speed and started delivering real out put. The project resulted in sophisticated market intelligence on reimbursement pathways and KOL engagement that would have taken much longer to build on our own."
BACKGROUND & PROBLEM STATEMENT
DoMore Diagnostics (DMD) is a Norwegian AI diagnostics company developing Histotype Px® Colorectal, the world's first CE-marked AI outcome prediction marker for stage II and III colorectal cancer (CRC). The test addresses a critical gap: up to 90 percent of stage II/III patients who receive chemotherapy after tumor removal derive no or only little meaningful benefit while suffering significant side effects. With the clinical case established and retrospective trials underway in the Netherlands, DMD turned to two strategic commercial questions ahead of Dutch market entry. First, which reimbursement path ways in the Dutch system, from early pilots to national coverage, offered the most realis tic route to adoption. Second, which of the relevant clinician groups, pathologists, surgeons, or oncologists, would be the strongest driver of early clinical demand, and whether current workflows and evidence standards were ready to support adoption.
COMMON PROJECT CHALLENGES
Most European markets offer 20+ possible market entry & reimbursement pathways, each with its own evidence and timeline requirements.
FRAMING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. Identifying which clinical, economic, and access questions need validation first is often underestimated, especially for companies entering a market for the first time.
EXPERT ACCESS. Getting in contact with senior healthcare professionals and payers typically yields very low response rates, making structured access a bottleneck.
FRAGMENTED STAKEHOLDERS. Clinical users, institutional buyers, and payers each have different incentives and decision logics, requiring tailored value arguments.
RISK OF OVERGENERALIZATION. Assumptions from one country or segment rarely transfer cleanly to another.
HOW THIS PROJECT ADDRESSED THEM
FOCUSED SCOPING WORKSHOP. A joint kick-off session to align on which clinical, economic, and access questions mattered most, and in what order, before any analysis began.
REIMBURSEMENT DEEP-DIVE. An in-depth analysis of the Dutch CRC diagnostics landscape and reimbursement precedents from comparable diagnostic and digital biomarker products, stress-tested with a senior Dutch market access expert with over 1,000 completed projects in his portfolio.
DIRECT CLINICAL REACH. Structured access to KOLs across leading Dutch cancer centres, including the Dutch Cancer Institute, capturing input on workflow fit, evidence expectations, and willingness to champion the test.
STAKEHOLDER-SPECIFIC DIALOGUE. Separate conversations with pathologists, oncologists, and surgeons to surface where clinical, institutional, and economic incentives aligned - and where they diverged.
PAYER VALIDATION. A direct working session with CZ, one of the largest Dutch insurers, to pressure-test the recommended commercialization approach with a payer perspective.
COUNTRY-SPECIFIC VALIDATION. The analysis was built ground-up for the Dutch system, not adapted from another market.
WHAT DOMORE DIAGNOSTICS WALKED AWAY WITH
A DEFINED REIMBURSEMENT PATHWAY with prioritized options, from early pilots to broader coverage - grounded in Dutch-specific precedents, not assumptions from other markets.
VALIDATED CLINICAL DEMAND DRIVERS across pathology, oncology, and surgery, with a clear picture of where workflows and evidence standards are ready to support adoption.
FIVE KOLS EXPRESSING ACTIVE INTEREST in follow-up collaboration, opening early commercial opportunities at leading Dutch cancer centres.
AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH A SENIOR DUTCH REIMBURSEMENT EXPERT, open to continued advisory support as the commercialization pathway progresses.
A PAYER-VALIDATED COMMERCIALIZATION APPROACH confirming that the recommended sequence of building clinical champions first is the right path forward.
“The project gave DMD not only a clear and executable path into the Dutch market, but also a stronger investor story - with resource allocation tied to a concrete market entry timeline. Building on the Dutch engagement, the two companies are now extending the collaboration to the UK, DMD's next priority market.”
Ready to Unlock Your Market Potential?
Discover how Peak Spirit can help your venture achieve rapid growth and navigate complex market landscapes. Book a call with Siro today to explore a potential collaboration that drives your success.
