Pharmaceutical companies now have more ways than ever to communicate with doctors and other healthcare providers (HCPs). These include traditional methods, digital ads, electronic health records (EHRs), and even data from prescriptions and medical claims. However, many of these methods still rely on outdated lists of healthcare providers, which can cause problems. These lists often include too many or too few doctors because they are based only on past behavior—like what medicines a doctor prescribed before or what conditions they treated. But these past actions don’t tell us what a doctor might prescribe next, especially in fast-changing fields like medicine. This means pharmaceutical companies may miss the best time to share important information with doctors when they are actually making treatment decisions.
Why traditional ways of talking to doctors aren’t working as well anymore
Traditional ways of reaching doctors focus on reaching as many of them as possible as often as possible. But this doesn’t always work because doctors don’t have much time to think about new treatments. For example, a doctor who prescribed a medication months ago may not see a similar patient again soon, or they might already be reconsidering how they treat a condition. Companies that try to guess which doctors are most likely to prescribe a medicine based on past behavior may end up reaching too many doctors who aren’t ready to make a change, while missing the few who are actually about to make a decision. This wastes time and money and makes the message less effective.
This problem creates a disconnect: doctors receive messages that don’t fit their current needs, and pharmaceutical companies struggle to share information at the right time. The situation is getting worse because doctors are busier than ever. Research shows that a typical family doctor would need 27 hours in a day just to give patients the care they need. Doctors are under a lot of pressure to make quick decisions, and messages that arrive too late or don’t fit their needs are often ignored. The key to making an impact isn’t just sending more messages—it’s making sure they arrive at the right time and in the right context.
According to research from IQVIA, 89% of healthcare providers prefer personalized interactions with pharmaceutical companies. Doctors value educational messages that help them stay up-to-date and solve real problems they face every day. When messages don’t help doctors do their job better, they don’t serve their main purpose: helping doctors take care of their patients.
The future: Engaging doctors when it matters most
To fix this, pharmaceutical companies need to focus on engaging doctors at the exact moment they are preparing to make a treatment decision. Doctors’ schedules can tell us a lot about what they will need to discuss with patients. For example, a routine visit with a family doctor is often scheduled a couple of weeks in advance, and visits with specialists like OB/GYNs, gastroenterologists, dermatologists, or cardiologists can be booked over a month ahead. This means there’s a window of time before the visit where doctors are preparing for the conversation with their patient. There’s also an opportunity right after the visit, while doctors are managing follow-up care or dealing with paperwork.
Phreesia, a company that helps pharmaceutical companies reach patients at the right time, has now created a tool called ProviderConnect to help companies engage doctors in a smarter way. ProviderConnect doesn’t replace existing strategies; it adds a new layer by focusing on timing and context. This helps companies send the right message at the right time, making it easier for doctors to make confident decisions and for patients to get the care they need with less hassle.
How ProviderConnect works
Thanks to artificial intelligence, ProviderConnect looks at real-world doctor schedules to identify upcoming appointments, the types of visits, and the health concerns of the patients. This allows pharmaceutical companies to reach doctors when they are most likely to be open to new information—like when they are preparing for a visit or just finished one. This makes the messages more relevant and effective without disrupting doctors’ daily routines.
For example:
– **Rare diseases:** Companies can share information with doctors who are about to see patients who might have a rare disease, helping them recognize symptoms earlier and refer patients to specialists.
– **Switching medications:** Companies can reach out to doctors who are likely to reassess a patient’s treatment, providing balanced information about side effects, coverage, and alternatives.
– **New treatments:** Companies can focus on the first visits where a new medicine could be prescribed, building confidence in the treatment early on.
The future of engaging doctors
The best way to engage doctors is to focus on real-time, relevant information. Companies that adopt this approach can have a bigger impact on treatment decisions. Phreesia has been helping pharmaceutical companies reach patients at the right time for over 20 years, and ProviderConnect brings the same expertise to engaging doctors.
To learn more about how ProviderConnect can improve your strategy for engaging healthcare providers, request a demo today.