In the dynamic landscape of the biopharmaceutical industry, Medical Affairs stands tall as one of the three foundational pillars, alongside Research & Development and Commercial. The significance of Medical Affairs is not confined to a specific phase of an asset’s lifecycle. Rather, it resonates throughout, profoundly influencing strategic decision-making and the ultimate success of therapeutic innovations. Despite its pivotal role, demonstrating the value of Field Medical Affairs has, to date, been a challenge due to its qualitative and non-promotional nature. In this white paper, Trinity Life Sciences embarks on a journey to reveal the multifaceted impact of Field Medical Affairs within the healthcare ecosystem and how this can be measured and communicated. As the paradigm has shifted with Medical Affairs firmly established as the third strategic pillar, there is an impetus among leadership to understand the return on investment and the overarching impact Field Medical Affairs has on the organization.
The unique ability of Medical Affairs to engage with a diverse spectrum of stakeholders throughout an asset’s lifecycle underscores their indispensable contribution to the strategic fabric of pharmaceutical endeavors. Field Medical Affairs, in particular, finds itself in the paradoxical position of being indispensable yet challenged with quantifying outcomes and impact. While conventional metrics, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Medical Objectives (KMOs) may capture the volume of engagements and indicators of impact, they often fall short in capturing the transformative influence that Field Medical Affairs teams wield. Traditional, activity-based metrics have missed the mark on translating Field Medical Affairs activities to tangible milestones, such as changes in HCP perception, HCP advocacy or closing critical care gaps that impact overall patient outcomes.
For Field Medical Affairs to effectively execute on performance measures, organizations must establish a strong foundation by developing an appropriate structure, size and mandate for the medical organization. This involves defining clear roles and responsibilities, aligning the Field Medical Affairs plan, activities and deliverables with asset and medical strategies, communicating key objectives and creating specialized roles such as HEOR/payer-focused liaisons or nurse-focused liaisons.
Due to the nature of the role and the activities Field Medical Affairs undertake, a one-size-fits-all approach for performance and impact measurement is not effective. To effectively showcase the real impact of Field Medical Affairs activities, a comprehensive, customized model that integrates various quantitative and qualitative methods is essential. The selection of KMOs and impact measures should be driven by cross-functional requirements and aligned with expectations, ensuring they are tailored to the specific lifecycle stage of assets. Regular review and adjustment of KMOs and impact measures are necessary as assets progress through different lifecycle stages and as market dynamics and strategic priorities evolve.
Organizations must also consider how Field Medical Affairs allocates its time between traditional HCP engagements and other activities such as clinical trial support, conferences, advisory boards or patient advocacy to ensure adequate headcount and capacity to carry out their field-based activities despite shifting priorities.
Trinity advocates for optimizing the impact of Field Medical Affairs on clinical practice, standard of care, HCP perception, patient outcomes and the commercial success of assets. This requires a strategic shift from tracking and measuring “inputs” like activity metrics to focus on “outputs” such as patient outcomes. Achieving this transformation entails developing a compelling medical value and scientific narrative, enhancing the skills and competencies of Field Medical Affairs through training and coaching, selecting appropriate patient outcomes and leveraging robust data and analytics tools and capabilities. Trinity offers extensive expertise and a wide range of capabilities to support clients through this transformation, helping them build a “Best in Class” Field Medical Affairs program.
