Moving Forward: Engaging With Oncology Pharmacy Providers

Greetings From San Mateo! 

As we busily analyze field data collected from our annual IDN survey, we would like to offer a sneak peek at how oncology pharmacists want to engage with manufacturers in 2022 and beyond.

COVID-19 changed numerous aspects of the healthcare engagement experience.  Virtual health, virtual learning and virtual meetings have become a part of daily operations.  As hospitals and providers slowly return to a new normal, we wondered how providers may want to interact with manufacturer personnel going forward. 

We asked 100+ oncology pharmacists to design their "optimal" manufacturer engagement experience by allocating points across 3 channels: in-person meetings, virtual meetings / presentations, and independent online research.

The Results

1. Almost all oncology pharmacists included some portion of in-person meetings in their optimal engagement mix. In-person meetings provide “interesting” interactions and networking opportunities. 
2. However, the desire to continue virtual meetings/webinars is clear, with an average of 40% of their time allocated to this channel. According to respondents, virtual meetings or presentations are “effective”, “efficient” and “easier to fit into my schedule.”
3. Additionally, multiple oncology pharmacists suggest real-time Q&A capabilities on manufacturers’ sites are helpful additions during online information searches

For more information on IDN decision making, clinical controls and manufacturer engagement opportunities, stay tuned for our IDN Annual Survey Trend Report in mid-May.

As always, please reach out with any comments or questions you have.

All the best...
-- HMP Market Access Insights Team