1. Any visit is better than no visit

The axiom "any visit with a Field Medical representative is better than no visit” profoundly influences the strategies within Medical Affairs. The data indicates the importance of at least 1 visit per year. The impact on being seen as a valued medical partner compared to no visits at all is significant. The first visit serves as a foundational pillar for future interactions, fostering two-way dialogues, maintaining channels of communication, and exchanging updated industry insights. In light of resource constraints, it's important to consider reaching a wider range of physicians rather than increasing visits among a smaller group of physicians.

The minor impact gap between low and high-quality Field Medical visits for those HCPs who had only one annual visit, underscores the difficulty in assessing quality levels after a single visit. The quality can be clearly assessed from a second visit. It is important to strategically leverage both Field Medical representatives for widespread coverage and (high-quality) Field medical representatives for crucial visits and in-depth discussions with Key Opinion Leaders. According to Trilations' Engagement Experience insights, quality is heavily depending on the quality of the content, on personalization and on the interpersonal abilities of the Field Medical representative.

2. “More is less” for low-quality visits

When examining low-quality visits, our data unveils that any additional visits after the first visit do not compensate for shortcomings in quality. On the contrary, extra visits not only mean extra costs, but if physicians perceive them as low-quality, it even has a negative impact on being seen as a trusted partner. It implies that focusing on the improvement of the visit quality is more impactful and cost-effective, before considering an increase in visit frequency. Therefore, a strategic imperative lies in evaluating and allocating resources to enhance the quality of the Field Medical visits.

 Keep scrolling to find out more about the diminishing returns of visit frequency.

3. Frequency of high-quality visits: law of diminishing returns

More frequent high-quality touchpoints with Field Medical representatives have a positive influence on being seen as a valued medical partner. However, there are diminishing returns, meaning that any additional visit will have a decreased additional positive impact. Nonetheless, high-quality visits do positively influence behavioral change. Each Field Medical visit becomes a strategic touchpoint for deepening scientific knowledge, fortifying relationships, and fostering clinical understanding.

As the visit frequency increases, the data shows a saturated maximum at 5 Field Medical visits per year (average over all markets). Beyond this point, additional visits have a negative effect. The finding also highlights the importance of the visit quality because the fatigue sets in sooner when visits are perceived as lower quality. The optimal visit frequency can change depending on the specifics of the geographical market, the disease area and the physician profiles. Understanding these nuances allows for the development of tailored strategies that maximize the effectiveness of medical visits, while taking into account resource and budget constraints.

As a conclusion, after the first visit (or the Olympic minimum), enhancing the visit quality is of utmost importance, and similar to winning gold. The data indicates that increasing the visit frequency without increasing the visit quality has a negative impact on being perceived as the most valued medical partner. Therefore, it is needed to evaluate your medical visits within a holistic framework that integrates both visit frequency and visit quality. By prioritizing metrics that underscore the intrinsic value of each interaction, pharmaceutical companies can strategically optimize their visits while leveraging industry dynamics (what are the market & competitors doing) and emerging technologies (AI, personalized approaches). A holistic approach not only enhances operational efficiencies but also steers strategic decisions toward a future aligned with the needs of all stakeholders, including physicians, field medical personnel, and patients.