Following the morning roundtables at Digital Health East, the conversation continued about the evolving dynamic between pharma marketers and providers.
An afternoon talk led by Dr. Amit Phull, Doximity’s medical director and SVP of strategy and insights, honed in on new ways that pharma marketers can reach so-called “no-see doctors,” the elusive providers who have chosen not to meet with sales reps.
Phull, who also works as an ER doctor and clinical instructor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, considers himself a bit of a “spy.” He identifies with this connotation due to his role as both the physician providing insights into his work at Doximity and the person to “take some of the tools” at the company and test them out at the hospital.
Pledging to remain largely unbiased for his talk, Phull explained that there’s been a progressive decline in the number of physicians deemed accessible over the last decade. Given this trend, marketers would need to think of new digital-driven ways to overcome that, he noted.
While nearly two-thirds of physicians are “no-sees,” Phull said there’s an opportunity in both telehealth and online learning for marketers to reach them. More than 80% of physicians currently use telehealth and a similarly large chunk get much of their medical content online, whether via mobile medicine or online learning.
“Mobile medicine is having a moment,” Phull said, “and is here to stay.”
He added that HCPs spend a significant amount of time on the wait screens as they wait for patients to join video visits and that reaching them through their mobile devices — in ways that aren’t intrusive — can drive high watch rates. Getting quality content out through online learning can also reach providers in effective ways that can improve retention.
It won’t necessarily enable reps to see a provider, he cautioned, but it will “enable providers to see you.”
