Healthcare Industry Digital Strategy : Re-thinking HCP Engagement

Authored by Saurav Kasera, Co-Founder of CLIRNET

We are all caught in the unending loop of digitization. Today, the progression from traditional systems to digital based systems is rapidly engulfing most sectors. Many industries are aligning their natural working patterns towards the digitized dimension. The question is, where does the healthcare industry fit into this wave of progress?

The digital dilemma: Mapping the sectoral digital maturity

In 2015, McKinsey published a report focusing on the meticulous evaluation of digital quotient for industries. It was found that the pharmaceutical industry only accounted for a below-average score of 27 when the global average was easily higher, quantified at 33! The study mapped 18 practices that concerned digital strategy, capabilities, and culture. The new-age companies are leading this race to tech functionality, followed closely by the retail sector. The healthcare sector was found lacking.

A noticeable aspect of digital marketing is a shift towards a more consumer-centric approach from a formerly product-based mentality. A parallel question would be, if the other sectors were exposed to the need for digital depth within their mechanisms, why was the healthcare sector left behind?

Whatever the answer, digitisation is a marathon and not a sprint. Digital engagement, aligned to traditional modes to business, can be strategized and achieved.  

Why do the engagement strategies for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) by healthcare industry need a reassessment post COVID-19?

Four factors can be attributed to the need for a reassessment of engagement strategies for HCPs, which can be traced to the structural changes aggravated by COVID-19: 

● The traditional mode of HCP engagement (based significantly on field-force) is showing disappointing performance as the primary method within the sector.

● A reduced number of HCPs are willing to attend physical conferences that are conducted for Continued Medical Education (CME) and are noticeably becoming incompatible to the preferences of HCPs.

● HCPs are still taking baby steps towards this change, although it has gained some momentum, aided by COVID-19 as a catalyst. Most systems are increasingly becoming digitized today, but healthcare businesses will still require some assistance to establish pure-play digital functionalities.

● Brand promotion isn’t the only aspect that is critical today. Companies are being comprehensively evaluated for knowledge, shaping therapies, engendering positive cultures, and encouraging progressiveness.

HCPs have indicated a preference for the use of patient adherence tools, e-MSLs, and Virtual e-Detailing. A study by the Across Health team established that these channels were hardly being used on-ground, quantified at 13, 12 and 17 percent, respectively. However, a frenetic reaction to this by instinctively increasing resources towards multi-channel marketing (MCM) is not the right way to address these challenges. Here, a one-size-fits-all approach can be erroneous. Factors such as product, geography, customer base, resources, and much more regulate the digital strategy and method of engagement for different healthcare businesses. The digital strategy that needs to be developed should be aligned with long-term business planning as well as short-term business goals.

Artificial Intelligence (A.I) as added functionality, is leveraging the power of digital technology in many industries. However, it is very important to note that intelligence building as an exercise takes its own sweet time and is reinforced by a self-correcting mechanism. Mistakes, here, are seen as stepping stones to more robust digital engagement systems, not hindrances.

The adoption of digital engagement strategy for the healthcare industry is very similar. Self-correcting digital solutions where scalability is regulated and stakeholder transition time is respected is the need of the hour.

Conclusion 

Healthcare businesses’ success will be governed by their willingness to invest in scalable digital capabilities aligned with their business strategies. The digital transformation in the sector might not be faultless, but a process of trial and error where growth would be much more organic through learning implemented from mistakes. The solution would be to integrate digital innovations concurrently without tedious analysis and deep evaluation to study the benefit of applying digital marketing strategies.