Omnichannel at Scale: Redefining Medical Engagement

Omnichannel means something different to nearly every Medical Affairs team, and that ambiguity is often the real blocker to building a strategy that works. This episode starts from a simpler premise: define the goal first, then choose the channels.

Scott Thompson is joined by Joyce Lo, PharmD (Director of Medical Omnichannel Strategy, Blueprint Medicines), for a conversation on building a compliant omnichannel strategy for Medical Affairs from the ground up. Joyce walks through goal-setting, compliance and legal guardrails, segmentation and the customer journey, cross-functional collaboration, and measuring outcomes beyond channel-level metrics. If your team is still mapping tactics to channels instead of channels to strategy, this conversation offers a clearer starting point.

Key Takeaways:

• Start with goals, not channels. An omnichannel strategy works best when it's built from clear objectives first, then mapped to channels and tactics, not the reverse.
• Compliance and legal are strategy inputs, not obstacles. Bringing compliance and legal into the process early shapes a stronger, more sustainable approach.
• Segmentation anchors the customer journey. Understanding where an HCP sits in their journey determines which touchpoints and messages actually add value.
• Measurement has to go beyond channel metrics. Open rates and click counts don't capture real-world impact. Half of senior Medical Affairs professionals identified enhanced customer engagement as the primary enabler for reinventing the function, according to ZS's 2025 Medical Affairs Outlook Report.
• Omnichannel is cross-functional by design. Medical, Marketing, and Commercial need a shared framework to avoid duplicated or conflicting engagement.
• MSL impact can scale through digital channels, extending reach without diluting the personal, compliant nature of Field Medical engagement.

FAQ

What does omnichannel mean for Medical Affairs?
Omnichannel in Medical Affairs means coordinating personal and non-personal touchpoints, like MSL visits, digital content, and virtual engagement, around a single strategic goal rather than treating each channel separately.

How should a Medical Affairs team start building an omnichannel strategy?
Start with the goal the strategy is meant to serve, not the channels available. Joyce Lo recommends defining objectives first, then selecting and sequencing channels to support them.

How can Medical Affairs measure the impact of an omnichannel engagement strategy?
Effective measurement looks past channel-level metrics like open rates or click counts and toward real-world outcomes, such as changes in HCP understanding or engagement quality over time.

Who needs to be involved in building an omnichannel strategy for Medical Affairs?
Compliance and legal should be involved early, alongside cross-functional partners in Marketing and Commercial, so the strategy is both compliant and coordinated across the organization.

About Our Guest

Joyce Lo, PharmD, is Director of Medical Omnichannel Strategy at Blueprint Medicines. She previously led Medical Digital Strategy and Transformation at Apellis Pharmaceuticals and has held pharmacy and Medical Affairs roles across the industry, including a fellowship through the Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship Program.

Connect with Joyce on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-lo-pharmd/

Curious how this applies to your organization? Let's talk.

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OnPoint: The Medical Excellence Podcast delivers insightful conversations on the most pressing issues facing top Medical Affairs professionals. Listen to stay ahead of industry trends and be inspired by leaders shaping the future of Medical Affairs.

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