Turning Insights into Impact as a Medical Insight Lead

Many Medical Affairs teams collect field insights that never turn into a decision. Scott Thompson, CEO of Acceleration Point, has worked directly with more than 150 Medical Insight Leads and identifies three recurring barriers: insights that disappear without follow-up, reports that don't lead to action, and an analysis process burdensome enough to consume a week or more of staff time each month.

Scott Thompson walks through the three responsibilities that separate a functioning insight program from one stuck in a reporting loop: building an insight strategy anchored in defined scientific belief statements, collecting confidence-building data, and running a formal insight-to-action process. A key insight question (often shortened to KIQ) is a specific question tied directly to a decision the organization needs to make, rather than an open-ended prompt collected without a stakeholder in mind. Thompson also points viewers to a related session, The Four Powerful Questions, which he co-presented with Anna Rathwell-Davey (Gilead) on teaching field teams to ask better questions during HCP conversations. If your team collects data but struggles to show its impact, this session maps a practical path from insight to organizational action.

What You'll Learn

• How to build an insight strategy anchored in defined scientific belief statements and anchor language, so teams can measure whether HCP beliefs shift toward the organization's scientific narrative over time
• How to write key insight questions (KIQs) tied directly to a specific business decision, rather than open-ended questions collected without a stakeholder in mind
• How to structure data collection to capture both what an HCP believes and why they believe it, pairing structured multiple-choice fields with free text
• How to run a formal insight-to-action meeting with a repeatable agenda that surfaces local, regional, and global-level actions
• Why closing the loop with feedback to the field is one of the most overlooked steps in an insights program, and how it increases both the volume and quality of data collected
• Where AI can add value at the data collection stage as well as the analysis stage, since most teams apply it only to analysis

FAQ

What is a key insight question in Medical Affairs?
A key insight question, or KIQ, is a specific question that tells a field team or data collector what to gather because it is tied to a decision the organization needs to make. It differs from a general field report because it starts with the strategist's need, not with whatever data happens to come in.

What is the difference between a scientific belief statement and a key insight question?
A scientific belief statement measures longer-term shifts in what HCPs believe relative to an organization's scientific narrative. A key insight question targets a shorter-term, specific decision. Insight leads typically use both together: belief statements to track change over time, and key insight questions for immediate decisions.

Why do Medical Affairs insight reports fail to drive action?
Insight reports often fail to drive action when teams distribute data without a formal insight-to-action meeting connecting findings to specific decisions. Scott Thompson recommends an agenda that reviews the original questions asked, presents the findings, and asks what action can be taken at the local, regional, and global level. A 2026 global survey of medical affairs professionals found that only 40% of organizations formally measure MSL impact, and 67% describe measuring MSL performance as difficult or very difficult, underscoring why a structured process matters (Source: Dyer et al., Cureus, 2026).

How should Medical Affairs teams structure insight data collection?
Teams generate more confidence-building data by pairing structured, multiple-choice fields capturing what an HCP believes with free text capturing why they believe it, rather than relying on free text alone.

What role can AI play in a Medical Affairs insights program?
AI can support both the collection stage, by prompting field teams with follow-up questions when an entry lacks context, and the analysis stage, by comparing patterns across HCPs who hold different beliefs. Most teams apply AI only at the analysis stage, missing the earlier collection-stage opportunity.

About Our Speaker

Scott Thompson is CEO of Acceleration Point. He has worked directly with more than 150 Medical Insight Leads across Medical Affairs organizations, helping teams build insight strategies, define scientific belief statements, and run insight-to-action meetings that turn field data into organizational decisions.

Connect with Scott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/medical-excellence/

About Acceleration Point Webinars

Acceleration Point webinars bring Medical Affairs and Field Medical leaders together to share practical insights, emerging strategies, and real-world perspectives on the challenges shaping the industry. Each session is designed to support the professionals driving scientific exchange, field medical excellence, and Medical Affairs transformation.

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