Building an Elite Medical Excellence Group

Best Practices, LLC undertook this benchmarking research to examine how pharma and biotech companies are leveraging their Medical Excellence groups to raise efficiency and maximize impact across their Medical organization.

The report delivers benchmarks around maturity, drivers, benefits, activities, staffing, investment, structure, and key performance measures. This report also includes benchmark data from organizations planning to establish a Medical Excellence group in the near future.

Data in this report are further segmented by company size – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-sized companies.

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 57 leaders from 42 companies in this research though a benchmarking survey instrument and roundtable sessions.

Key topics covered in this report include:

• Medical Excellence Groups in Biopharma – An Overview
• Drivers for Medical Excellence Group Creation
• Key Medical Excellence Activities
• Staffing, Investment and Reporting of the Medical Excellence Group
• Medical Excellence Group Objectives and KPIs
• Benchmarks for Proposed Medical Excellence Groups

• Key Medical Excellence goals include enhancing engagement and driving digital transformation: Medical Excellence groups help Medical Affairs evolve through both tactical and strategic phases of transformation. In their infancy, Medical Excellence teams build relationships across the organization to help improve efficiency by standardizing processes, content, tools, systems, data capture and reporting. Mature Medical Excellence teams can aid in the strategic transformation of Medical Affairs by contributing to a long-term road map, which may include new capabilities, up-skilling personnel, linking data sets, building omnichannel engagement, and driving cross-functional initiatives.
  
  

• Top groups served include Field Medical and Training: The most common internal teams supported by Medical Excellence include Field Medical (served by 88% of surveyed Medical Excellence groups), Training (82%), Strategy (67%), Med Ops (67%) and Thought Leader Management (58%).

• Medical Excellence group overview
• Defining Medical Excellence
• The road to Medical Excellence
• Tactical transformation stage of the Medical Excellence group
• Strategic transformation stage of the Medical Excellence group
• Medical Excellence group resources and staffing
• Reporting of Medical Excellence groups

• Implementation status of Medical Affairs Excellence groups – Total benchmark class
• Key benefits of having Medical Excellence groups
• Implementation status of Medical Affairs Excellence groups – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Tenure of Medical Affairs Excellence groups – Total benchmark class
• Tenure of Medical Affairs Excellence groups – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Internal Medical Affairs groups supported by the Excellence group – Total benchmark class
• Internal Medical Affairs groups supported by the Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Main drivers for building Medical Affairs Excellence group – Total benchmark class
• Main drivers for creating Medical Affairs Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Newer (less than 2 years old) vs. established (more than 5 years old) Medical Affairs Excellence teams

• Key activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations
• New product launch related activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations – Total benchmark class
• Relationship management activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations – Total benchmark class
• Budgeting, quality & safety related activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations – Total benchmark class
• Relationship management activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Budgeting, quality & safety related activities supported by the Excellence group at benchmark organizations – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Primary responsibilities of the Excellence group – Total benchmark class
• Primary responsibilities of the Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Key barriers to the success of Medical Excellence group – Total benchmark class
• Key barriers to the success of Medical Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Key contributions of the Excellence group to the Medical Affairs function

• Estimated total number of FTEs in Medical Affairs Excellence group in the most recent fiscal year – Total benchmark class
• Estimated total number of FTEs in Medical Affairs Excellence group in the most recent fiscal year – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Percentage of the total Medical Affairs spend allocated to the Medical Affairs Excellence group in the most recently completed fiscal year – Total benchmark class
• Percentage of the total Medical Affairs spend allocated to the Medical Affairs Excellence group in the most recently completed fiscal year – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Reporting of the Medical Affairs Excellence group
• Medical Affairs Excellence group composition – Total benchmark class
• Medical Affairs Excellence group composition – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Background of the Medical Affairs Excellence group staff – Total benchmark class
• Background of the Medical Affairs Excellence group staff – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment

• Effectiveness of Medical Affairs Excellence group; Performance objectives (among “highly effective” companies) – Total benchmark class
• Effectiveness of Medical Affairs Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Measurement and reporting of objectives performance of Medical Affairs Excellence group – Total benchmark class
• Measurement and reporting of objectives performance of Medical Affairs Excellence group – Large companies vs. Small & Mid-size companies segment
• Medical Excellence team performance – Organizational outcomes
• Medical Excellence team performance – Team and individual goals
• Medical Excellence team performance – Quantitative KPIs

• Expected timeframe for the launch of proposed Medical Affairs Excellence groups within benchmark organizations
• Targeted number of FTEs for proposed Medical Affairs Excellence groups
• Targeted percentage of total Medical Affairs spend allocation to the proposed Excellence group
• Internal Medical Affairs groups to be supported by proposed Excellence groups
• Activities to be supported by proposed Excellence groups
• Main drivers that led organizations to begin planning an Excellence group
• Reporting relationship at proposed Medical Affairs Excellence groups
• Desired backgrounds of staff at proposed Medical Affairs Excellence groups
• Planned responsibility areas for proposed Medical Affairs Excellence groups

• Geographic areas represented by benchmark partners
• Therapeutic areas represented by benchmark partners