By Dr. Osama Hashmi, Founder and CEO of Impiricus
For decades, pharmaceutical success has been measured by reach. How many healthcare providers (HCPs) a brand can contact, how often, and through how many channels. But in today’s saturated digital landscape, reach alone is no longer enough. The real question is: Are we actually helping HCPs deliver better care?
Physicians are inundated with fragmented outreach, often receiving redundant or irrelevant information across multiple platforms. This overload not only wastes time but also delays access to critical resources that could improve patient outcomes. To move beyond reach, pharma and life science organizations must rethink how they engage with HCPs, prioritizing precision, relevance, and ethical delivery.
“Pharma often focuses on the sale but for physicians, our day-to-day decisions are focused on what each patient needs. Help us solve problems, not pitch products. Authenticity is the key driver here.” — Dr. Muddasir Ayaz, Gastroenterologist, Rochester Gastroenterology Associates
The Engagement Gap: Metrics That Matter
While digital engagement rates have increased, only 12–15% of HCPs report that pharma interactions are clinically useful. Even more concerning, around 30-40% of physicians in underserved regions or specialties remain digitally unengaged, leaving a significant gap in care delivery.
Impiricus’ AI-powered platform, Ascend, is helping close this gap. Built on over 4 billion HCP data points, Ascend uses agentic AI to deliver tailored, patient-focused resources directly to physicians, on their terms. This includes secure access to samples, dosing calculators, treatment information, and real-time support from medical science liaisons, all without compromising privacy.
“We should be focused on catching physicians in more authentic moments, reaching more underserved physicians in their moments of need, and connecting more meaningfully. It may sound like a contradiction but we should be using AI to scale real connection with physicians and create more authentic moments.” — Randy Keim, Sr. Director, HCP Marketing, Sanofi
“Being able to reach a medical science liaison or request samples through a secure mobile platform without sharing personal contact information saves time and improves care delivery. It’s a game changer and a meaningful shift in how busy clinicians connect with pharma.” — Dr. Abrar Qureshi, Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University
From Engagement to Enablement
True success in pharma isn’t just about reaching HCPs, it’s about enabling them. That means:
- Reducing friction in how physicians access resources.
- Respecting their time and preferences with asynchronous, opt-in communication.
- Delivering clinically relevant tools that support decision-making at the point of care.
“Turning on banner ads, email, etc isn’t omnichannel. It’s about knowing your audience’s preferences. You want doctors to expect and know the value of the information that is coming through each channel. Make sure the message is relevant and the channel is trusted.” — Brooke Fleming, US Commercial Digital Strategy, BeOne Medicines
A top-five pharma company used Ascend to engage digitally naïve physicians for a mature brand, resulting in a $60 million lift in just a few months. A biotech with no field force reached thousands of top-tier providers, accelerating access to new therapies without boots on the ground. Most importantly, physicians are reporting that these connections are helping patients access critical medications faster without the time burden of the traditional pharma model.
“Ascend is already transforming how physicians access critical information and engage with pharmaceutical resources. As an oncologist, having a secure, efficient, and on-demand way to connect directly with the right experts and tools is invaluable. This technology doesn’t just enhance communication, it builds trust.” — Dr. Kashif Firozvi, Oncologist, Maryland Oncology Hematology; Medical Director of Cancer Services, Adventist HealthCare
Ethical AI, Real Impact
Impiricus was founded on the belief that ethical, intelligent technology can transform how pharma supports physicians. Ascend is not just a chatbot—it’s a secure, agentic AI platform that amplifies human connection while protecting sensitive data through tokenized, anonymized pipelines.
Ascend gives doctors choice and relevance in how they engage, while giving pharma a responsible way to share information. The result is clearer communication, better decision-making, and more patients getting the treatments they need.
The Future of Pharma Engagement
As the industry evolves, success will be defined not by how many HCPs a brand can reach, but by how meaningfully it can support them. With new AI platforms and technology available, pharma has the opportunity to rethink engagement as a pathway to better care, not just better metrics. We are proud to lead this shift, connecting HCPs and life sciences companies in ways that are intentional, ethical, and impactful.
