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Cutting Edge Information Study Finds That Two-Thirds of Medical Information Teams Are Centrally Structured
[November 14, 2012]

Cutting Edge Information Study Finds That Two-Thirds of Medical Information Teams Are Centrally Structured


RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. --(Business Wire)--

Though medical information teams often emphasize their role in answering inquiries and dispensing clinical data to external physicians, these teams also serve as valuable internal resources.

Cutting Edge Information's recent study, "Medical Information Teams and Call Center Management" found that most pharmaceutical and medical device companies organize their medical information teams under a centralized function. Two-thirds of the surveyed medical information teams are centralized. Life science companies position to support other internal functions with their medical data. The remaining 34% of surveyed teams are decentralized.

"Companies typically empower centralized medical information teams to provide data across therapeutic areas, across geographies and to multiple parts of the organization," said Ryan McGuire, Research Team Leader at Cutting Edge Information. "But centralized teams typcally lack the knowledge of market-specific nuances. Decentralized teams are often better positioned to understand these intricacies."



Decentralized medical information teams are more commonly aligned by geographic region (57%). Other teams are aligned by therapeutic area (14%) or a combination of geography and therapeutic area (29%). For these decentralized teams, medical information is still easily accessible by other internal functions that may rely on them.

Top 20 pharmaceutical companies report the highest number of decentralized affiliates with medical information teams. As globalization expands within medical affairs groups, the discussion has shifted to how global medical affairs groups control a globalized medical information group. This globalized medical information subset poses challenges that the industry has not previously faced.


"Medical Information Teams and Call Center Management" (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/research/medical-affairs/information-teams/) benchmarks staffing, resources and call center management metrics for medical information teams at company headquarters and affiliate offices. Use this report to:

  • Understand and manage the entire medical information function, from internal operations to outsourced call center operations
  • Manage a growing number of medical information responsibilities, including call center management, library services and copy review
  • Coordinate medical information teams to support internal and outward facing functions within the company

For more information about medical information and medical affairs benchmarking, contact Cassie Demeter at 919-403-6583.


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