Foundations for the Future: Insights from Medical Information Leaders

Medical information teams are exploring a variety of emerging communication channels and solutions to better support a new generation of digitally savvy physicians. However, outdated and often unsupported legacy technology can hinder progress. Custom-built systems limit flexibility and leave virtually no path forward for future development. This not only impacts the distribution of important information to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients but also increases administrative burden and cost.

I recently spoke with two top 10 biopharma leaders — a director of business technology and an associate director of medical information — whose organizations transitioned away from legacy systems in favor of a solution that could evolve with them.

What motivated your organization to implement a new system for medical information operations?

Director of Business Technology: Initially, we explored a new solution for medical information because our existing system had reached the end of its life. During this process, we identified additional opportunities to cut costs and improve process inefficiencies. Our highly customized solution drained time and resources, requiring significant life support just to keep running. We needed a scalable solution that would grow with our business while reducing costs and improving agility.

Associate Director of Medical Information: Similarly, our highly customized system was steadily degrading. The tipping point came when we realized that any new tools or technologies we implemented would be sub-optimal. We tried bolting on more technology, but the system couldn’t keep up. Rather than continuing to patch up the system, we addressed the limitations of the underlying infrastructure. It was time to look for a solution that could evolve with us and the changing needs of our customers.

As you evaluated a change, what were your top priorities?

Director of Business Technology: Since we had integrations that extended across the organization, our top priority was minimizing disruption to the business and ensuring a smooth transition for field teams. We prioritized a system that delivers strong value to the end user. That way, field teams clearly recognized the benefits while seamlessly continuing operations — even as we implemented a new backend.

Associate Director of Medical Information: Two key priorities drove our decision-making: scalability and adaptability. Historically, our U.S. technology environment evolved independently of global operations. We sought to harmonize data across the organization and achieve our ultimate goal — maintaining or surpassing a high standard of service for customers, no matter how their needs evolve.

How did you approach process change and convince stakeholders to adopt new workflows?

Director of Business Technology: Change management and training were instrumental. We communicated clearly and frequently, explaining what was changing, why it was necessary, and what the long-term benefits would be. Working against a hard deadline helped maintain momentum. To stay on track, we partnered with Veeva to help us understand our business problems globally and assess what could realistically be achieved within our timeline.

Associate Director of Medical Information: We learned that one of the most important aspects of process change is fostering discussion. When introducing new systems — whether it’s automation, generative AI, or any other technology — healthy debate is essential. Your team must be willing to challenge assumptions and pressure-test ideas. That’s how you arrive at the best outcome.

How have you balanced meeting U.S. needs with achieving global scalability?

Director of Business Technology: Our MedInquiry implementation was global in scope, so we needed to look at standardizing processes through that lens. By engaging subject matter experts worldwide, we focused on compliance-driven requirements while limiting non-essential customizations.

In our previous custom solution, we could tailor processes endlessly to different countries, which led to excessive complexity and siloed operations. This time, we found global commonalities and consolidated them into a unified foundation. Fortunately, we had very supportive, involved business owners. They brought together a global team that could make decisions and move forward. We knew there would be challenges along the way — different countries, unique regulations — but with the right people involved, we managed to take those challenges in stride.

Associate Director of Medical Information: The U.S. — our largest market with roughly 20,000 inquiries annually — served as the starting point for our project. To ensure it didn’t feel like an isolated effort, we aligned our work in the U.S. with broader harmonization efforts and positioned it as the foundation to grow globally. We recognize the complexities ahead — multiple countries, unique regulations, and varying configuration demands — but we wanted to first lay a strong foundation. Our goal wasn’t to create a proof of concept — it was to build a system that could scale meaningfully across the organization.

Are you exploring opportunities to incorporate automation or AI?

Director of Business Technology: One of our biggest opportunities is automating email templates. We manage a large volume of inquiries, and streamlining response generation would make operations significantly easier — not just for us but also for end users. We’re also evaluating ways to enhance our ability to extract and deliver valuable insights back to the business.

Associate Director of Medical Information: In medical information, automation can have a huge impact — but the first step is always building the right foundation. Our focus is to eliminate redundant processes with basic automation, and then gradually evolve to more advanced technology. We have a long-term vision of very cohesive, well-mapped data sources, where data flows fluidly between systems and into an insights engine that provides strategic direction to the organization.

What’s in store for the future, now that you’ve moved beyond system life support?

Director of Business Technology: When IT is stuck in maintenance mode, consumed with keeping a system up and running, innovation takes a backseat. By transitioning to a platform that handles frequent upgrades, our IT team is free to ask deeper, more strategic questions about technology. We can redirect our energy toward solving bigger challenges — analyzing key metrics, identifying data gaps, and exploring new tools that drive meaningful business decisions. We’re excited to uncover insights we’ve never seen before and extract truly impactful, actionable intelligence.

Associate Director of Medical Information: We’re entering the next phase of growth with a continued focus on strengthening our foundation for the future. Building a connected technology ecosystem supports ongoing evolution — enabling our organization to adapt to changing customer needs, facilitate AI advancements, or create strategic impact with unified data.

Learn how Veeva MedInquiry can help your organization set the right foundation to scale medical information operations.