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MAPS 2025: Building Effective Integrated Medical Communications

MAPS 2025: Highlights From the Integrated Medical Communications MasterClass

The annual Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS) Americas meeting was held March 23-26, 2025, in New Orleans. The Integrated Medical Communications (iMC) MAPS MasterClass was an intensive 1.5-day workshop facilitated by 10 faculty experts. The objective was to enhance participants’ capabilities in developing and executing effective iMC plans that align with overarching Medical Affairs initiatives. Below summarizes some key points, as reported by Brett Mahon, Executive Vice President of Medical & Scientific Services at OPEN Health.   Laying the Groundwork: Foundations for an iMC Plan An iMC plan is a comprehensive, innovative approach to aligning Medical Communications that focuses on short- and long-term objectives throughout a product’s life cycle. Medical Affairs teams essentially function as the bridge connecting R&D to Commercial, with iMCs serving as keystones to the bridge’s strength and impact. It is important to remember that Scientific Communication Platforms (SCPs) are an integral part of iMC plans but are not the same thing. SCPs include a summary narrative and hierarchically organized, scientifically accurate and referenced statements that describe a disease state and product. An iMC uses the SCP and other inputs to provide a roadmap enabling a cohesive scientific story delivered at the right time to the right audience.   Insights Alignment: Connecting Data, Teams, and Strategy Using an insights-driven mindset, one must continually adjust iMC plans to ensure stakeholder needs are adequately addressed. It is critical to distinguish between truly impactful insights versus less important information and opinions. The identification of key topics and questions that require investment is important for developing successful iMC plans. Querying MSLs and Medical Information team leaders about the most common themes and issues they are hearing from the field is often a great way to sense-check where more resources or planning may be needed.   Building the Blueprint: Step-by-Step iMC Plan Creation A 5-step process was described for developing iMCs:
  1. Define medical communication objectives
  2. Identify audiences and how they consume content
  3. Identify channels/formats to optimally engage audiences
  4. Delineate focus areas, tactics, and an implementation plan
  5. Define a plan for measuring success, adapting based on insights
How the information within iMC plans is presented can vary but should reflect integrated alignment and delivery. The critical importance of understanding the preferred communication channels for target audiences cannot be overstated. The emerging role of Medical Affairs teams to maintain a patient-centric approach to their activities was raised by many attendees. In the past, Commercial was the sole function used in many organizations for reaching patients, but this is rapidly changing to encompass Medical Affairs activities as well.   Measuring and Communicating Impact: Unlocking the Power of Metrics Metrics are often cited as the most challenging part of iMC plan development and evaluation. The Goals Actions Metrics Evaluations (GAME) framework can be useful for identifying and weighting iMC plan metrics. For example, the GAME framework explores the questions “What does the audience do when they are interested in the content and at what interval?” and “If the tactic was a total success, how would each parameter behave?” Metrics must be meaningful to impact future decision-making and should be weighted to reflect their relative importance. The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for iMC planning and metrics was a recurrent theme throughout the workshop. Many attendees stressed the importance of considering AI as a target audience. The power and accuracy of AI tools will only increase moving forward.   Overall, the iMC MasterClass exemplified MAPS’ commitment to advancing excellence in Medical Affairs. By combining foundational knowledge with advanced strategies and fostering a collaborative environment, this workshop equipped participants with the tools and insights necessary to deliver world-class iMC plans and strategies.  
For information about OPEN Health’s services and how we could support your Medical Communications and Medical Affairs needs, please get in touch. Contact us