Medical Information Monthly

I’m excited to share that after months of development, the first annual edition of The Pharma Primer 2025 is officially available! This updated, comprehensive guide is designed for professionals entering or growing within the medical information field. Whether you're transitioning into the pharmaceutical industry or aiming to deepen your expertise, The Pharma Primer offers structured, practical insights into: Global and regulatory standards Pharmacovigilance practices Core medical information...

April - 2026 Medical Information Monthly: Built, Governed and Inspection-Ready Standard Response Documents ↓ If Medical Information (MI) is the scientific voice of a life sciences organization, then Standard Response Documents (SRDs) are the repeatable infrastructure that keeps that voice accurate, consistent, and compliant at scale. SRDs are often misunderstood as “templated answers,” but in mature MI organizations they function more like controlled scientific records—built through formal...

March - 2026 Medical Information Monthly: Medical Information vs. Pharmacovigilance Where the Handoff Happens (and How to Do It Right) ↓ In a high-functioning Medical Information (MI) contact center, two priorities run in parallel: delivering accurate, compliant scientific responses and protecting patient safety through reliable escalation pathways. This is where the MI–Pharmacovigilance (PV) handoff becomes one of the most important operational “muscle groups” in the entire Medical Affairs...

February- 2026 Medical Information Monthly: Customer Relationship Management Systems ↓ If you’re new to the pharmaceutical industry, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the term CRM in passing, usually in the context of sales teams. But CRMs play a bigger role than most people expect, including a direct impact on Medical Information (MI) contact center operations. A working understanding of CRMs isn’t just “commercial knowledge.” It’s part of how modern Med Info organizations operate...

January - 2026 Medical Information Monthly: Why HIPAA Doesn’t Block Voluntary AE Reports ↓ If you’re pivoting into Medical Information (MI) or any Medical Affairs-adjacent role, you will quickly learn that adverse event (AE) reporting is not optional. It is one of the core operational pillars of a Medical Information contact center and a foundational compliance expectation for any representative or employee of a life sciences organization who becomes aware of a potential AE. This article...

December - 2025 Happy Holidays & Happy New Year! ↓ Wishing you a happy holidays and a healthy, fulfilling New Year! Thank you for the support, engagement, and thoughtful conversations throughout the year. Whether you’ve been reading from the beginning, recently joined, or simply shared a post or forwarded an issue to a colleague—your engagement is what keeps Med Info Monthly moving. As we head into the new year, our goal is simple: continue delivering practical, high-quality education that...

December - 2025 Medical Information Monthly: HEOR vs MIS ↓ For professionals building or leading Medical Affairs functions, two teams often get conflated: Health Economics & Outcomes Research (HEOR) and Medical Information (MIS). Both operate under medical governance and share a commitment to scientific integrity, but they solve different problems on different timelines. This overview clarifies remit, compliance posture, operating cadence, and collaboration points so you can align roles,...

November - 2025 Medical Information Monthly: Medical Information Management System ↓ If you work in Medical Information — or you’re trying to break into the function — you’ll hear the term MIMS almost immediately. Medical Information Management System (MIMS) is the operational backbone of Medical Information. It’s the software platform (or connected technology stack) used to intake, track, manage, and respond to medical inquiries from healthcare professionals (HCPs), patients, and caregivers....

October - 2025 Medical Information Monthly: The Unsolicited Request ↓ At the heart of every pharmaceutical Medical Information (MI) function lies a delicate balance: deliver scientific accuracy while upholding strict compliance standards. One of the clearest examples of this balance is the handling of unsolicited requests for medical information. Whether you’re an experienced MI specialist or someone transitioning into the field, understanding how to manage on-label and off-label requests,...

Sept - 2025 Medical Information Monthly: Business Process Outsourcing ↓ For many, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) still evokes thoughts of customer service centers or financial back-office support. But within the pharmaceutical industry, BPO has quietly expanded into highly specialized, science-driven domains, including Medical Affairs, Medical Information, and even Pharmacovigilance. Understanding this evolution isn’t just an operational insight — it’s a strategic imperative for...

Aug - 2025 Medical Information Monthly: Medical Information Content Management ↓ When most people think of Medical Information (MI), they picture scientific responses, fielding HCP inquiries, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. But one of the most critical yet often underappreciated responsibilities in MI is the management of the Medical Information Content Vault—also known as the Content Management System (CMS). This is not just document storage. It is a strategic...