Hospital Network Mapping: Using Open Data to Understand Doctor Influence

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The healthcare industry is facing significant challenges, with 64% of clinicians having worse than expected results in 2021, according to the 2024 National Impact Assessment of Quality Measures Report. This statistic highlights the need for pharmaceutical sales representatives and marketing managers to optimize their engagement strategies with healthcare professionals (HCPs). By leveraging hospital network mapping and graph analytics, sales teams can identify influential physicians and focus their efforts efficiently. This article will explore the current state of HCP engagement, the challenges faced by physicians, and the solutions that are working, providing actionable insights for sales teams to improve their performance.

The Current State

The healthcare industry is undergoing significant changes, with an increasing number of physicians using health AI, 78% increase from 2023, according to the Ventra Health 2026 RCM Trend Report. This trend is expected to continue, with 2 in 3 physicians already using health AI. Companies like Syneos are bringing unparalleled launch experience and cross-functional insights to HCP engagement strategies, as noted in the Evaluating CSOs for Pharmaceutical HCP Engagement in 2025 report. Additionally, 2,253 hospital responses from 2024, 639 from 2023, and 358 from 2022 demonstrate the growing participation of hospitals in health information networks, as reported by the US Hospital Participation in Health Information Networks. CREATION.co has also helped many teams to better understand their healthcare professional stakeholders by listening to their online discussions, as seen in their Client success stories 2024.

Healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, or medical device manufacturers use strategies and methods to interact, communicate, and build relationships with HCPs, as stated in the HCP Engagement: Trends, Success Metrics & Omnichannel report. HCP engagement models in 2025 blend face-to-face visits with virtual and digital channels for a true omnichannel strategy, as noted in the Evaluating CSOs for Pharmaceutical HCP Engagement in 2025 report. The use of open data from sources like NPPES and CMS is becoming increasingly important for sales teams to understand doctor influence and optimize their engagement strategies.

The current state of HCP engagement is complex, with multiple stakeholders and channels involved. Pharmaceutical sales representatives and marketing managers need to navigate this complex landscape to effectively engage with HCPs and improve sales performance. By leveraging hospital network mapping and graph analytics, sales teams can gain valuable insights into the relationships between HCPs and identify key influencers.

The Challenge

Physicians face numerous challenges, including administrative burdens, scope creep, and insufficient resources, as noted in the Section 1: Setting the Context report. Access to care and collaboration with government are also significant challenges faced by physicians, as stated in the same report. These challenges can make it difficult for sales teams to engage with HCPs and build meaningful relationships. Additionally, the increasing use of health AI by physicians, 78% increase from 2023, according to the Ventra Health 2026 RCM Trend Report, can create new challenges for sales teams to effectively engage with HCPs.

The challenges faced by physicians can have a significant impact on sales teams' ability to engage with HCPs. For example, administrative burdens can limit the time available for HCPs to meet with sales representatives, while scope creep can make it difficult for sales teams to identify the most influential HCPs. Insufficient resources can also limit the ability of sales teams to provide effective support to HCPs. By understanding these challenges, sales teams can develop strategies to overcome them and build more effective relationships with HCPs.

What's Working

Companies like Syneos are bringing unparalleled launch experience and cross-functional insights to HCP engagement strategies, as noted in the Evaluating CSOs for Pharmaceutical HCP Engagement in 2025 report. CREATION.co has also helped many teams to better understand their healthcare professional stakeholders by listening to their online discussions, as seen in their Client success stories 2024. Ventra Health has released a 2026 RCM Trend Report, which provides valuable insights into the trends and challenges facing the healthcare industry.

The use of open data from sources like NPPES and CMS is becoming increasingly important for sales teams to understand doctor influence and optimize their engagement strategies. By leveraging hospital network mapping and graph analytics, sales teams can gain valuable insights into the relationships between HCPs and identify key influencers. This can help sales teams to focus their efforts more effectively and build more meaningful relationships with HCPs. Some best practices for sales teams include:

* Using data and analytics to identify key influencers and optimize engagement strategies

* Developing omnichannel engagement strategies that blend face-to-face visits with virtual and digital channels

* Providing effective support to HCPs to help them overcome administrative burdens and scope creep

The Road Ahead

The future of HCP engagement is likely to be shaped by the increasing use of health AI and the growing importance of open data. Sales teams will need to develop strategies to effectively engage with HCPs in a rapidly changing landscape. Some future trends to expect include:

* Increased use of health AI by physicians, with 2 in 3 physicians already using health AI, according to the Ventra Health 2026 RCM Trend Report

* Growing importance of open data from sources like NPPES and CMS to understand doctor influence and optimize engagement strategies

* Increased focus on omnichannel engagement strategies that blend face-to-face visits with virtual and digital channels

Action Items

To improve HCP engagement and sales performance, sales teams should:

* Use data and analytics to identify key influencers and optimize engagement strategies

* Develop omnichannel engagement strategies that blend face-to-face visits with virtual and digital channels

* Provide effective support to HCPs to help them overcome administrative burdens and scope creep

Here are three specific next steps for sales teams:

1. Review current engagement strategies and identify areas for improvement

2. Develop a plan to leverage open data from sources like NPPES and CMS to understand doctor influence and optimize engagement strategies

3. Implement an omnichannel engagement strategy that blends face-to-face visits with virtual and digital channels to effectively engage with HCPs