Understanding the Clinical Workflow: How to Be “In the Room” With HCPs

When it comes to point-of-care (POC) marketing, not every “clinical” moment is truly clinical. Waiting room videos, kiosks, or journal ads may help with awareness—especially for patients—but they are separate from the EHR-managed workflow where care actually happens: intake, medication review, diagnosis, and prescribing.  

This distinction matters: one study shows HCPs spend up to 16 minutes per patient encounter, and over 5 hours a day in EHRs. No other channel commands that much focused HCP attention or reaches the moment of the prescribing decision.   

It’s also where HCPs want messaging most. A 2023 independent survey of HCPs found that nearly 70% of HCPs prefer receiving brand messaging in the EHR, because it provides practical support rather than generic promotion. 

As Dr. Jeffrey Stahl, CMO and Director of Innovation at DxWeb, explains: 

“HCPs bear a significant responsibility in terms of keeping up with current clinical data, knowing what medications are available, the appropriate dosing of those, and the appropriate indication,” says Dr. Jeffrey Stahl, CMO and Director of Innovation, DxWeb. “This information is continually changing, and it requires constant vigilance by HCPs.” 

Life science brands that meet HCPs where they work, with information that improves patient care or makes it more affordable, secure a competitive advantage. And it starts by understanding the clinical workflow. 

What Is the Clinical Workflow, and Where Do Brands Fit In?

The clinical workflow is the structured sequence of steps a doctor follows when caring for a patient. It’s the end-to-end process of delivering care, centered on the EHR, from patient intake to follow-up. 

Throughout this workflow, there are moments for relevant brand messages and information to appear. Done well, these are small and unobtrusive—but unmissable. Banners or alerts can surface directly in the EHR at key touchpoints, targeted using privacy-safe data, NPI lists, and AI-driven signals. Read on for the most popular opportunities, and how they can directly contribute to patient care and brand engagement. 

Patient Intake and Chart Review 

At the start of a visit, prescribers review a patient’s history, medications, and symptoms. The EHR guides through each step of the intake process, collecting and confirming all necessary information for the physician to make the best care plan for that patient. Here’s how brands can best engage during these initial stages: 

• Login Screen: A brief brand message can appear at login, even before a patient chart is accessed. 

• Symptom and Medication Review: HCPs start with a review of a patient’s current symptoms and medications, then enter that data into the patient's chart. That data can then trigger in-chart delivery of key information such as brand eligibility, potential tests or diagnoses, and more. 
• Diagnosis: When a diagnosis is made by the HCP (whether on the initial visit or in a follow-up), the ICD-10 code can prompt further brand information delivery in the patient chart, such as clinical benefits, formulary status, competitive advantages, and more. 

Therapy Selection and Prescribing 

Following diagnosis, physicians navigate to the EHR’s electronic prescribing tool, where they can search for and select medications based on the known ICD-10 code. While there are significant regulations on suggesting, interfering with, endorsing, or incentivizing for a treatment, brands can provide select information as HCPs review therapy options, interactions, costs, and prior authorization needs. 

The biggest opportunities for brands include: 

• Financial assistance, co-pay, and formulary information, given that cost and access barriers are a key factor in successful treatment initiation and adherence 

• Therapeutic results and treatment benefits, that highlight clinical advantages over alternative options  

• Refill alerts and 90-day prescription reminders, which can help patients stay compliant and consistent with their treatment plan  
• Patient support program information, so they have full access to brand-sponsored care resources.  

As Dr. Jeanne Armstrong, CMO of TouchWorks EHR, explains, “When context and insights on treatments is provided at the point of care, it really helps me determine if a certain medication is a good fit for a patient. The level of efficiency is incredibly valuable.” 

Prescription Fulfillment 

The final step in the EHR is to select a pharmacy for Rx fulfillment, leaving any relevant notes for the pharmacist. The physician needs to complete and submit any required prior authorization (PA) or hub enrollment paperwork.  

While payer and distribution rules can add complexity, brands can ease the process in two key ways: 

• Pharmacy Alerts: Alerts in the prescribing sequence that notify HCPs when a drug has limited distribution, which help prescribers route prescriptions to the correct pharmacy and avoid fulfillment delays. 
• Automated Copay Submission: Electronic submission of copay cards alongside the prescription, which prevent cost surprises at the pharmacy, enable the “first fill,” and reduce the burden from the patient. 

The Channel That Converts 

Although benefit, financial, and distribution info can be shared via print, digital ads, or websites, delivering this content in the EHR clinical workflow provides immediacy, accuracy, and direct access to the HCP–patient conversation. At OptimizeRx, POC campaigns using our vast EHR network see an average 19% script lift, which rises to 25% when paired with predictive targeting and dynamic audiences.  

By understanding the clinical workflow and choosing a POC provider that brings your brand into the exam room—the “last mile” of care—you not only spend smarter but also deliver greater value to physicians and patients alike. Learn more about OptimizeRx point of care opportunities.