Marketing’s Missed Opportunity? The Critical Role of NPs and PAs in Patient Care
The proceeding is a recap of one of the sessions from the second annual IQVIA Digital Innovation Summit where we welcomed over 500 healthcare leaders to explore how cutting-edge advancements in data and technology are reshaping healthcare communications. The sessions highlighted how these innovations enabled more personalized engagement, enhanced customer experiences, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.
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- NPs and PAs are key critical clinical decision-makers- collectively responsible for as many as one in three prescriptions in the United States, with even higher rates in certain therapeutic areas[i]. Yet they often remain underrepresented in pharmaceutical marketing strategies, despite their growing autonomy and importance in patient care.
- Traditional physician-centric marketing overlooks critical influencers, leading to missed opportunities for engagement, especially in states where NPs can practice independently and in specialties like oncology where they play a central role.
- Pharma marketers must evolve their approach by expanding target lists, tailoring messaging to NP/PA perspectives, and investing in data and partnerships that reflect the full care team’s influence on treatment decisions.
At the 2025 IQVIA Digital Innovation Summit, a compelling panel discussion entitled “Empowering New Stakeholders: The Role of NPs & PAs in Healthcare Decision Making” shed light on a critical yet often overlooked group in healthcare decision-making: nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs). As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve- with growing patient complexity, workforce shortages, and shifts in care delivery- NPs and PAs are increasingly central to diagnosis, treatment, and prescribing decisions across virtually every therapeutic area. The session, featuring Vicki Sherry, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCNP- an adult oncology nurse practitioner at the Abramson Cancer Center Penn Medicine, alongside industry veterans Deb Nevins, Andy Kennemer, and Matt Beebe, highlighted both the real-world clinical impact of these professionals and the opportunity for pharmaceutical marketers to engage this influential audience more effectively.
A New Era of Clinical Influence
By 2035, NPs and PAs are projected to outnumber MDs and Dos- a shift that demands a reevaluation of traditional marketing strategies in pharma. Despite their growing numbers and clinical authority, NPs and PAs are still frequently relegated to secondary status in marketing plans.
“There’s nothing mid-level about us,” said Vicki Sherry, challenging the outdated label of NPs and PAs as “mid-level providers.” As a board-certified adult oncology nurse practitioner, Sherry independently manages an active clinic, prescribes medications, and plays a pivotal role in treatment decisions. “I write over 80% of the prescriptions in our practice,” she noted, underscoring the significant prescribing power NPs wield in oncology, as an example.
The Holistic Advantage
NPs and PAs bring a unique, patient-centered approach to care. Sherry emphasized that while oncologists may focus on efficacy and clinical outcomes, NPs often consider the broader picture- managing toxicities, ensuring treatment adherence, and addressing quality-of-life concerns.
“NPs usually get about 30 minutes with their patients, compared to the physicians’ 15,” she explained. “That allows us to…take a deeper dive and really get an understanding for what they’re going through… If there's a new patient coming in, I will block an entire hour so that I can sit down and spend all the time that the patient needs to… answer all of their questions and educate them about the therapy that they'll be starting.”
This extended time fosters trust and enables NPs to become key influencers in treatment decisions, often guiding or even redirecting the prescribing choices of their physician colleagues.
Marketing Blind Spots and Missed Opportunities
Despite their clinical authority, NPs and PAs are frequently overlooked in pharmaceutical marketing strategies. Matt Beebe recalled his own experience in pharma leadership: “You hear this from the marketing team or the agencies: ‘We already cover NPs and PAs’. So, I went through a few years… believing that- but we don’t really do this from a marketing standpoint.”
Deb Nevins, Chief Strategy Officer at Point of Care Network, noted that many pharma companies still treat NPs and PAs as an afterthought- if they’re included at all. “NPs in 27 states (and the District of Columbia) can have their own practice[ii],” Nevins pointed out. “If you just focus on the physician… there is a huge probability…that you’re missing important clinicians.”
Tailoring the Message: A Call for Persona-Based Marketing
The panelists agreed that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. NPs and PAs require messaging that reflects their clinical priorities and patient-first mindset. This means developing distinct personas and communication strategies that resonate with their values and workflows.
“You don’t have to redo all your marketing materials,” Nevins advised. “You just need to put them in the right story flow. (For NPs and PAs), it’s the patient, the patient, the patient.”
It was noted as well that the field force has been well ahead of brand marketing in recognizing the importance of these clinicians. Sherry added that the most effective pharma reps are those who recognize the importance of her role in patient care and engage her accordingly. “[Sales representatives] recognize me as an independent provider, and they respect my time. And they will even say “We want to learn from you,” she said.
One of the biggest barriers to effective NP/PA engagement is data misattribution. Scripts written by NPs often appear under a supervising physician’s name, leading marketers to target the wrong individual. Beebe emphasized the importance of using comprehensive data sets- including patient claims and demographic data- to accurately identify prescribing influencers. “We were able to…create a competitive advantage because we (could) target and identify the NPs and PAs that were relevant to the business… who (were) really seeing that patient,” he said.
The Opportunity Ahead
The panel concluded with a clear message: the time to act is now. Pharma marketers must move beyond traditional physician-centric models and embrace the full care team. This means investing in data, developing NP/PA-specific personas, and crafting messages that reflect their unique role in patient care.
The message from this standout session was clear: nurse practitioners and physician associates are no longer peripheral players in patient care- they are central to it. With prescribing authority, deep patient relationships, and a growing presence across therapeutic areas, NPs and PAs are shaping treatment decisions in ways that demand attention from pharmaceutical marketers.
Yet, many marketing strategies still treat them as an afterthought, relying on outdated assumptions and incomplete data. This oversight is not just a missed opportunity- it’s a strategic vulnerability. As such, brands must take this opportunity to:
- Reassess and expand target lists to ensure outreach strategies are inclusive of all key decision-makers across the clinical care team- not just physicians.
- Optimize existing messaging by aligning it with the attitudinal drivers, care philosophies, and decision-making roles unique to NPs and PAs- often drawing from content already developed across HCP, patient, or payer communications.
- Reallocate marketing budgets to engage the growing influence of NPs and PAs by investing in comprehensive data and strategic partnerships- such as with POCN Group- that offer full care team visibility, behavioral insights, and trusted access across therapeutic areas.
“If you do this the right way, NPs and PAs will be fantastically responsive and engaged,” Beebe said. “And you'll learn a lot along the way. Some of the best patient information I've ever had is feedback from NPs and PAs because they're the ones spending the time (with patients).”
References
[i] Mid-level Prescribers, Telehealth, and Digital Health Applications in Patient Access to Care. March 2025. Retrieved from https://www.iqvia.com/locations/united-states/blogs/2025/03/mid-level-prescribers-telehealth-and-digital-health-applications
[ii] NursePractitionerOnline.com. Nurse Practitioner Practice Authority 2025: Complete State-by-State Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.nursepractitioneronline.com/articles/nurse-practitioner-practice-authority-updates/
