Why AI Readiness in Healthcare Starts With People

Caroline DeVore, Executive Director of Growth and Innovation at StudioNorth, and Matt Wright, a human factors and change-management expert, recently unpacked why AI adoption keeps stalling inside healthcare organizations. Their view is clear. The real challenge is human, not technical.

AI Adoption Depends on Emotional Change as Much as Workflow Change

Wright put it plainly when he said AI “is not just the calculator that lets me do the calculations faster,” noting that when change reaches a certain scale, “fear and grief can turn into an identity emotion: who am I going to be after this?”

That fear is familiar to marketers, communicators, and patient experience leaders who have spent years building expertise that suddenly feels unsettled by new technology. When that expertise feels less certain or less valued, it shows up in quiet hesitation and subtle recalibration long before it shows up in a project plan.

The Biggest Barrier to AI in Healthcare Is People, Not Technology

DeVore underscored the point with her memorable statement: “This is not a technology question. This is a people question.”

According to the survey of B2B leaders done by StudioNorth, 71% of healthcare leaders say their top AI challenge is skills, people and changement management. In fact “lack of in-house AI skills” and “change management hurdles” were cited far more as the barrier to AI adoption than budget or technology constraints.

In addition, the survey also showed that healthcare leaders rate their organizations’ AI readiness (on average) at only 3 out of 5. Why so low? Interviews by StudioNorth revealed that even when leaders are optimistic, teams often fear:

Healthcare isn’t struggling to get AI, the industry is struggling to absorb it.

DeVore also shared that healthcare leaders approach AI differently from other industries. “Healthcare focused more on empathy… personalization… connecting through a trust barrier,” she said, describing a sector that evaluates AI through a distinctly human lens.

For marketers and patient experience leaders, this tracks. Campaigns, content, and service models rely on trust, and any AI-driven shift immediately raises questions about how personal, credible, or reassuring an experience will feel once the technology is in the mix.

The through-line across these conversations is hard to miss. AI doesn’t land on a blank canvas. It lands on people who carry years of expertise, responsibility, and emotional investment in their work. Marketing and patient experience teams feel this just as strongly as clinicians.

DeVore and Wright will be exploring this topic further at an upcoming Town Hall: AI Readiness – Leading the Human Side of Transformation on December 4th at 1pm ET.

Learn more about StudioNorth at https://www.studionorth.com/

Connect with Matt Wright at https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-wright-06796bb/

Robbie Schneider, Enterprise Social Media Manager and Blog Content Strategist at Franciscan Health, has been thinking deeply about the emotional weight of working in digital spaces, so much so that she published a book: Social Media, Sanity & You. Her focus isn’t on content or engagement metrics but on the real strain that healthcare communicators carry. She shares simple and effective strategies to address this burden.

Key Takeaways

Healthcare marketing often mirrors clinical urgency without meaning to. A complaint at 10 p.m. sparks a text thread. A trending story at sunrise can spin up anxiety before the first cup of coffee. Schneider has watched the toll this “perpetual readiness” takes on social teams, especially in healthcare where stakes feel high by default.

“Just as a surgeon doesn’t work 24 hours a day, neither should your social teams,” stated Schneider.

Her message: Build healthier expectations for social media responsiveness in healthcare organizations.

Schneider’s team treats heavy news cycles with newsroom discipline rather than reactive scanning. Instead of refreshing feeds all day, they check them at set times and rely on monitoring tools for the rest. It’s a small shift with a big impact.

“When it’s a very heavy news period, our team only checks the news and the feeds a couple of times a day,” shared Schneider. “That way we’re not getting sucked into that real-to-reel of trying to catch up.”

The restraint helps protect focus and protects people from the emotional vortex that can easily become the job itself.

The hardest part of this work is how personal it can feel.

“If you need to step away or if things are getting too heavy, you take a walk,” said Schneider, referencing the coping mechanisms she has put in place for her team. “I’ll step in and help.  We have these resources at our disposal if we need them.”

A spike in negativity or a crisis unfolding close to home (think a hold-and-secure situation at a school in the community) hits differently when you’re the one reading every comment. Schneider’s advice focuses on naming those triggers, checking in often, and removing any shame in stepping back.

That last point is easy to say, but difficult to achieve. According to Schneider, it is important that social media and communication leaders advocate for creating psychological safety for the people behind the organization’s digital presence.

The conversation around social media in healthcare is changing. Leaders are acknowledging the emotional cost of negativity, the pressure of constant visibility, and the humanity needed behind every post. Given this, it is time to acknowledge a truth: mentally healthier communication/social media teams show up more fully for the organization, patients and community they represent.

As Schneider puts it, the work begins by “recognizing the human behind the screen.”

Learn more about Social Media, Sanity & You at https://bookshop.org/p/books/social-media-sanity-you-a-guide-to-mental-wellness-for-the-digital-marketer-roberta-schneider/e29ed114db703098

Connect with Robbie Schneider at https://robbieschneider.net/ or on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbieschneider/

Brittany Quemby, VP of Marketing at Swaay.Health, is responsible for turning everyday social posts  into meaningful conversations. In a recent discussion, she shared how B2B healthcare organizations can effectively use social media, why authenticity is key, and where digital engagement is heading.

Key Takeaways

Too many brands still see social as a numbers game. But in a relationship-driven field like healthcare, credibility is what shortens the sales cycle. Social platforms have become a place where smart companies are building trust long before a handshake or demo.

“I think social media is less of a lead gen engine and more of a trust builder or trust accelerator,” said Quemby. “When your brand consistently shows up on social media and you’re providing good insights and human interaction and engagement, you’re really building that trust at scale.”

Logo impressions don’t equate to engagement. The posts that travel farthest often come from staff, customers or founders who share a peek behind the curtain. It’s about being someone the reader/listener/viewer can relate to.

“Rather than just having the brand do most of the talking, it’s really interesting to have different people from behind the scenes engaging,” shared Quemby.

For audiences weary of corporate voices, seeing real people speak from experience feels like a breath of fresh air…and a reason to stop scrolling.

If your social feed feels predictable, so will your brand. Healthcare marketers have a habit of playing it safe – doing what others do, rather than letting their unique brand voice fly.

“A lot of companies are afraid to go outside the box,” lamented Quemby. “We play it very safe. Those safe posts come off as unauthentic and boring. People love real people, real problems, real experiences, and even failures.”

When you break from the standard, you stand out. It not only gets attention, it shows that you are real and someone worth following. That is the start of an online relationship which eventually earns trust.

According to Quemby, the future of healthcare social media isn’t masting the algorithm; it’s about being human. Every authentic comment, imperfect story, and face behind the logo adds to a brand’s credibility.

When it comes to connecting people, ideas, and innovation in healthcare marketing, few do it with as much intention as Adam Otey, VP of Growth at Huge Inc. As a longtime member of the Swaay.Health community and the 2023 Swaay.Health Community Member of the Year, Adam has built his career around the belief that relationships, not transactions, are what drive real growth.

In a recent conversation, Adam joined me to talk about his journey, what’s driving transformation at Huge, and why cultivating connection is more critical than ever in healthcare marketing.

💡 Connection Over Transaction: Adam champions the idea of building genuine relationships, focusing on “relational intelligence” (RQ) as the foundation for lasting success in healthcare marketing.

🌱 Be a Sponge, Not a Spectator: Whether mentoring students at NYU or engaging at industry events, Adam believes the most impactful professionals are those who listen, learn, and give back to the community.

🤝 Community as a Catalyst: Adam sees industry gatherings like HCIC and Swaay.Health as more than conferences, they’re spaces to recharge, share ideas, and build partnerships that move healthcare marketing forward.

When asked what drives him to keep giving back to the Swaay.Health community, Adam’s answer was simple: relationships.

“I always talk about having a high RQ—relational quotient—versus just a high IQ or EQ,” he explained. “It’s about connecting more than networking. We want to foster long-term relationships and professional growth without making it transactional.”

That mindset has been a constant in Adam’s career. The Swaay.Health community, he says, has provided a “home base” for learning, mentorship, and inspiration, a place where collaboration fuels growth.

Winning the Swaay.Health Community Member Award two years ago became a moment of reflection for him. “It gave me an opportunity to sit back and be recognized by my peers—people I’ve looked up to and who’ve mentored me. It meant a lot.”

One of Adam’s recent milestones came from an unexpected place: a layover at LaGuardia Airport. While waiting for a flight, a chance conversation with a professor from NYU’s School of Business led to an invitation to speak to graduate students studying integrated marketing.

The talk he gave, “Hacking the Corporate Algorithm,” centered on the value of relational intelligence. “Your degree might get your foot in the door,” he told students, “but your ability to connect with others is what will drive your career and create lasting impact.”

The experience was transformational, he said, both humbling and energizing. “It was great to see students follow up afterward, asking for advice or help improving their LinkedIn profiles. It reminded me how much small connections can lead to big opportunities.”

As someone who thrives on connection, it’s no surprise that Adam is a regular at industry conferences, especially the Healthcare Interactive Conference (HCIC).

“I’ve lost count of how many HCICs I’ve attended,” he laughed. “It’s always informative, educational, and full of great people. You come back with a full tank of new ideas and fresh inspiration.”

He credits events like HCIC and the Swaay.Health Annual Conference for fostering the kind of meaningful relationships that lead to real innovation. “These conferences are where long-term partnerships begin,” he said. “They’re where our industry grows.”

And, as Adam shared, this year’s conference will feature one more can’t-miss opportunity for connection. Swaay.Health and Huge Inc. are partnering up for a Happy Hour during HCIC on Monday November 10th at 7:30pm at Caesars Palace Montecristo Cigar Bar Courtyard.  Come connect, create, and get inspired by other healthcare marketers. RSVP here to save your spot.

From mentoring the next generation to helping healthcare brands navigate the AI-driven future, Adam embodies what makes the Swaay.Health community so special, leaders who connect, uplift, and drive change through purpose and partnership.

Learn more about the Swaay.Health Awards and how to nomination for yourself, a colleague, or a friend who deserves the spotlight here.

When I sat down with Swaay.Health’s 2025 Patient Advocate of the Year, Erica Olenski, I knew her story would move me, but I didn’t expect how deeply it would stay with me. Erica’s journey as both a patient, a mother, and a caregiver to her son, August, who was diagnosed with brain cancer as an infant and passed away recently, is one of extraordinary courage. She has faced her own autoimmune challenges, cared for a medically complex child, and somehow turned those experiences into advocacy that pushes our healthcare system to see people more fully — as patients, parents, caregivers, and humans.

Hearing Erica share her experiences in her own words is even more powerful. Tune into our conversation below to witness her courage, compassion, and advocacy firsthand.

Key Takeaways:

“Optimism isn’t being blind to reality, it’s a choice to look for the best possible outcome, even in pain,”

Erica spoke passionately during our conversation about optimism not as denial, but as a deliberate act of hope. During long hospital stays, she and her family found ways to celebrate life in small but meaningful ways, decorating August’s and others hospital doors, throwing birthday parties, and creating tiny moments of joy in impossible circumstances.  Out of those experiences, came August’s Artists, the nonprofit she founded to bring art supplies and creative healing to pediatric patients. Her mission is simple yet profound: to help families see their experiences not as sterile medical events, but as stories worthy of honor, remembrance, and beauty.

“Healing isn’t just clinical, it’s emotional, spiritual, and human.”

As someone whose family has faced life-altering medical events, I hung onto every word Erica shared about the toll caregiving takes: emotionally, physically, and spiritually as well as the need to go beyond healing from a purely clinical standpoint. Caregivers often fade into the background, but Erica’s perspective reminded me that they are a vital part of the healing ecosystem. Her call for more family-centered, trauma-informed care resonated deeply. Because if a patient heals, but their caregiver is broken, we haven’t succeeded.

“Healthcare is the most human experience we have. It’s how we’re born, how we die, and everything in between.”

What resonated most in our conversation was Erica’s belief that storytelling itself is healing. She talked about how even the smallest stories, the ones that seem insignificant can validate others, inspire empathy, and change systems. It’s why she continues to share hers. And she’s right: healthcare innovation can’t start with technology; it has to start with humanity as healthcare is the most human experience we have.

Erica’s optimism, courage, and compassion remind us that in every clinical encounter, every late-night hospital hallway, and every act of caregiving, there’s a chance to bring more humanity into healthcare. Her story is one of strength and loss, but also of love, resilience, and the art of healing.

Learn more about the Swaay.Health Awards and how to nomination for yourself, a colleague, or a friend who deserves the spotlight here.

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Jeff Alter, CEO of Sound Physicians, faced that tension head-on. Leading a 400-site medical group, he had to unite clinical and business leaders around a brand refresh that some saw as risky. His approach transformed internal hesitation into alignment, and even won over the finance office.

Key Takeaways

Alter noticed that employees and leaders alike felt uneasy about how the brand no longer reflected their growth. Instead of dismissing that discomfort, he treated it as a sign that change was needed, saying, “If you can create a restlessness that says, ‘Yeah, that doesn’t fit anymore,’ you can work through those ups and downs of people holding onto the past but knowing the future might look a little different.”

That willingness to lean into and explore the discomfort gave his team permission to work towards something new together.

As a former CFO, Alter reframed the brand refresh as a business case, not a creative wish list. He kept the conversation focused on the growth potential and market positioning, linking brand equity to the organization’s broader revenue goals.

“Continue to have the CFO feel like it’s not an expense, it’s an investment… the same way you would invest in IT or in people and training.”

Getting their CFO on board went far in building momentum internally.

Rebrands often stall because everyone has an opinion. Sound Physicians brought in Digitas to anchor the process in research and patient perception, helping teams focus on facts rather than preferences. Alter recalls, “Their ability to bring focus groups and market research – the facts -took a little of the emotion out of the room. It helped get consensus and buy-in.”

That outside perspective, anchored in real data, freed the Sound Physicians team to make bolder ones.

By channeling unease into insight, reframing budgets as investments, and grounding creativity in data, Alter and the team at Sound Physicians proved that brand change doesn’t have to divide. It can unify.

Learn more about Sound Physicians at https://www.soundphysicians.com/

It’s a challenging market right now. Every healthcare organization’s budget is getting squeezed by lower reimbursement and cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Add to that, higher staffing costs, higher supply costs, and much more. Because of that, many healthcare IT budgets are getting cut as sales slow down.

Of course, this has resulted in cuts to healthcare marketing budgets. What does that mean for you as a healthcare marketing and PR leader?

That’s the question I asked Jodi Amendola, President of Amendola Communications, a Supreme Group company, and Dalton Patterson, Director of Health Tech at Supreme Optimization, a Supreme Group company.

We start off diving into the challenges facing us in health tech marketing today and how uncertainty can create opportunity. For example, with lower industry spend, smart investments now can make your marketing dollars go further than they would during a more active, competitive time.

We also explore how marketers can drive impact with limited budgets in a volatile market and what healthcare marketing leaders should prioritize right now.

We also delve into the value of health tech specific conferences and events. This is particularly pertinent as the HLTH USA conference is just around the corner.

Listen to the interview to learn more about how to maximize your ROI at events like HLTH USA and other conferences.

Check out our discussion.

Needless to say, there’s still a lot of opportunity to make an impression and get your company noticed even during challenging markets.

Learn more about Amendola Communications: https://acmarketingpr.com/

Learn more about Supreme Optimization: https://www.supremeopti.com/

Supreme Group is a sponsor of Healthcare Scene

Chris Pace, Vice President of Healthcare Industry at SearchStax, recently opened up about leaving Banner Health after years on the provider side to take on a vendor role. His perspective on burnout, career change, and rediscovering purpose is gold.

Key Takeaways

Pace’s reflections were so valuable we decided to break our own rule and share five takeaways instead of the usual three.

Provider marketing can be exhausting, but burnout doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Pace admitted, “Man, I was burned out,” after years at Banner and Dignity Health, but he reframed the leap into vendor life as a way to stay empathetic and still help patients. Becoming “that empathetic person on the inside of a tech company” gave him a new path to support peers while still improving access to care.

When the opportunity to join a vendor arose, Pace leaned on his network. He reached out to peers like Scott Schuster and Jared Johnson who had already made the jump, and asked them a lot of questions about their experience. He asked as many questions from as many people as he could.

Those questions helped him see a consistent theme that would have taken him longer to realize on his own: As a marketer with years of provider-side experience, “you can do more, you can give more from the provider perspective and use the credibility that you’ve earned over the years.”

Losing a title or a big-name employer doesn’t mean losing your worth. Chris reminded himself (and now the rest of us) that your identity is tied to your personality, your unique skills and your character, not job labels.

“Are you you? Or are you the product you represent? What we carry forward is our uniqueness, our capabilities, and our persona. No one can take that away.”

In true 2025 fashion, Pace used AI to aid in his decision-making.

“It is 2025. So what did I do first? I went to ChatGPT and I laid out the opportunities that I had…in some instances, yes, there was a bit of a SWOT, pro-con analysis that was done to evaluate them.”

The answers from ChatGPT and the act of putting his thoughts into the prompts helped Pace arrive at his final decision.

Difficult moments often reveal the strength of the people around you. When his time at Banner ended, Pace was stunned by the response of his network: “I think my LinkedIn post of me announcing my departure for Banner will always be the most engaged post I’ve ever had…thousands of reactions and comments. It was overwhelming and emotional, and that to me got me through it.”

Pace’s recent experience shows that careers in healthcare marketing rarely follow a straight line. Titles shift and organizations change, but the ability to ask questions, articulate value (even if it’s your own), and building community are skills that carry forward.

In a market where so many are navigating layoffs and pivots, it helps to remember that when the old anchors slip, it isn’t always a loss. Sometimes it gives you the freedom to sail in new directions.

Learn more about SearchStax at https://www.searchstax.com/

Healthcare marketers often fall back on playbooks that worked elsewhere, only to watch their message fall flat. The truth? Every organization has its own goals, pressures, and engagement preferences. The vendors who win attention aren’t louder. They are sharper about listening, timing, and adding value throughout the marketing and sales process.

David Tytell, Director of Marketing and Communications at MIT Health, has sat on the receiving end of countless vendor pitches. He shared blunt lessons on what captures his attention and what sends him running for the exit.

Tytell agreed to share his opinion with Swaay.Health so that vendors can be more successful with their marketing efforts.

Key Takeaways

The fastest way to lose credibility is showing up with a cookie-cutter solution. Tytell has little patience for vendors who assume what worked down the street will work at MIT Health: “Every organization in this space is unique. Far too many vendors have a one size fits all solution that they try to apply to everybody. That is the fastest way to make me run from you.”

Instead, Tytell recommends tailoring your approach to match the unique buying process of each healthcare organization.

Anyone marketing to healthcare organizations and executives at those organizations should take note of Tytell’s statement about frequency of followup (aka drip in marketing parlance): “I don’t ever mind a check-in. I do mind a drumbeat of stuff… If I’ve told you I have nothing on the horizon, don’t put me on a drip.”

Persistence matters, but overzealous email campaigns backfire. CRM platforms and marketing automation systems do not make it easy to customize follow-up campaigns. It is far too easy for marketers and salespeople to simply let these systems proceed with the standard outreach following a booth scan, brief hallway conversation, or zoom call.

The key, according to Tytell, is to have your follow-up be seen as a thoughtful touchpoint rather than relentless outreach. Educational material does that in spades.

One of the mantras that guides our daily operations at Swaay.Health (and Healthcare IT Today) is “add value”. We strive to add value to our audience through every piece of content we publish – no matter the format, topic, or distribution channel.

Tytell recommends that companies wanting to do business with healthcare organizations do the same: “The groups that bring thought leadership to the table… I don’t mind hearing from more often because I’m getting a value add rather than just an ask for business.”

The throughline in all of Tytell’s advice is simple: healthcare organizations are drowning in vendor sameness. Vendors who slow down and show they understand the uniqueness of each system, who time their outreach thoughtfully, and who offer real education instead of sales pressure, cut through the noise. As Tytell put it, “Don’t treat me like everyone else.”

Learn more about MIT Health at https://health.mit.edu/

This article is one in a series. The Swaay.Health team has been speaking with many healthcare executives on this topic. Our goal is to tell the real story of how healthcare systems buy so that the Swaay.Health Community can be more effective with their marketing efforts.

Check out the other stories: The Myths Wasting Your Time in Healthcare Marketing

With so many healthcare IT conferences, it’s hard to know how to get the most value from each. Value depends on the answer to key questions like: Who is attending?  What opportunities to sponsors/exhibitors have to connect with buyers?  What can be done to stand out at the event?

To get some answers ahead of the upcoming HLTH USA conference, we spoke to the team at HLTH to get an overview of what to expect at HLTH 2025. While that was a good overview of HLTH, we wanted to dive deeper into the sponsor side of the conference.

We were therefore excited to interview Martina Boyce, Managing Director, Client Development and Ava Chong, Managing Director of Brand & Strategy at Goodwin along with Troy Goodwin, Account Director at HLTH. Goodwin (the company) has made a big investment in the HLTH conference and we wanted to learn their reasons why and explore the value they have realized from their sponsorship.

Boyce shared how they have taken advantage of a variety of sponsorship options at HLTH. In fact, she highlights how she loves that HLTH collaborates with her and the Goodwin team to provide bespoke sponsorship that is customized to their needs. For example, this year Goodwin will be sponsoring the Starbucks at the entrance to the conference.

Troy commented that this is what he and the team like to do with all of their clients. They want to make sure that conference sponsors are able to achieve their marketing and branding goals at the conference – even if that means creating something unique to that sponsor.

Chong also shared with us how their HLTH sponsorship is supporting Goodwin’s brand positioning. She spoke about how it’s been great for the marketing and client development team to work together to get the most out of the conference.

Boyce also shared details of some of the HLTH speaking sessions that her colleagues at Goodwin are going to do at the conference.

Check out the interview with HLTH and Goodwin hear one company’s experience sponsoring the conference.

Learn more about HLTH: https://hlth.com/

Learn more about Goodwin: https://www.goodwinlaw.com/

HLTH is a proud sponsor of Healthcare Scene