Health systems are facing a new reality: “do more with less” is no longer a slogan, it is the baseline. With shrinking margins, delayed capital investments, and workforce fatigue, marketing leaders are under pressure to deliver growth and digital progress with fewer resources. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore:

Constraints as the new baseline: why financial pressure, staffing shortages, and stalled capital projects are redefining digital priorities.

Resilience over perfection: how leaders can avoid paralysis by prioritizing impact over effort and sequencing initiatives more intentionally.

The role of AI and efficiency: why digital and AI are high priorities but must be approached with caution, sequencing, and patient-first framing.

Chris Pace, VP Healthcare Industry at SearchStax, shares lessons from his post “When Strategy Meets Reality”, his pivot from Banner Health to the tech sector, and why patient-centered leadership frameworks matter most when resources are tight.

Mentions from the Show:

2025 US Health Care Executive Outlook — Deloitte

2025 Global Health Care Outlook

Digital Transformation Investment Gaps — McKinsey

Costs of Caring Report — AHA

2025 Workforce Scan — AHA

GenAI in Healthcare Trends — McKinsey

Chris Pace on LinkedIn

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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Health systems have long promised to “break down silos,” but are marketing, IT, and clinical teams finally being forced to collaborate in meaningful ways? In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how consumer expectations, ROI pressures, and enabling platforms are reshaping what patient engagement really means: 

From Silos to Systems – Why joint governance across marketing, IT, and operations is no longer optional, and how access- and flow-aware campaigns help avoid wasted spend.

Measuring What Really Matters – Why CTRs and impressions aren’t enough, and how marketers can prove ROI with metrics that tie directly to booked appointments, care-gap closure, and clinical outcomes.

The Role of Emerging Tech – How AI, programmatic media, and CRM platforms are influencing engagement strategies—when they deliver value, and when hype gets in the way.

They’re joined by Sam Seering and Josh Taranto from Epic Systems, who share how Epic’s CRM and Campaigns tools are supporting closed-loop outreach, practical ROI measurement, and the real-world lessons health systems are learning as they navigate consumer expectations and new technologies.

Mentions from the Show:

Deloitte: 2025 global health care outlook

Achieving Hospital-wide Patient Flow

The role of personalization in the care journey: An example of patient engagement to reduce readmissions

Becker’s Health systems’ ROI on generative AI

To help improve the accuracy of generative AI, add speed bumps

Epic Systems

Implementation Guide for Linking Digital Marketing to Appointments

Sam Seering on LinkedIn

Josh Taranto on LinkedIn

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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Healthcare marketers are navigating a landscape where martech is both exploding in scale and under pressure to prove its value. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore the latest shifts shaping the future of healthcare marketing and technology:

The rise of autonomous systems – moving from pilots to practical tools that reshape operations and engagement.

Human–machine collaboration – how AI copilots, wearables, and adaptive systems are augmenting—not replacing—marketing teams.

Scaling challenges – balancing infrastructure, talent, and regulatory realities in the age of compute-heavy GenAI workloads.

Personalization as strategy – why advanced targeting and AI-driven tools remain a growth lever for healthcare organizations.

Guest experts Kathy Divis and Mike Schneider from Greystone.net, share insights from their work with health systems across the country, and preview what’s ahead at the upcoming Healthcare Internet Conference (HCIC). Give it a listen and learn how marketing leaders can stay ahead of martech trends while preparing for the next wave of innovation.

Mentions from the Show:

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-top-trends-in-tech

https://www.deloittedigital.com/nl/en/insights/perspective/marketing-trends-2025.html

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/5460663-generative-ai-zero-returns-businesses-mit-report/amp/ 

https://www.williamflaiz.com/blog/marketing-ops-vs-revops-vs-martech-what-s-the-difference

Kathy Divis on LinkedIn

Mike Schneider on LinkedIn

Healthcare Interactive Conference

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

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Behavioral modeling is reshaping how campaigns are built, measured, and optimized, moving us from broad strokes to precise strategies that drive measurable impact. Hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how healthcare organizations can adapt to this shift:

Why behavioral modeling changes media planning, creative strategy, and workflow collaboration.

Moving past CTRs to metrics that align with business outcomes like patient lifetime value and conversion quality.

How to personalize without crossing the “creepy” line and losing consumer confidence.

The role of modular content, analytics partnerships, and executive education in making this shift stick.

Tim Duer, VP of Data Analytics & Strategy at Causeway Solutions, shares his team’s work helping health systems apply behavioral modeling to marketing and communications. He provides best practices, lessons learned, and practical guardrails for building campaigns that are both precise and trustworthy.

Mentions from the Show:

Unlocking the next frontier of personalized marketing

Targeted Marketing Best Practices

Tim Duer on LinkedIn

CauseWaySolutions.com

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how marketing and communications teams can adapt their digital content strategies for a future where search behavior is fragmenting and more patients are turning to generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Bing Copilot instead of traditional search engines. They also discuss how AI models often cite structured, well-answered content from trusted sources and how to adapt the format and structure of content matter as much as the message.

Guest expert Martha Van Berkel, CEO and co-founder of SchemaApp, shares how health systems can use schema markup and structured data to improve visibility across emerging search platforms and which schema types have the highest impact for healthcare. If your digital team is still optimizing only for Google’s blue links, this conversation will help you prepare for the new reality where getting found means thinking beyond SEO, and building for a world where AI answers first.

Mentions from the Show:

How To Win In Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)

SEO vs. AEO vs. GEO: Key Differences & Optimization Strategies in 2025

Google still leads, but Gen Z and AI are reshaping search behavior: Survey

Has The Helpful Content Update Impacted SEO Content?

How AI Is Changing Medical SEO

Martha Van Berkel on LinkedIn

SchemaApp.com

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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Consumerism is impacting all health systems but does this mean the same thing in the same way to academic medical centers, urban hospitals, and rural health systems? Reed Smith and Chris Boyer unpack the growing tension between what patients want and what different types of health systems are built to deliver. From broadband gaps in rural markets to brand-driven loyalty in AMCs, they explore whether “digital transformation” really means the same thing in each context—and what happens when strategy drifts from mission. Later, Chris sits down with Andy Chang, Chief Marketing Officer at UChicago Medicine, who shares how his team is driving consumer-centered digital strategy within the complexity of an academic medical center. It’s a candid look at how one system is adapting to a consumer world, without losing sight of what makes it unique.

Mentions from the Show:

2025 US health care outlook - Deloitte

2025 Trends in Hospitals and Health Systems

Exploring Disparities in Urban and Rural Healthcare Markets: A Closer Look at PRC’s National Consumer Study Data

Andy Chang on LinkedIn

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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As the martech stack continues to evolve, health systems are facing a growing challenge: how to balance enterprise-grade safety and security with the performance demands of modern digital marketing. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer tackle that tension head-on, exploring what transformation really looks like when your tools, teams, and tactics need to evolve simultaneously.In the first segment, Reed and Chris unpack the deeper implications of today’s marketing technology decisions. From navigating compliance constraints to reconsidering the value of “speed to campaign,” they ask whether risk tolerance is becoming the silent killer of innovation. In the second segment, they explore how martech fragmentation, misplaced analytics, and slow procurement cycles are creating structural disadvantages for health systems trying to compete on digital experience.To bring in real-world perspectives, this episode includes audio highlights from a recent live panel moderated by Chris Boyer, featuring Aaron Mauck, Tom Armitage (MVP Health), and Raj Venkata (Align). The panel shares unfiltered insights about aligning legal and marketing, moving beyond vanity metrics, and making martech decisions that actually drive transformation.

Mentions from the Show:

Aaron Mauck on LinkedIn

Tom Armitage on LinkedIn

Raj Venkata on LinkedIn

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

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Health systems are increasingly asked to make decisions based on data, but not all research is created equal. In this encore episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer revisit the essential differences between market research and marketing research—clarifying how each plays a distinct role in informing healthcare strategies.

They’re joined by Steve Koch of Cast and Hue, who offers a deeper dive into qualitative research methods, including the strengths and limitations of focus groups versus 1:1 interviews. Together, they explore how empathy-driven research can uncover powerful insights that help organizations align their messaging, experiences, and offerings with real patient and consumer needs.

Mentions from the Show:

Original episode: https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp394-gaining-insights-into-market-research/

Market Research: An Important Investment For Long-Term Viability

Cast & Hue

Focus Groups Vs. Interviews: Which Approach Provides Richer Insights?

Steve Koch on LinkedIn 

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how adopting a product thinking mindset—one rooted in user-centered design, continuous iteration, and outcome-driven strategies—can help healthcare marketers close usability gaps, collaborate cross-functionally, and build digital experiences that evolve with patients’ needs. With nearly half of users reporting frustration with digital health tools, this shift isn’t just timely—it’s necessary.

Guest Brad Muncs, VP of Strategy at Symetris, joins to share real-world lessons on moving beyond the redesign cycle and treating websites, portals, and campaigns as living products. He walks through how this mindset drives business alignment, improves speed to market, and builds digital maturity in step with operational and clinical priorities. From KPIs that matter to frameworks that work, this conversation unpacks why product thinking is becoming the go-to approach for health systems aiming to lead, not lag, in digital transformation.

Mentions from the Show:

The four pillars of product thinking

Healthcare Should Look to Other Industries to Drive Digital Transformation, J.D. Power Says

Shifting To A Product Mindset Can Make Your Digital Product Thrive

Who really owns your website?

The Power of Proactive Website Evolution

Service page about evolution and product approach

Brad Muncs on LinkedIn

https://symetris.com/en

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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From clinical burnout to back-office understaffing, health systems are navigating a complex workforce reckoning. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how digital technology is being positioned as a lifeline—but question whether we're applying it in the right ways. Rather than viewing automation and AI as quick fixes to fill vacancies, they challenge the industry to consider how tech can be used to fundamentally rethink the design of work itself.

Together, they unpack where digital solutions are truly easing operational strain and improving care, and where they risk simply reinforcing broken systems. Drawing on examples from health systems rethinking job design, and recent studies highlighting employee disengagement and workforce fatigue, the conversation zeroes in on what it really means to build a tech-enabled workforce in 2025. This episode skips the hype and goes straight to the operational heart of one of the industry’s toughest challenges.

Mentions from the Show:

Reed Smith on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer on LinkedIn

Chris Boyer website

Chris Boyer on BlueSky

Reed Smith on BlueSky

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