touch point podcast

In this age of consumerism and enhancing access for patients, many hospitals and health systems are turning to telemedicine solutions as a way to expand their care to their patients. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the different services offered through telemedicine, the delivery mechanisms used, and pros and cons they pose to patients and health systems alike. They are joined by Dr. Justin Smith, of Cook Children’s Hospital, who shares his experience in launching telehealth services for his patients.

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With the advancements of advertising and marketing in hospitals and health systems over the last decade has had tremendous impacts - both within the organization as well as with the agencies they partner with. In this episode, Reed Smith and Chris Boyer talk through the trends and advancements of marketing and advertising, and how these have presented unique challenges for agencies to transform themselves at the risk of losing relevancy. This episode also features an expert interview with Stephen Moegling, Senior Vice President at Hailey Sault, in which he shares first-hand experience at how agencies have evolved to better support their clients’ needs.

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Inbound marketing is a term coined by Hubspot to reflect a unique approach to marketing many years ago to reflect a “new” way of marketing/advertising, based primarily on using digital tactics and content to engage audiences. However, over the years, digital channels have evolved and expanded to blur the lines between “inbound” and “outbound” efforts. In this episode, Reed Smith and Chris Boyer explore the ways hospitals and health systems are using this approach to support their outreach efforts. They are joined by Bridget Thomas, Director of Client Services at Medicom, to share her experience helping organizations develop effective inbound campaigns.

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Hospitals and health systems often use the term “patient experience” to mean a multitude of things, from ensuring good clinical outcomes to developing Ritz-Carlton-like encounters. But how do actual patients define “patient experience?” In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer share thoughts on a recent conference on healthcare consumerism, and then explore findings in the 2018 Consumer Expectations of Patient Experience from the Beryl Institute. The conversation extends into an expert interview with Dr. Jason Wolf, president of the Beryl Institute in which he shares ways technology can be used to enhance the customer experience.

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This week, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith are joined by content strategist expert Ahava Leibtag, President of Aha Media Group, and they discuss the challenges and complexities hospitals and health systems may face when building a content strategy. They define the elements needed in a comprehensive strategy, what exactly “content “ is and how to structure an editorial calendar that is long-term and sustainable. Also, Reed and Chris argue the differences between content marketing and brand journalism.

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Typically, in hospitals and health systems, there is an organizational divide that exists between marketing/communications and government relations departments. Yet, often these two departments can find benefit from collaborating and partnering to address advocacy efforts. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer stretch outside of their comfort zone and discuss common uncomfortable challenges faced by health systems in GR activities, and share ways in which marketing and communication can be applied to build advocacy within employees and communities. This episode features an expert interview with Lance Lunsford, in which he shares ways he and the Texas Hospital Association partner with hospitals on building effective government relations strategies.

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Everything online is absolutely measurable. Because of this, the often mistaken belief is that once you launch a digital campaign or effort, the measurement will be comprehensive and complete from the onset. Hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer spend this episode detailing the common misperceptions hospitals and health systems have with measuring their efforts, and detail a high level framework organizations can use to develop a comprehensive measurement strategy. In addition, this episode features an interview with Olivier Blanchard, author of the book “Social Media ROI,” and he shares his expert thoughts on how to successfully measure.

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In this episode hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith visit a popular topic on the podcast: Artificial Intelligence (AI). Specifically, they discuss the rapid adoption of machine learning in clinical and marketing/communications efforts in hospitals and health systems and explore some of the pros and cons of deep learning (including how patients and providers alike potentially view the dilemma of the “black box” of computer learning. Featuring an episode with Abhi Sharma, VP of Product for Loyal, in which he shares practical uses of AI and how we’ve already accepted and welcomed the use of machine learning in products we use today.

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Understanding the online customer journey is important to how an organization structures their digital marketing and communication efforts. In today’s episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer revisit this important topic and discuss the differences between the “path to purchase” and the complete customer lifecycle, and share their thoughts on the role digital (websites, social media, CRM and other systems) can help support that journey. This episode also features an expert interview with Ann Stadjuhar, VP of Digital Consumer Strategy at UnitedHealth Group, in which she shares how customer journeys are transforming digital efforts in healthcare.

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Twitter is an established digital platform for hospitals and health systems, but the way it’s actually being used has evolved over the years. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss the way the platform has evolved - both in terms of features and functionality, and the strategies that organizations use to support their marketing and communication efforts. Featuring an interview with Greg Matthews of W2O in which he shares the results of the Social Oncology Report 2018, and how hospitals can engage physicians on Twitter to help support their reputation-building efforts.

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