As healthcare heads into 2026, the signals are getting harder to ignore. Financial pressure is mounting. Consumer expectations are accelerating. And digital strategies that once felt optional are now core infrastructure. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith kick off the new year with a trend-focused conversation unpacking what is actually changing across healthcare, digital strategy, and consumer behavior and what that means for health systems of all shapes and sizes. The discussion spans three critical areas. First, how hospitals, health systems, and academic medical centers are navigating margin pressure, workforce challenges, and increasing scrutiny while being asked to do more with less. Second, how digital and marketing strategies are evolving from campaign-driven efforts into intelligence and experience infrastructure powered by data, AI, and governance. And third, how patient expectations are shifting as consumers bring behaviors learned from retail, banking, and technology into healthcare. Rather than predictions for prediction’s sake, this episode focuses on real signals already shaping 2026 and the strategic implications leaders need to understand now. From hybrid care and digital access to AI-enabled personalization and experience design, this conversation is about where healthcare is heading and how prepared organizations truly are. Whether you work in marketing, digital experience, strategy, or executive leadership, this episode offers a grounded look at what is changing, what is breaking, and where health systems need to adapt next. Mentions From the Show:  Chartis: From reactive to proactive: Health systems look to AI and digital to flip the healthcare delivery paradigm within 5 years Fierce Healthcare: 2026 Outlook: Hybrid care companies poised for growth driven by economic, policy tailwinds Gartner: AI’s Influence Runs Deeper Than You Think — 2026 Gartner Strategic Predictions Explain Why Paul Keckley website HealthGrades: Special Report: Seven Hospital Marketing Trends You Should Know in 2026 KLAS: AI being used more often at point of care, KLAS research shows Salesforce: The Ninth Edition State of Marketing Report Telus Digital: Six healthcare trends reshaping digital care in 2025 with expert insights on AI, ops, mobile and more The Economist: The truth about affordability Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every year, they pause to look back at what resonated most with the Touch Point community. In our 2025 Touch Point Podcast Listener Choice Awards show, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith share a behind-the-scenes look at how the show performed this year and what listeners told us matters most. They break down where the show;s audience is tuning in from, including top cities, states, and countries. They also share download trends across the year and highlights from Spotify Wrapped that show how Touch Point is performing inside the Spotify ecosystem. Lastly, they also dig into the results of our annual listener survey, covering what topics resonated, how people are using the podcast in their work, and what they want more of in the year ahead. And of course, they close with the awards. Best Episode of the Year goes to TP421 – The Evolution of Patient Experience, a conversation that traced how experience has shifted from satisfaction scores to a broader human and digital lens. Best Guest Interview of the Year goes to John Berndt of Valtech, recognized for a conversation that challenged how healthcare organizations think about digital trust, experience, and transformation. Think of this episode as a year-in-review, a thank you to our listeners, and a preview of where Touch Point is heading next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In case you missed it, this episode tackles one of the biggest shifts quietly reshaping healthcare marketing: search is no longer about winning keywords. It is about understanding intent, context, and how AI now mediates discovery. Chris Boyer and Reed Smith revisit a timely conversation on how generative AI is changing the rules of SEO and why many traditional optimization tactics no longer hold up. As search results become AI-assembled experiences rather than ranked lists, health systems are being forced to rethink how they create, structure, and distribute content. This ICYMI episode explores why SEO now looks less like a checklist and more like a precision sport, where strategy, patience, and adaptability matter more than brute force tactics. Thought leader Carrie Liken joins the conversation to unpack what Google’s generative search future means for healthcare organizations, including the rise of zero-click discovery, the collapse of keyword-first strategies, and how hospitals can stay visible when AI becomes the first interaction layer. If your SEO playbook still assumes users are clicking blue links, this is one worth revisiting. Mentions From the Show:  How AI is reshaping SEO: Challenges, opportunities, and brand strategies for 2025 Search Engine Land Search trends for 2025: Is a new ecosystem emerging? 2025 trend: Generative search will become the new normal, shaking up ad spend How to navigate the changing landscape of search in 2025 AI-driven search ad spending set to surge to $26 billion by 2029, data shows Carrie Liken on LinkedIn Carrie Liken on SubStack Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are back with the second half of our annual Holiday Sampler, featuring the remaining three episodes that round out Touch Point’s most downloaded shows of 2025. These are the conversations listeners kept coming back to. The ones that sparked follow-up questions, internal debates, and hallway conversations at conferences. Together, they reflect the themes that defined healthcare marketing and digital strategy this year, including privacy-first advertising, AI-driven content strategy, and a rethinking of reputation management beyond simple star ratings. In this episode, Reed Smith and Chris Boyer revisit three standout conversations that explore where digital transformation is actually working inside health systems, how AI is reshaping consumer expectations, and why trust and access remain the real competitive differentiators. As a reminder, the annual Touch Point listener survey is still open through December 19. This is your opportunity to vote for Best Guest and Best Interview of the Year. The race is close, and every vote matters. Consider this the second half of the sampler platter. Different flavors, big ideas, and still plenty of great choices on the table. Mentions From the Show:  Episode 420 - The 2025 State of Digital Advertising for Healthcare TP423 – Healthcare Content in 2025: AI, Composability, and the Content Stack TP424 – Rethinking Reputation Management (Moving Beyond Google Reviews) 2025 Annual TouchPoint Listener Survey Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Health care did not have a quiet year. AI, experience, platforms, and “vibe” all took turns in the spotlight. In this first half of our Holiday Sampler, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith revisit four of the most downloaded Touch Point episodes of 2025. These clips capture the themes that kept listeners coming back. This episode features standout moments from: Episode 421: The Evolution of Patient Experience We look at how patient experience grew up. From the days of satisfaction surveys and HCAHPS to a broader, human centered view that includes families, communities, and digital expectations. This clip returns to the point where COVID, consumer behavior, and online access collided and forced health systems to rethink what experience really means. Episode 428: Breaking the Healthcare Content Mold AI quietly moved from pilot projects to everyday content work. In this segment, we revisit how health systems are using AI to draft education materials, website copy, social content, and SEO at scale, while staying compliant and avoiding PHI. The clip focuses on the human plus AI dynamic and why better prompts and guardrails lead to better outputs. Episode 431: AI, Are You Killing Our Vibe Vibe marketing became one of the buzz phrases of the year. Here we unpack what people actually mean when they talk about “vibe,” how it influences discovery and trust, and where AI fits in as a tool to shape and scale emotional connection. This highlight walks through concrete examples of how teams brought vibe into campaigns without losing substance. Episode 435: The Website Is Now a Platform In this conversation, we challenged the idea of the hospital website as a static brochure. The clip you will hear looks at what happens when you treat the site as a true platform for access, engagement, and growth. We talk about scheduling flows, self service tools, data capture, and the privacy and trust questions that come with a more intelligent experience. It is a snapshot of how digital front doors are becoming digital operating systems. Taken together, these four episodes show how quickly the ground is shifting under healthcare marketers and digital leaders. Experience is broader. Content is more automated. Brand is more emotional. The website is more operational. The leaders who follow these threads are already working differently heading into 2026. Our annual listener survey is open through December 19. It is your chance to vote for the best guest and best interview of the year and to tell us what you want more of in the year ahead. We will share the results and celebrate the winners in our final episode of 2025. Mentions From the Show:  2025 Annual TouchPoint Listener Survey Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Final note Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how health systems can make smarter decisions about Human In The Loop and Human Out Of The Loop models, and why these choices will define trust, safety, and experience in the coming years. What HITL and HOOTL actually mean How healthcare is applying these frameworks Why governance is the missing layer Where humans must remain as the final authority Chris then sits down with Carrie Liken, CEO and founder of Sotto Strategies and a leading voice in healthcare search and AI driven consumer behavior. She offers a grounded perspective on how agentic AI, new browsing models, and health system data strategy are reshaping digital engagement.  Mentions From the Show:  Carrie Liken on LinkedIn Carrie Liken on SubStack Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It would not be Thanksgiving without a little tradition. Each year we pull together the three Touch Point interviews that listeners came back to again and again. Think of it as a sampler platter for the long weekend. No turkey, just the conversations that defined 2025 for healthcare marketers. This year’s top downloads brought a mix of AI momentum, creative reinvention, and a fresh look at online reputation. In this episode, Chris and Reed revisit highlights from: TP428 – Dianne Hammons, WG Content on how custom LLMs and structured content workflows pushed healthcare teams into a new era of speed, consistency, and brand clarity. TP431 – Matt Cyr, Loop Agency discussing why AI became the creative sidekick of choice for lean teams. Matt explains how his work with Roper St. Francis Healthcare showed that creativity gets better when AI takes the busywork off the table. TP424 – Dean Browell - how provides a reality check on Google Reviews. Dean explains why their influence is fading and what signals matter more as patients change how they evaluate care. These three episodes tell the story of a year when everything felt in motion. Content evolved. Creative teams retooled. Reputation strategy shifted under our feet. And marketers adapted at a pace that would have seemed impossible a few years ago.  A perfect listen for your drive, your kitchen time, or your post dessert recovery. Thanks for spending another year with Touch Point. Mentions from the Show: Dianne Hammons on LinkedIn Matt Cyr on LinkedIn https://touchpoint.health/podcast/tp428-breaking-the-healthcare-content-mold-rethinking-risk-embracing-prompt-power/ Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Healthcare digital strategy is changing faster than most systems can keep up with. Privacy restrictions are tightening, AI is rewriting search, patients are shifting expectations, and many of the digital tactics health systems still rely on are quietly becoming obsolete. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith count down six digital habits the industry needs to retire. They explore why consumer behavior, AI-driven browsing, telehealth recalibration, and the rise of machine-readable content have fundamentally changed what “good digital” looks like in 2025. From outdated SEO assumptions to bloated maps and embeds to the myth of the “digital front door,” this episode challenges legacy thinking and separates modern strategy from comfortable habits. If your organization is still operating on models built for 2015, this countdown will help reset your digital roadmap for the next decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded on-site at the 2025 HealthCare Internet Conference (HCIC) in Las Vegas, host Chris Boyer sat down with consulting experts Cynthia Newton, Therese Lockemy, and Christine Albert from Solutions Central to discuss the biggest trends shaping healthcare marketing and digital strategy today. Together, they explore how health systems are navigating rapid change—balancing technology innovation with real-world challenges of collaboration, governance, and growth. The conversation dives into: Why outside perspectives help organizations see beyond internal blind spots How cross-department collaboration unlocks smarter, faster decision-making The role of technology and partnerships in solving core business challenges Emerging conference themes and what they signal for healthcare marketing in 2025 Plus, the episode wraps up with a special Touch Point Hot Takes segment, where each guest shares their boldest predictions for the future of healthcare digital strategy. Mentions from the Show: Cynthia Newton on LinkedIn Therese Lockemy on LinkedIn Christine Albert on LinkedIn SolutionsCentral on LinkedIn Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI is no longer just a search companion; it’s becoming a digital negotiator. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how agentic AI and new AI-driven browsers like Atlas and Comet are transforming the healthcare consumer experience.The discussion examines how these emerging tools are rewriting the rules of visibility, consent, and control - shifting healthcare from a web built for people to a web built for machines. As AI learns to summarize, recommend, and even schedule care, health systems must rethink what it means to be findable, trustworthy, and human in a machine-readable world.Key themes include: The rise of AI-native browsers and the collapse of traditional web traffic models Why “find a doctor” tools may soon give way to AI-to-AI scheduling The privacy and consent challenges of agentic AI scraping data and acting independently How healthcare organizations can redesign for trust, transparency, and machine comprehension What it means for brand voice and patient empathy when AI becomes the front door Mentions from the Show: Carrie Liken: The Google Checkmate: Has Atlas Sparked the End of the Internet as We Know It? John Munsell: How AI Browsers Harvest Information Without Your Consent Accenture: Technology Vision 2024: Human by design Deloite:. AI in health care: Balancing innovation, trust, and new regs Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Sources discussed include recent work by Carrie Liken and John Munsell, alongside insights from Accenture, Deloitte, and federal agencies guiding AI ethics and data use. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore what it takes to build a future-ready marketing organization that connects intelligence to impact. They break down why the next phase is about velocity—turning insight into action—rather than visibility alone, and how maturity depends on integration, governance, and access to data. Then, Priyama Barua of Merge joins the conversation to discuss findings from her latest marketing maturity research. She shares how high-performing health systems operationalize insights, the gaps holding teams back, and what the next three to five years could look like as marketing evolves from a campaign function to a growth ecosystem. Key themes: Why speed of learning and action will define the next era of digital marketing How unified data, AI, and governance reshape marketing’s role in growth The CMO as ecosystem integrator across brand, access, and operations Practical steps to move from campaign cycles to continuous learning Mentions from the Show: Marketing in healthcare: Improving the consumer experience Accenture Technology Vision 2024: “Human by Design” Technologies Will Reinvent Industries and Redefine Leaders by Supercharging Productivity and Creativity PriyamaBarua.com Priyama Barua on LinkedIn Merge Marketing Maturity Study: Results and Analysis Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore why traditional healthcare marketing is falling behind, and how focusing on relationships instead of reach may be the only sustainable path forward. They unpack the data showing the industry’s growing gap between visibility and value: Only 28% of healthcare marketers have a documented content strategy. 65% of patients search online before contacting a provider, yet most health system sites still frustrate or confuse. Retention costs up to 25x less than acquisition, but most budgets are still chasing awareness. Chris and Reed discuss how loyalty and lifetime value (LTV) are reshaping the marketing playbook - arguing that connection, not conversion, is the next competitive advantage. They explore what happens when hospitals treat patients as long-term partners instead of one-time encounters, and how CRM, automation, and authentic storytelling can turn engagement into measurable growth. Key themes of this episode include: Why healthcare must shift from transactional outreach to relational engagement How trust and personalization directly influence lifetime value Practical steps to audit patient touchpoints and measure engagement beyond claims data Why the future of marketing belongs to teams who build community, not campaigns Mentions from the Show: Calculating the Lifetime Value of Review-Generated Patients: The Complete ROI Framework for Healthcare Providers Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For all the talk about digital transformation, finding a doctor is still one of healthcare’s most frustrating experiences.In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore why access and accuracy remain elusive even as health systems roll out new self-service tools, AI agents, and “digital front door” platforms. The paradox is clear: smarter technology has not simplified the search for care—it has layered complexity on top of broken data. They discuss: The Paradox of Progress – How healthcare has over-invested in interfaces and under-invested in data accuracy, creating sleek tools built on unreliable information. The Consumer Has Changed, But Data Hasn’t – Why patients expect instant, personalized access yet still face outdated directories, long wait times, and opaque scheduling systems. Rebuilding the Foundation – How clean provider data, interoperability, and governance must come before AI orchestration or agentic automation can truly work. In the guest interview, Morgan Beschle, VP of Product at Kyruus Health, shares findings from a new 2025 study that exposes persistent provider data issues and highlights how consumers are redefining what “finding care” really means in the age of AI. Mentions from the Show: Charted: Wait for a doctor's appointment is longer than ever  CMS Contract Year 2026 Proposed Rule Morgan Beschle on LinkedIn Kyruus Health Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As AI becomes more fluent, empathetic, and embedded in communication workflows, healthcare’s relationship with voice, empathy, and trust is being redefined. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore the coming shift where technology mediates the patient experience itself, interpreting emotions, intent, and tone.They discuss: The Signals – Why early pilots in AI-driven communication are signaling a shift from automation to authorship, and what it means when AI can shape the tone of care. The Scenarios – Three futures for healthcare: The Empathic Mediator, where AI bridges patients and systems; The Voice Overload, where empathy fatigue sets in; and The Ethical Frontier, where transparency becomes healthcare’s new trust currency. The Brand Voice Paradox – How AI as both author and amplifier challenges traditional notions of authenticity, and why marketers must move from managing tone consistency to ensuring voice integrity. In the expert interview, Stephanie Wierwille, EVP of Engagement at BPD Healthcare, shares her perspective on how AI will reshape creativity, communication, and the psychology of trust, and why healthcare marketers must lead this next transformation. Mentions from the Show: Stephanie Wierwille on LinkedIn BPD Insights The Einstein Divide blog post Laurin Engle Bobo on LinkedIn Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The era of easy targeting and attribution in healthcare marketing is over. With disappearing cookies, stricter platform restrictions, and growing consumer expectations, health systems are being forced to rethink how they segment audiences, measure ROI, and test emerging channels. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore: Segmentation in a Privacy-First World – Why CDPs, not CRMs alone, are becoming the foundation for first-party and cohort-based targeting, and how to balance richer signals with regulatory risk. Measurement in the Age of Proxies – How marketers can use matchbacks, lift studies, and proxy metrics (like click-to-directions or portal logins) to prove ROI when platforms restrict attribution. Consumer Readiness for New Media – The growing role of CTV, podcasts, and AI-powered campaign tools — and why testing budgets and structured measurement are essential. In our expert interview segment, Laurin Engle Bobo and Craig Blake from Amsive share insights from the field, including how they help health systems adapt segmentation strategies, measure ROI with imperfect data, and invest in emerging media without falling for hype. Why this matters today: Healthcare marketers can no longer rely on “easy” targeting and reporting. Success will depend on how quickly they adapt to privacy-first segmentation, faster but defensible ROI proof, and disciplined experimentation in new media channels. Mentions from the Show: Amsive blog Craig Blake on LinkedIn Laurin Engle Bobo on LinkedIn Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

HIPAA is no longer the only rule that matters in healthcare privacy. State laws, FTC enforcement, and even wiretapping lawsuits are reshaping what health systems can and cannot do with data — and AI is adding another layer of complexity. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore: Beyond HIPAA: How state privacy laws and enforcement actions are redefining what “compliance” means for digital marketing. Wiretapping lawsuits: Why session replay, chat tools, and pixels are pulling hospitals into new liability risks. AI oversight: Where AI introduces opportunity in marketing workflows, and where it creates risk in advertising and personalization. Compliance as differentiator: How health systems can turn responsible AI and privacy practices into trust-building brand advantages.  In our expert interview segment, Jennifer Everett and Jen Pike from Alston & Bird share their legal perspective on HIPAA’s gaps, state law proliferation, FTC enforcement, and what marketers should expect next in AI regulation. Why this matters today: Marketing leaders can no longer treat privacy as an afterthought. Success will depend on integrating legal frameworks and AI governance directly into digital strategy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For years, HIPAA has been the rulebook for healthcare privacy. But in 2025, the real drivers of risk (and opportunity) come from state laws, FTC enforcement, and lawsuits that extend well beyond traditional PHI. In this episode, Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore: Why state privacy laws are reshaping digital marketing more than HIPAA. How the marketing funnel is being rewritten, with upper-funnel tactics carrying the highest risk. Whether health systems should shift back to safer group-based targeting and focus more on owned channels. How AI fits into this conversation — transformational for efficiency, but potentially dangerous in third-party advertising contexts. Jeremy Mittler, CEO and Cofounder of Blueprint Audiences, unpacks how state laws are colliding with HIPAA, what enforcement trends are signaling to health systems, and why privacy must be built into every stage of the funnel. Mentions from the Show: IAPP US State Privacy Legislation Tracker HHS OCR Bulletin: Use of Online Tracking Technologies by HIPAA-Covered Entities IAPP: Key Trends in U.S. State Privacy Law Amendments (2025) Court Vacates Portion of OCR Guidance Regarding Proscribed Combination OCR Updates Guidance on Use of Online Tracking Technologies (Mar 2024) Jeremy Mittler on LinkedIn BlueprintAudiences.com Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices