touch point podcast

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 f...

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 disc...

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 c...

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 ca...

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 communicatio...

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 a...

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...

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...

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, staffi...

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, an...

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 collaboratio...

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 bu...

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...

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 wheth...

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...

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 int...

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 healt...

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 ho...

With all of the emphasis lately on developing digital experiences, it’s often overlooked that the customer experience transcends online and offline touchpoints. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss the concept of a hybrid CX approach, integrating offline and online experiences, and the role AI has in supporting the new customer journey. Ian Lindsey from Cerecore joins to discu...

Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how AI is transforming the digital discovery journey — and why traditional SEO tactics may no longer cut it. They discuss:  The Collapse of the Keyword Empire - as AI-generated results increasingly dominate SERPs, healthcare brands must rethink how they show up in search. Intent, Not Indexing -  AI search surfaces content differently, prioritizing context over ke...

Chris Boyer and Reed Smith challenge a growing assumption in healthcare: that technology is the strategy. While health systems face urgent pressures—from constrained budgets to rising demand—they’re investing heavily in digital solutions. But are they using technology to truly enable transformation, or simply chasing shiny objects? In this episode, they explore: Why digital transformation is often...

Chris Boyer and Reed Smith break down one of the industry’s most misunderstood trends, separating the headline-worthy buzz from the meaningful, strategic work that marketing teams should actually be focused on. The cover:  AI-Experience Design - defining what it is and why other industries are framing it differently than healthcare. The Urgency Gap – Most healthcare marketing teams haven’t laid th...

In this encore episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how evolving financial pressures and care delivery shifts are forcing health systems to rethink their business models. From the rise of value-based care to growing partnerships with retail and digital-first players, this conversation breaks down the key factors shaping the industry’s strategic realignment. Topics include: The growing...

Chris Boyer and Reed Smith explore how traditional performance marketing tactics have unraveled — and what must replace them. From cookie deprecation to HIPAA compliance and signal loss across Meta and Google, the rules have changed. But the need for results hasn’t. They discuss: Why platform-optimized media is no longer reliable How privacy and regulatory shifts are redefining performance marketi...

In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith examine why the classic funnel framework may not reflect the complex, emotional, and often anonymous nature of how people engage with care decisions today. Rethinking intent and awareness in healthcare journeys Why decision-making is fragmented and reactive How privacy regulations are eliminating visibility across the funnel Why traditional convers...