Swaay.Health Podcast

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 th...

Burnout. Job cuts. Career pivots. Every healthcare marketer knows the stress of wondering what’s next—and what it means when the familiar anchors of your role slip away. In this podcast, Chris Pace, Vice President of Healthcare Industry at SearchStax, shares how he moved from the provider side at Banner Health into a vendor role. He talks candidly about burnout, career identity, and why your value...

Still using the same cookie-cutter pitch for every hospital? That’s exactly why you’re getting ignored—and here’s what wins attention instead. In this interview, David Tytell, Director of Marketing and Communications at MIT Health, shares blunt advice for healthcare marketers and sales teams. He explains why one-size-fits-all messaging fails, how drip campaigns can backfire, and why thoughtful con...

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 o...

This week on the Swaay. Health Podcast, I had the honor of sitting down with my friends Amy Oliver and Carol Flagg , this year’s Community Members of the Year at the 2025 Swaay. Health Awards . I loved hearing about their journeys into the Swaay Community and why this space has become so meaningful. Not just for them, but for so many of us. From meerkats to hummingbirds to koalas, we even debated...

Fall conference season is back, with user groups, big industry gatherings, and RSNA rounding out the calendar. We’re sharing the events we’re most excited about and the must-have items we carry in our conference survival kits. For healthcare marketers, fall conferences are both a marathon and a reunion. The sessions inspire, the exhibit halls overflow with interesting companies, and the after-hour...

For years, patient engagement was the first thing to go when budgets got tight. New data from KLAS Research shows the script has changed. Leaders are starting to see digital front door and other patient engagement technologies directly impact financial performance. Spencer Snyder, Senior Healthcare Consultant and Research Director at KLAS Research, recently shared findings from their Patient Engag...

What does it really take to get the attention of a healthcare provider? Why do deals take so long? Who gets involved in the purchasing decision? Swaay. Health busts long-standing myths in this interview. Pam Landis, Senior Vice President of Digital Engagement at Hackensack Meridian Health, spoke candidly about what it really takes to get new projects moving in a large health system. She also pulle...

The FTC crackdown on tracking pixels shook healthcare marketing—and the ripple effects are still being felt years later. Many providers hit pause on personalization, fearing compliance risks. But what if there was a way to balance patient privacy with effective marketing? In this interview, Ours Privacy Co-founder Adam Putterman explains how their platform makes HIPAA-safe performance marketing po...

When it comes to shaking up the healthcare marketing and PR landscape, few names resonate quite like Mike Mosquito —technologist, storyteller, and host of The Buzz podcast . He recently joined me to talk about his recent win as Healthcare Marketing & PR Trailblazer of the Year at the 2025 Swaay. Health Awards . On the show, I talked with Mike about his journey in the space, what it means to le...

AI saves time and sparks ideas. But for many marketers, that relief comes with guilt. In a candid conversation, Brittany Quemby shared how she’s navigating that uneasy balance between efficiency and authenticity. Brittany Quemby, VP of Marketing at Swaay. Health, spoke openly about how AI fits into her daily workflow. On one hand, she uses AI to battle writer’s block. On the other, it leaves her f...

Fresh off her win as the 2025 Swaay. Health Marketing Rising Star , Shelby Auer , Senior Account Manager at Hedy & Hopp , joins me to share her journey. We talk about the Hedy & Hopp philosophy she embodies—‘pivoting with positivity’ and why trust and collaboration matter even more than metrics. Tune in to hear how Shelby is shaping the future of healthcare marketing with equal parts heart...

One of the most interesting people in healthcare marketing is Jamie Gier . One thing that makes her particularly interesting is that she’s been a marketing leader at larger companies like GE Healthcare and Microsoft and most recently at a startup company, DexCare. She’s now transitioning to the next stage of her career where she’s doing fractional healthcare CMO work and deciding...

One of the most compelling reasons for a brand refresh? When the company quietly outgrows its old story. The visuals feel dated, the messaging no longer reflects the strategy, and what once felt right now feels limiting. That’s when the real work begins, especially if you’re designing a brand that resonates just as much inside the walls as it does outside. Harmony Healthcare IT had expanded fast....

Would you market a hospital without mentioning safety? Most do. And yet, that’s the very thing patients are quietly scanning for—long before they notice your valet parking or digital check-in. In this candid conversation, Richard Corder, a long-time advocate for better care and changemaker, explains why safety is a branding blind spot. He challenges healthcare marketers to rethink what “experience...

Patient journey maps aren’t just for fixing what’s broken. When done well, they reveal what patients already love and show where to double down. Organizations that overlook those bright spots may be missing their best opportunity. In this episode, James McMahon (VP of Marketing Communications at University of Maryland Medical Center) and Steve Koch (Managing Partner at Cast & Hue) break down how j...

We’re deep into the age of generative AI, and healthcare marketers are already feeling the pressure: churn out more content, faster, and at scale. But as the volume increases, does the value hold? In this episode of the Swaay. Health Podcast, Matt DiVenere , Director of Content Development at Optimum Healthcare IT , joins us to explore how AI is changing thought leadership and why it still needs a...

In a world where facts are optional and trust is fractured; authenticity is the key to success. The healthcare brands that break through are not the loudest or most polished. They are the ones that feel real, speak plainly, and meet people where they are - even when it’s uncomfortable. Brandon Edwards, CEO of Unlock Health and author of Authentic Healthcare Marketing, sees a growing gap between mi...

Healthcare marketing is challenging.  Building a great team is key to having success in your healthcare marketing efforts. That’s why I was particularly excited to talk with Kathryn Ayers Wickenhauser, Chief Strategy Officer at DirectTrust, about the DirectTrust team winning the Swaay. Health 2025 Award for Marketing Team of the Year ( Side note: They also won an award for Article of the Yea...

Clinicians write thousands of notes. For years, patients rarely saw them. But in the U.S. it's now the law that patients can access their clinical notes. So what happens when they do? Turns out, they’re not just reading. They’re remembering care plans, catching critical mistakes, and surfacing details others missed. Dr. Cait DesRoches, Executive Director at OpenNotes, and Liz Salmi, the group’s Co...

One of the most exciting sets of conferences to hit the world of healthcare IT is the HLTH USA and ViVE conferences.  For those not familiar with these conferences, the HLTH USA conference was established as a place to bring together healthcare innovation leaders from across the healthcare industry.  This includes startups, pharma, providers, payers, and more in one place to share all the innovati...

Some organizations treat patient input as a formality. CARRA treats it like fuel. By inviting families to shape everything from research priorities to communications, they’ve built something rare: a model where patients are embedded not just included. It’s making their work stronger, smarter, and more sustainable. Here’s how. Vincent Del Gaizo, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Patient Engageme...

According to Sue Robins, patient engagement has taken a quiet step backward since 2020. Organizations are looking for MBAs vs people with real lived experience. Patient feedback has been reduced to survey stats. There is still a lack of meaningful compensation for patients sharing their knowledge and insights. Can we improve? Robins is a passionate Patient Advocate and Co-Founder of Bird Comm and...

Trust in healthcare is eroding. Yet, many provider organizations are still rolling out campaigns, portals, and digital tools for patients, but not with them. The result? Missed opportunities, avoidable costs, and fractured relationships. What if the key to rebuilding trust isn’t better messaging, but earlier listening? As both a rare disease patient and strategic advisor, Kristy Dickinson brings a...

What happens when a 100-year-old healthcare brand dares to do things differently? You get a rebrand that resonates—with staff, clinicians, as well as a community that values accuracy and precision. If you're a healthcare marketing leader working with limited resources and a demanding audience, this podcast is packed with practical takeaways. You'll learn how splitting a rebrand between two agencie...