touch point podcast

In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss a few legal risks that can potentially impact hospital marketers. In particular, they explore how to stay clear of vague and hyperbolic language, and then use examples from their experiences on how Stark laws can influence the way a health system promotes physicians online. They then invite health care lawyer, consultant, podcast and owner...

With the introduction of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), health systems, researchers and data scientists were given access to the use of de-identified patient data for a variety of clinical purposes. Over the last 20 years, however, the advancements of digital technologies, social platforms and marketing data analysis have advanced the usefulness of patient dat...

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 j...

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 th...

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 ex...

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 E...

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 a...

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 chall...

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 organi...

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 “...

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 othe...

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 w...

While not typically a focus of digital marketing, it has become increasingly important for health systems to develop formalized approaches to engage physicians - from either a recruitment perspective or to help improve referring patterns. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer take an honest look at the role digital plays in referring physician strategies and outline examples and approa...

At a hospital system, the role of the digital strategist is often seen as critical to helping an organization embrace digital tools and technologies. However, at some health systems there are multiple people holding that job title - and often they do not work closely with one another. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the roles and responsibilities of a digital strategist -...

Today, there are a myriad of ways that patients can share their experiences with hospitals and health systems online. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer focus on two systems: Yelp and HCAHPS and discuss their differences, and how organizations should view both in the larger scheme of measuring patient experience. Featuring an expert interview with B.G. Porter of the Studer Group in...

Branding is important for organizations of all sizes because it helps to define their value, gives employees direction and motivation, and makes engaging with customers easier. But how can digital help with your branding efforts? In this episode, Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how hospitals and health systems can use digital tools and techniques to align with their brand, help deliver an onlin...

Recorded at the recent Healthcare Marketing & Physicians Strategy Summit, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer are joined by Scot Singpiel, professional podcaster for University of Utah Health Sciences. In this episode they discuss the current state of podcasting, share tips on how to create a successful podcasting program and learn how Scot has developed The Scope - the prolific podcasting programs f...

From Salt Lake City, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer welcome a panelists of guests from the Healthcare Marketing & Physicians Strategy Summit: Dan Dunlop (Principal at Jennings), JK Lloyd, President and Co-Founder of Eruptr, Andrew Rainey, EVP of Strategy for Binary Fountain, and Travis Moore, SVP, Market Solution Sales at Kyruus. In this episode, the guests discuss the potential fallout of the F...

Clinical healthcare professionals are required to annually engage in ongoing education to maintain their certifications, In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer share their thoughts on how hospital marketing professionals should do the same, and share ideas on ways we can begin engaging in synchronous and asynchronous learnings. In addition, they both discuss how podcasting has become an...

There has been a significant and evolving change in the work of healthcare professionals, driven be the role digital has had in the way they learn, communicate and practice care. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer are joined by the host of the upcoming podcast “The Exam Room” Dr. Bryan Vartabedian, to discuss how doctors can adjust to a system that’s changing faster than many doctor...

For hospital and healthcare professionals, the need for outside expertise and support is important to help navigate our constantly changing industry needs and demands to be competitive. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the evolution (and intersection) of the roles vendors, agencies and consultancies play in supporting their clients. This episode also features an expert int...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is in everything - your phone, your home, your car - yet, to many people, when you talk about AI, its use and application is misunderstood (and sometimes feared). In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how this technology has implications across data management, responsible programming and population health management. Brian Gresh, President of Loyal...

To hospitals, health systems and physician practices, the role of marketing research is an important part of development effective brand, engagement and growth strategies. And with the rise and impact of consumerism on healthcare, the methods used in market research are also evolving to include new digital tools and data sets. In this episode, Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the various methods...

In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith are joined by John Mason, founder of Oakhorn Solutions and upcoming host of The Connected Hospital podcast, to discuss the role of the CIO within hospitals and health systems. Over the last two decades, the concerns CIOs have had about safety and privacy have become more complex, and now the definition of the “connected hospital” has grown to inclu...

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, Binary Fountain & dotHealth. Since 2010, SxSW has developed a dedicated Health Track designed to inspire and educate patients, caregivers, providers, payers, policy makers, designers, entrepreneurs, and investors (this year’s topics range from the statistics of how wealth impacts health to the use of psychedelics to treat ment...