touch point podcast

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, Binary Fountain & dotHealth. There are multiple ways we use the internet to track our health and interact with care providers. This digital footprint has proven to be a pro and con to those working in the industry. CIOs and those in IT at hospitals and health systems have long been concerned with  HIPAA and PHI data security....

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, Binary Fountain & dotHealth. In this very special episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer recap the past year, sharing the high (and low) moments from the show, including awarding the first annual “touchies” award in the following categories: Best “Cold Open,” Best Episode, Best Alternate Name for TouchPoint/TouchCounterPoin...

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, Binary Fountain & dotHealth. Measuring ROI is not for the faint of heart. However for hospital and healthcare marketers, it is one of the most important KPIs that they can track. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss the difficulty many in the industry face when trying to track the financial return of their...

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, Binary Fountain & dotHealth. What’s the difference between marketing and communications? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the definitions of each, and how in hospitals these definitions have often become muddled and intertwined, and how digital has forced these traditionally siloed departments to begin...

This episode is made possible by our sponsors, Loyal, Influence Health, & Binary Fountain. Traditionally, marketing and quality departments operate separately within a hospital. However, much like other areas in a health system (patient experience, IT, clinical care), we are starting to see marketing departments play an active role is quality initiatives. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chri...

Chatbots are not a new concept - they have been around since 1994. But with recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning - along with major platform providers like Facebook, Google and Microsoft providing access to their technologies to conversational UI developers - the expansion of chatbots is dramatically expanding in many industries - including healthcare. In this episo...

We’ve all heard the buzz-term - “the Internet of Things” (or IoT). But for healthcare, what does that really mean? In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith dive into a newly formed buzz-term: HIoT (or Healthcare Internet of Things). From health and wellness trackers to medical devices that are always-on and connected, they dive deep into the ways hospitals and health systems are developin...

It’s clear that marketing and patient experience efforts in hospitals are trying to address an unparalleled shift to consumerism. But is the concept of “consumerism” the same for the healthcare industry as it is for other industries? Can hospitals ever become as “consumer-first” as Amazon, Uber or Disney? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer explore the concept of consumerism and addr...

The concept of personalization (or personalized marketing) is often misunderstood by healthcare marketers and communicators, yet many of us aspire to embrace these concepts through our digital efforts. With the tools and techniques now available to hospitals and health systems, many organizations are starting to explore how to combine their websites, social media, CRM, and other digital channels t...

For hospitals and health systems trying to embrace the digital age, it’s important to understand the pros and cons of such an approach. In this episode, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss a very important topic: data and cyber security risks. Tasked with protecting HIPAA and PHI, the constant pressure to keep data safe and secure is critical. Chris and Reed share ways in which, CIOs and IT d...

Recorded live at the Healthcare Internet Conference in Austin, Texas, hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith welcome expert guests from the industry - Tony Huth, EVP and Co-Founder of Medicom Health, Peter Alperin, VP at Doximity and Aaron Clifford, SVP of Marketing at Binary Fountain. The panel engages in a spirited conversation about the digital experience for both patients and physicians, trends in o...

With Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and the rise of computer-assisted technologies, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer dive into an almost philosophical discussion on whether machines are poised to take over healthcare. Is the Singularity upon us? With a discussion on how computers have developed more intelligence and the rise of computer learning, the hosts discuss a number of trends in...

For hospitals and health systems, education is an important way to not only train new entrants into the field (through residencies and fellowships), but also hone existing talent (through CMEs and CNEs). In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how healthcare organizations are using education and the growing role of digital in evolving and reshaping the way this training is delive...

Are you in the middle of planning for 2018? Tune in to listen to Chris, Reed and special guest Bobby Rettew talk about considerations around new technology and trends that are impacting healthcare marketing as we move into the next calendar year. Special thanks to our sponsors - Transparently - Binary Fountain - Influence Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to Wikipedia, the term crisis management is defined as "a set of factors designed to combat crises and to lessen the actual damages inflicted.” While every hospital and health system has had to face a crisis at some point in time, the use of digital tools have often not been properly leveraged to assist with crisis communication. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss...

The beauty about digital is that everything is absolutely measurable. And while measuring ROI is now the norm for healthcare digital marketers, can we also claim that digital can have an impact on quality? Is there such a thing as “Return on Health” (ROH)? In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the corollary and causal impacts a good digital presence can have on impacting qualit...

Live from Cleveland, this week’s episode features audio captured at the Content Marketing World Cleveland Clinic Health Summit 2017. Hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer kickoff the podcast sharing high-level takeaways from the CMWorld 2017 conference before “rolling the tape” on a panel session that included Brian Gresh (Executive Director, Digital & Content Marketing at Cleveland Clinic), Aaron Watk...

Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group which aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions. For healthcare, online advocacy could take many forms including generating interest around a particular disease or condition, fundraising/giving for non-profit health systems or organizations and even health advocacy efforts. This week, hosts Reed Smi...

The fundamental principle of the internet was to allow people across the world to find and connect with one another across topics of interest. For hospitals and health systems, this means providing ways for patients to connect and discuss their care. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss the ways patients have started to use the internet and social media to connect, and how org...

People don’t come to hospital websites for fun - they are there for a purpose. More times than not, that purpose is to engage and interact with the health system - finding a doctor, paying a bill, signing up for classes...even applying for a job. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer discuss how organizations can begin improving the online transaction. From understanding and defining u...

Unlike other industries, hospitals and health systems often find that the number of websites they have to manage are too numerous to manage efficiently. This can negatively impact not only the web user experience, but has significant business and process implications. Hosts Chris Boyer and Reed Smith discuss how best to begin evaluating and planning for a website consolidation effort, including th...

Hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer tackle the topic of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in this week’s episode, focusing their discussion on paid tactics. They briefly cover the various types of SEM, and then discuss effective ways organizations are ensuring their online marketing approaches produce results. They also discuss some of the current trends and challenges with SEM. This episode features and...

Keeping track of accurate physician listings online has become increasingly more complex for hospitals and health systems. Not only do they have to contend with various disparate internal databases, but external commercial websites (like Google, Yelp, HealthGrades, Vitals, etc.) and government/payor websites are also competing to be the sole source of truth when it comes to accurate provider listi...

Over the last decade, social media has had a tremendous impact on the healthcare industry, most specifically in transforming how we communicate and interact with our audiences. In this episode, host Reed Smith and Chris Boyer explore the power social media has on understanding public health and it’s influence on how patients communicate with one another and their health providers. From its use in...

The role of marketing in a hospital or health system has dramatically evolved over the years. Once focused on simple communication and community management activities, the expected role of the hospital marketer now has become more strategic and responsible for many strategies. In this episode, hosts Reed Smith and Chris Boyer reflect on their personal experience as hospital marketers over the last...