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The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally transformed healthcare delivery and, by extension, point-of-care marketing strategies. As patients shifted to telemedicine, waiting rooms eliminated touchable resources, and pharmacies expanded contactless options, healthcare marketers faced unprecedented challenges in reaching their audiences at the crucial point of care.
Now, as the industry settles into a post-pandemic reality, questions remain about which changes will persist and how marketers should adapt their strategies for this evolving landscape. To gain insight into these critical shifts, PM360 spoke with Matthew Stumm, Founder of Stark / Raving Health, a Boston-based healthcare marketing agency specializing in patient engagement.
In this exclusive interview, Stumm shares his perspective on growth opportunities within the point-of-care space, the increasing decentralization of healthcare delivery, and how marketers must adapt to consumers' changing preferences. He emphasizes the importance of market research in understanding evolving patient needs and explains why telehealth represents both a challenge and an opportunity for healthcare marketers looking to create meaningful connections at the point of care.
Stumm's insights offer valuable guidance for healthcare marketers navigating this transformed landscape, where the method of delivery has become as important as the message itself.
Point-of-Care marketing had to make a lot of adjustments as the pandemic completely upended the experience of patients seeing their doctor and getting their medications. The changes included the increase of telemedicine, waiting rooms limiting or completely eliminating resources patients could touch, and pharmacies adding delivery or drive-thru pick-up options. As we readjust post-pandemic, what will be the lasting impact on the point-of-care space? What will marketers need to do differently? How can they work to improve their strategies?
PM360: Where are the biggest growth opportunities within point-of-care marketing as we watch this space undergo an evolution following the impact of the pandemic?
Matthew Stumm: In a service-based industry like healthcare, point-of-care marketing need to let the method be part of the message, and the decentralized point-of-care model that exists today amplifies this strategy. More consumers than ever are foregoing primary care physicians and annual check-ups in favor of occasional urgent care visits – and telehealth has great potential to be a convenient, centralized access point.
We saw that during the COVID-19 shutdown; however, at that point in time it was a necessity, and now that healthcare has returned to pre-pandemic practices, it’s a convenience. And with any convenience, we need to understand what customers want and what their pain points are. One way to achieve this is putting the focus back on market research, such as customer satisfaction surveys and market surveys, to understand the evolving needs and barriers for consumers and healthcare providers. Once we learn what consumers want, we can improve the telehealth experience and develop effective marketing campaigns that highlight what’s most important to them.
To read the entire article, please visit PM360online.com.