HMPS25: 30th Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit
Jarrard Inc. Senior Vice President Michael Knecht attended and facilitated sessions at the HMPS25 Conference. These are his key takeaways.
WHEN & WHERE: Orlando, April 29 – May 2
THEME: Leading with Humanity
More than 900 healthcare leaders from across the country assembled at the 30th installment of HMPS – the Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit. The Summit is a premier educational and networking event for senior-level healthcare marketing, communication, digital, strategy and physician relations executives.
TOP TAKEAWAYS:
1. AI Adoption Won’t Hasten Professional Obsolescence
As we’ve seen at most professional forums of late, artificial intelligence continues to be a topic of excitement, anticipation, curiosity and, at times, dread. In his keynote presentation, Tom Lawry – former Microsoft exec, now author and leading AI transformation advisor to health and medical leaders globally – shared his reflections on how AI is shaking up the status quo in our industry. He also reaffirmed that while the sophistication of AI has made remarkable advances, it’s currently best used to perform repetitive tasks and lower–level content creation in the marketing and communications world. Tasks requiring strategy, higher understanding of complex personal dynamics and most importantly, empathy – remain squarely in the human sphere of control. So, for now at least, breathe easy fellow MarComm professionals and embrace the technology.
2. Relationships (not Transactions) Drive the Bottom Line
In contrast to much of the HMPS content dedicated to KPIs, ROI and patient acquisition through the latest digital platforms, in his plenary remarks, “The Power of Connections: Delivering on Your Brand Promise,” Jake Poore reminded us that elevating the human side of healthcare is what truly brings success. A former Disney executive and noted lecturer on enhancing the employee and patient experience, Poore described how forward-thinking healthcare providers understand that their brands are driven by fulfilling the promises they make at every interaction, which builds sustainable relationships over time. More importantly, internal teams must be provided the training to understand the brand promise and their unique roles in delivering excellence during every encounter with patients and fellow team members.
3. Leadership Lessons
In the final day plenary session, “Leading Through Uncertainty,” Dennis Pullin, president and CEO of New Jersey-based Virtua Health, reflected on creating a human-centric approach to people and issues during challenging times. He also drew upon lessons shared in his recent book Suited for Leadership, which chronicles his path to becoming a leader, the value in building exceptional teams that complement (not duplicate) your own style and the nobility found in fulfilling a mission of service. Pullin is one of the nation’s most respected health system CEOs and a champion for health equity, having served on countless boards and frequently listed among the who’s who of innovators in our field.
