In healthcare, your tech stack should serve your patients — not strain your patience.
From MarTech delivering a unified user experience, how do you ensure you’re selecting the right technology for your business when the choices seem endless?
In this conversation, Rich Phillips, Managing Director at Huron, shares how he cut through the noise to integrate technology seamlessly to serve both the business and its patients.
We discuss:
- Why creating organization-wide connections takes strategic focus
- Overcoming the complexity of technology and inspiring change
- Collaborating through digital and physical marketing
Why creating organization-wide connections takes strategic focus
Rich has an intrinsic interest in improving the lives of patients, and he achieves that through tech integration pulling from multiple industries. From championing the importance of good data to parsing out customer journeys, leveling up the patient experience is a team effort.
Creating organization-wide connections doesn’t happen overnight — it takes daily intentional practices and leveraging the proper tools.
“A lot of people think that Bruce Lee was maybe the best martial artist ever,” Rich says. “They always talk about the fact that he could fight 10 or 15 people at a time — he wasn't fighting 10 or 15 people at a time, he was fighting one person at a time, solving it quickly, and then moving to the next and then the next.”
Revamping internal processes has a similar cadence. Each potential improvement area is an opponent to overcome with specific tactics and outcomes in mind. Organizational change happens one opponent at a time, united on a common goal.
Overcoming the complexity of technology and inspiring change
All successful change starts with collaborative trust and empathy. CIOs need to know you understand their challenges and possible apprehension for change and that you have their best outcome in mind.
“Once you've got that level of collaborative trust in place and they realize you have their interests in mind, you've got a framework or a platform from which you can collaborate,” Rich says. “With that, I start to think about the art of the possible and maybe share what some of their peers are doing.”
With countless options for MarTech on the market, it can be overwhelming to determine which tools are worth implementing and which ones you should avoid. Rich has a few insights for choosing tech and how to get the most out of them.
Does the technology fit into your ecosystem?
Ensure the tool is compatible with your Patient 360 — or whichever system you use to understand and manage the patient journey. How does the tech support your existing structures?
Does the platform offer clean integration?
Check how the flow of information will work alongside this new tool — does it create blockages, or is it a seamless addition?
How actionable is the data attached to the tool?
Think about how your data travels through the system. Does this new tool provide actionable insights, or is it pointed in the wrong direction pulling inconsequential information?
Collaborating through digital and physical marketing
We all know that for marketing to succeed, you must know your audience and the journey they’re going through — regardless if the marketing is physical or digital.
This fact applies to healthcare procedures, as well. Digital experiences should not override physical interaction and the value of testimonials.
“Whether it's mementos or something tangible along the way, tough points create a durable memory of what happened, and then ‘Was it favorable or unfavorable?’ is emblazoned on the retina.” Rich says.
The power of physical marketing comes down to durability and context. Interacting with a brand in person delivers a long-lasting memory, whereas social media marketing and the like tend to get lost in the content shuffle.
Digital and physical marketing should work together, not cancel each other out or contradict one another. You can say the same for creating efficient internal systems. When the focus is on connecting the patient's journey to simple, effective technology, everyone wins.
“Focus creates so much power,” Rich says. “The biggie is to simplify the architecture, focus on some wins and then think about longitudinal capability rather than point to the problem.”
Want to learn more about creating organization-wide connections? Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or wherever you find your podcasts.
