Count On Coffey

By Elizabeth Knapke, Business Development Consultant

The 31st Healthcare Marketing and Physician Strategies Summit (HMPS26) brought healthcare marketers, strategists, digital leaders and physician relations teams together in Salt Lake City for practical and timely conversations. For the Coffey team, it was a valuable opportunity to spend time with clients, meet new healthcare marketing leaders, listen closely to what teams are navigating and compare notes on where the field is headed.

One thing quickly became clear: Healthcare marketing is being asked to carry more weight than ever, which can feel like a lot of pressure. But it also points to a larger opportunity.

Marketing is no longer just about building awareness or getting messages out. Increasingly, it is tied to growth, access, service line performance, revenue, margin, patient experience and trust. The work still requires creative, thoughtful content and smart campaigns. But it also requires marketers to connect those efforts to visible, measurable outcomes.

Making every interaction count

Several conversations at HMPS focused on the gap between generating interest and helping people actually take the next step. A campaign may inspire someone to look for care, but what happens next depends on the systems around it. Does the website answer the questions people are really asking? If not, marketing interest can rapidly turn into frustration.

That is why access, experience and operations came up again and again. These are not separate from marketing. They shape whether the promise made in a campaign is fulfilled in the patient journey—and how effectively an organization can turn attention into action.

Trust can't be automated

Trust was another clear through line—one that has surfaced repeatedly in recent years. Healthcare organizations are trying to communicate change while they are actively living through it—navigating workforce strain, AI adoption, shifting patient expectations, operational constraints and constant pressure to move faster. Marketing has an important role to play in this ever-changing environment—not by smoothing over complexity, but by helping people understand what is changing, why it matters and where the organization is headed.

AI was part of nearly every future-facing conversation, and the most useful discussions were not about replacing human judgment, but about using new tools responsibly to improve search, support content work, create efficiencies and better understand patient needs. The questions around accuracy, authenticity and trust are real, and healthcare marketers are right to take them seriously.

The power of an integrated approach

For Coffey, HMPS26 reinforced what we see every day in our work with healthcare organizations: Websites, content, campaigns, data and digital tools have to work together. A strong marketing strategy is not just about reaching people. It is about helping them take the right next step.

Our team left HMPS26 encouraged by the conversations and energized by the stamina we see in healthcare marketing. Things are moving quickly, and the work is increasingly complex. But when marketing is connected to strategy, operations and measurable outcomes, it becomes a powerful part of how healthcare organizations grow, improve access and build lasting trust.

Categories: Marketing