PoC3 Summit 2016
On October 4th, over 150 industry members joined together at the PoC3 Summit – a unique annual gathering focused on how the changing climate of healthcare is precipitating a fundamental shift in health-related communications. Hosted by the Point of Care Communication Council, the event was attended by pharmaceutical marketers, agency executives, media and tech companies, and research firms.
This year’s agenda tackled the increasingly complex and crucial patient/healthcare provider dialogue. Speakers from varying points of view shared insights and challenges on how to best impact and participate in that dialogue. No event on point-of-care communication is complete without the patient point of view, and this year’s contribution by Regina Holliday was received with a standing ovation. Her heartfelt and passionate story of her role as a caregiver anchored the day’s content and ensured that attendees kept the real goal in mind – impacting communication to achieve better patient health outcomes.
Caption: Regina Holliday sharing the story of her late husband’s battle with kidney cancer.
Contributing experts to the October 4th agenda also provided the marketer’s viewpoint from Christine Sakdalan, VP of Novo Nordisk, and Justin Rubin, SVP of JUICE Pharma Worldwide, who each offered challenges to both the framework for how point-of-care communication is approached, and the creative aspects with which the message is delivered.
Caption: Christine Sakdalan of Novo Nordisk takes attendees through the human side of patient (consumer) engagement.
Caption: Justin Rubin, SVP of JUICE Pharma Worldwide, explains how a captive audience does not guarantee you will have a captivated audience and the importance of understanding what is inside a patient’s head and feelings, as well as the technological and environmental distractions inside POC.
Ensuring representation of the physician voice and attitudes were Dr. James Hamblin and Dr. Jonathan Howard, two medical professionals with vastly different experiences and career paths. This diversity allowed for attendees to build a more multi-dimensional understanding of the physician component of point-of-care messaging. Med Ad News Director of Content Andrew Humphreys moderated a dynamic panel with Drs. Hamblin and Howard.
Caption: Dr. James Hamblin (center) responds to a question from Med Ad News Director of Content Andrew Humphreys (right) on defending the value of the “empowered patient” to the physicians who are frustrated by the changing landscape (Dr. Jonathan Howard is seated on the left).
In addition to representing the viewpoints of the key stakeholders involved at the point of care, the POC3 Summit featured a robust segment on metrics, research and measurement. Michele Deutschman of Kantar Media walked attendees through the latest research from the MARS Consumer Health Database, highlighting the consumer-reported impact of various communication pieces seen and heard at doctors’ offices, pharmacies and hospitals. Also within the research segment were presentations by research firms Crossix, IMS Health, and Symphony, each sharing their latest findings and current perspectives on the landscape. Joining these experts were research leads from a sample of the Point of Care Communication Council member companies, including Scott Nesbitt of Patient Point, Natalie Hill of AccentHealth, and Adam Prowker of ContextMedia:Health.
Caption: A fast-paced and smart dialogue between leading point-of-care researchers gave attendees much to consider and furthered the understanding of measurement for the channel.
The summit closed with, in addition to cocktails, a look at the future applications of point-of-care communication. Leading EHR expert and founder of Think Patients, Joe Meadows, helped pharma marketers and their agency partners better understand where they can reasonably expect to fit in to this communication stream now, and what is possible down the road. Attendees were treated to a first-hand demo of recently unveiled software from a partnership with Robert Wood Johnson and Kognito, which harnesses the power of conversations between virtual patients and doctors to educate, coach, engage, change behavior and ultimately improve health outcomes.
Caption: Ron Goldman, Kognito’s Founder, explains how this pilot program impacts one essential component of communication at the POC – the actual conversation that takes place among providers, patients and caregivers.
As an outreach of the Point of Care Communication Council’s mission, the POC3 Summit represented a powerful opportunity for industry leaders. This year’s event provided a day to better understand, evaluate, and plan for impactful point-of-care communications. The event will be held again next fall. More information is available at www.poc3.org.
