A New Era for Point of Care Marketing

Point of care (PoC) marketing, a pharmaceutical marketing strategy that reaches patients and healthcare providers (HCPs) in doctor’s office and exam rooms when patient health is top of mind, is having a renaissance. What has long been a straight-forward approach to contextually relevant messaging in the trusted environment of the doctor’s office is fast becoming a complex and multi-tiered marketing strategy designed to meet the ever-changing landscape of doctor-patient interactions through advanced technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and data solutions.  

Traditionally, PoC tactics were rather simple. Sales representatives would visit HCPs in the office, talk about their product and leave patient brochures for the waiting room, posters for the exam room, and other branded materials visible to both patients and HCPs. Pharmaceutical companies also sponsored disease awareness events and bought advertising in popular magazines patients leafed through while they waited to see their HCPs.   

These methods still work today. However, the pandemic and the rise of AI and machine learning (ML) have offered new opportunities for point of care marketing. For example, when in-office visits plummeted during the worst of COVID-19, telemedicine platforms quickly emerged as the new form of doctor-patient interaction and remain popular as COVID-19 has become less dire.  

At the same time, omnichannel marketing, an AI and data-driven platform that delivers highly targeted and comprehensive messaging to both patients and HCPs while they are online, gave marketers a way to personalize messaging to both HCP and patient audiences across multiple channels and platforms without them having to leave their homes. 

What’s quickly evolved over the last year or so is a slew of compelling new technologically advanced and data-driven engagement channels that are changing the face of point of care. For example: 

• Telemedicine platforms use advanced data targeting to offer contextually relevant educational opportunities, like educational videos, to patients while waiting for virtual appointments to begin. They also offer functionality like screen sharing and sharable documents to help doctors effectively explain ideas.  
• Wall-mounted TVs provide curated educational health content in patient waiting rooms based on patient populations and treatment portfolios.  
• Handheld self-registration devices not only save time for office staff but give pharma companies opportunity to reach individual patients with specific content related to the patient’s individual needs. 
• Wall-mounted digital education boards in the exam room help doctors teach patients about biology, how a disease works and how certain treatment options will benefit them, all of which can be branded.   
• Back-office wall-mounted screens inform, educate and even train doctors and staff while displaying specific brand messaging. 
• Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) provide immersive experiences that can be used for patient education and engagement. For instance, pharmaceutical companies can create interactive 3D models of medications to help patients better understand their treatment. Healthcare professionals can use VR simulations for training and product familiarization.  
• Electronic Health Record messaging allows pharma companies to place contextually relevant content on screens while an HCP is with a patient in the exam room. 
• AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants answer patient questions and provide branding opportunities while continued patient education is being delivered.

While these channels can be highly effective alone, they are best used as part of an overall omnichannel strategy where brand education is reinforced across a comprehensive assortment of channels: in-office, through telemedicine platforms, and online. According to the Point of Care Marketing Association , the impact from exposure on multiple channels, including PoC, was more effective than the media channel running alone. 

• 68% asked for a prescription for a specific medication. 
• 84% more likely to ask their doctor about an ad they saw. 

Here is an example of how PoC combined with omnichannel might work:  

1. An oncologist receives messaging for a new treatment on their EHR during the day. 
2. Later that evening, they see a corresponding banner ad for the treatment online and click it to learn more.  
3. The next day, that same oncologist meets with a patient who has seen similar messaging both in the waiting room self-registration tablet and in a social media ad at home.  
4. The two discuss the treatment in the exam room and choose to adopt it. 
5. All these points of engagement are tracked, giving pharma companies a roadmap for success. 

PoC success can also be measured by increased appointments, responses to patient surveys, website and social media interactions, and long-term health outcomes. 

Armed with this data, pharmaceutical companies can tailor their PoC tactics campaign to campaign and bring important information to patients and their HCPs simultaneously. 

So, how do you begin? Work with an omnichannel data and media team with access to industry data to design an informed PoC marketing and omnichannel strategy based on your goals. 

1. Pinpoint a highly targeted HCP and patient audience. 
2. Develop KPIs and goals. 
3. Choose the best performance PoC channels based on industry data for your goals. 
4. Run the campaign for six months to fully see effects. 

Remember that omnichannel marketing constantly refines its outreach to each person in your target list based on their behavior and engagements.  

In terms of behavior economics and contextually relevant marketing, point of care marketing within an omnichannel landscape has the potential for profound outcomes. 

If you’d like to learn more, Kinetic at Syneos Health offers full omnichannel capabilities, including Point of Care marketing opportunities.

The Syneos Health Insights Hub generates future-focused, actionable insights to help biopharmaceutical companies better execute and succeed in a constantly evolving environment. Driven by dynamic research, our perspectives are informed by our insights-driven product development model and crafted by subject matter experts focused on real answers to customer challenges to help guide decision making and investment.