This article synthesizes key insights from the inaugural POCMA Candid Conversations event held in January 2025, where industry leaders gathered to discuss the evolving landscape of Point of Care marketing measurement.
Measurement as a Measure of Integrity
As business process legend H. James Harrington astutely observed:
“If you cannot measure, you cannot understand. If you cannot understand, you cannot control. If you cannot control, you cannot improve it.”
Measurement isn’t solely about proving ROI—it’s about driving smarter, more effective marketing that understands and responds to audiences in real-world contexts. And at Point of Care (POC), measurement must adapt to the nuances of provider-patient interactions.
After all, we don’t want providers clicking instead of engaging. POC is not about passive impressions—it’s about meaningful engagement at critical health moments.
Unlike traditional media, POC is embedded within patient-provider interactions—real moments where diagnoses are discussed, treatment decisions are made, and lives are impacted. Standardizing POC measurement goes beyond validating the channel—it ensures patients and providers have the right information at the right time to make informed health decisions. And for brands, underperformance here is not just a missed opportunity—it’s a risk they can’t afford.
Despite its growing value, POC has historically faced misconceptions about measurement feasibility, often seen as too complex, out of sync with broader marketing frameworks, or simply too difficult to quantify. But the reality is different: with the right methodologies, POC measurement is not only possible but a strategic advantage.
In this article, we’ll break down the misconceptions and explore how standardized measurement practices can strengthen POC’s effectiveness, optimize resource allocation, and, most importantly, help ensure that patients and providers have the right information when it matters most.
The Measurement Imperative: Why We Need Better Analytics for Point of Care
Point of Care marketing spans a diverse array of tactics—from digital screens in waiting rooms to printed materials in examination rooms, from EHR-integrated messaging to interactive check-in solutions and patient portals, and more. This tactical diversity, while powerful, creates significant measurement complexities. Unlike purely digital channels with standardized impression-based metrics, POC combines digital, physical, and interpersonal touchpoints that defy simple measurement frameworks.
Industry experts agree that POC faces unique measurement challenges:
- Contextual Complexity: POC exists within the provider setting, beyond traditional media touchpoints, making direct comparison difficult
- Tactical Diversity: The channel encompasses everything from digital screens to print materials, each requiring different measurement approaches
- Attribution Challenges: POC often represents the final touchpoint in a complex patient journey
- Data Consistency: Varied metrics and methodologies across vendors create confusion when comparing results
Kate Gattuso Duffy, Global Lead of Media Measurement, Optimization & Web Analytics at Pfizer, noted during a recent industry panel, “There’s so many different metrics. They tell so many different stories, so many different stakeholders hear them, and when you see things that are so widely different, it’s really hard to reconcile, and then the trust factor is challenging.”
Creating "Good Measure": A Framework for POC Analytics
Process Improvement Through Measurement
The primary value of measurement isn’t simply validating channel effectiveness but identifying optimization opportunities, which truly benefit HCPs and patients. Data is a gift to marketers, establishing how and what people respond to. In an interconnected digital environment, this is very important since no touchpoint truly stands on its own. By accurately measuring POC within a multi-channel marketing strategy, we accomplish several critical objectives:
- Validating POC as an effective channel worthy of continued investment
- Generating insights on how to improve POC integration and execution
- Improving the resources and message delivery according to real world needs and behaviors
However, this requires a holistic, consistent approach to measurement methodology. As industry experts emphasize, measurement must connect seamlessly with overall strategy, brand strategy, and company-wide objectives.
Standardization: The Foundation of Reliable Measurement
Unlike traditional media channels with established measurement conventions, POC media encompasses both digital and print tactics within unique healthcare environments. As a result, existing methodologies often miss nuances specific to patient-provider settings.
Data standardization must occur at multiple levels:
- Tactical Level: Each POC tactic should be measured using consistent metrics across executions
- Channel Level: All POC tactics should be measured using compatible frameworks to enable comparison
- Cross-Channel Level: POC measurement should align with measurement approaches used for other channels
Kit Burkus, Sr. Principal, Measurement Innovation & Methodologies at IQVIA Digital, noted: “We did about 200 point of care measurement studies last year, and it’s very inconsistent.” This inconsistency undermines confidence in POC as a channel and limits our ability to optimize performance.
Methodology: Patient-Level Analysis as the Gold Standard
While traditional return on investment (ROI) remains a staple in measurement, it fails to capture POC’s complete value proposition. Experts increasingly recommend focusing on patient-level data as the most reliable methodology:
- Patient-Level Metrics: New patient acquisition, prescription shifts, days-of-supply changes
- Incremental Impact: Measuring lift versus appropriate control groups
- Leading Indicators: Identifying early signals of campaign effectiveness
Mike Ramadei, Sr Strategy Director, Crossix, at Veeva explained: “The objective should be to provide more granular data over time, because that’s what’s happening in other channels.”
There is an opportunity to get truly granular when looking at expanding points of care and the data that brings in. As Leanne Smith, EVP of Data Strategy & Governance at CMI Media Group and Compas reinforces: “There is still somewhat of a lack of data. I know that with a pamphlet and print data specificity can be more difficult, but with the digital age that we’re in—and so much of Point of Care is digital—I really think there needs to be a stronger emphasis on providing that digital data for the models.”
Planning Framework: Creating a Roadmap for Effective Measurement
Audience-First Approach
Successful POC measurement begins with understanding who you’re trying to reach and why. This patient-centric foundation drives every subsequent decision in your measurement approach:
- Define Target Audiences: Clearly identify which patient segments you aim to influence
- Establish Clear Objectives: Determine specifically what behavior change you seek to create
- Select Appropriate Metrics: Choose measures that directly connect to your objectives
Yalcin Baltali, Director of Resource Optimization at Novartis, emphasized: “The ‘patient-first’ approach guides us in how we measure and design our studies”
Consistent Methodology Across Channels
Once your audience and objectives are defined, establish a consistent measurement methodology that aligns across all marketing channels:
- Apply the Same Rigor: POC should be measured with the same scientific approach as other channels
- Equivalent Controls: Use comparable control groups across all channels
- Normalized Metrics: Create equivalent performance indicators for cross-channel comparison
Ensure all stakeholders in your plan (brands, agencies, vendors et. al.) take part in defining and aligning on your measurement approach. Collaboration and clear communication from beginning to end is critical to successful Point of Care measurement.
Tactical Specificity: Beyond the Channel Level
While it’s tempting to view POC as a unified channel, experts emphasize the importance of measuring at the tactical level:
- Tactic-by-Tactic Approach: Measure each POC tactic independently to understand its unique contribution
- Vendor-Level Analysis: Different vendors may show different performance even with similar tactics
- Location-Level Insights: Performance often varies significantly by facility or provider type
Karen Hofmann, Director, AI & Analytics at Cognizant, advised: “They need to almost be looked at as individual tactics, because the impact of a pamphlet versus the TV in the office or a message on the EHR can be very different, and so you shouldn’t try to measure POC as a conglomerate.”
Collaboration: The Key to Measurement Success
Effective POC measurement requires collaboration across multiple stakeholders, each bringing essential expertise and perspective:
Aligning Key Partners
Successful measurement demands alignment among all key planning partners from the outset. From targeting to creative, the benefits to overall campaign success outweigh alignment challenges:
- Brand Teams: Providing clarity on strategic objectives and business goals
- Media Agencies: Contributing channel expertise and coordination across the media mix
- Data Suppliers: Ensuring appropriate and consistent data collection methodologies
- Measurement Experts: Applying analytical rigor and contextual interpretation
- POC Vendors: Offering channel-specific insights and implementation details
It takes a multi-layer, cooperative approach to ensure measuring Point of Care in any campaign is done effectively, providing substantive data to validate its use.
The Timing Imperative
When measurement discussions should occur was a recurring theme among experts at our Candid Conversations event, and more broadly among healthcare marketing leaders. The consensus: measurement planning must happen during media planning, not after campaign execution.
“Day one, everyone needs to be involved in the conversation. The marketer from the pharma, their analytics team, the agency, their analytics team if they have one, the vendor, their analytics team and/or partner who’s doing the analytics,” advised Karen Hofmann.
Without this early collaboration, brands risk discovering measurement disconnects too late in the process, leading to wasted investment and missed opportunities for optimization.
Improving Measurement: Beyond ROI
Don't Rely Exclusively on ROI
While ROI remains an important metric, the complexity of POC demands a more nuanced approach:
- Multiple KPIs: Incorporate metrics beyond simple financial return
- Decision-Aligned Timing: Schedule measurement results to coincide with key decision points
- Patient-Level Data: Capture prescription shifts, new patient acquisition, and other behavior changes
“ROI is one of the things. But ROI is not the only thing that we’re looking at,” explained Yalcin Baltali. “We evaluate each channel contributions to the brand’s performance, ensuring they align with the brand and company strategies. We also carefully consider any resource limitations to maximize the effectiveness”
Understanding the Complete Ecosystem
Effective measurement requires comprehension of the entire marketing ecosystem:
- Complete Channel Understanding: Knowledge of all tactics in play and their intended roles
- Standardized Measurement: Consistent methodology across all tactics
- Holistic Attribution: Recognition of how channels work together rather than in isolation
Dave Nussbaum, Consultant / Advisor and former Publicis Health Chief Data Officer, highlights the unique analytical possibilities of POC compared to other channels: “In Point of Care, it’s possible to have this very deep view into what’s happening that is not necessarily reported for other channels.” He points to the ability to go deeper in creating data-based analysis, “It’s the same unique de-identified patient ID for every exposure across all media strategies, channels, and tactics. This means analysis can reveal patient behavior changes driven by different media exposures across the entire path to treatment. If you want to roll patients up and aggregate them to their doctor, you can roll them up and aggregate them to the doctor. We can understand patient plan barriers, and much more. We can gain unparalleled insights in ways that can improve overall campaign strategies and effectiveness.”
“When we talk about measurement, it sometimes comes across as one channel versus another. Which one did better? But that’s not how it is, right? It’s all the channels working together to get to that end goal,” emphasized Varsha Eluri, a partner at Ipsos.
Looking Forward: The Future of POC Measurement
The POCMA Candid Conversations event highlighted how the healthcare ecosystem is evolving rapidly, creating both challenges and opportunities for POC measurement. As the Point of Care Marketing Association continues to foster these crucial industry discussions, several key trends emerge:
Data Collection Innovation
The digital transformation of healthcare provides new opportunities for more robust measurement:
- AI-Powered Tools: Advanced analytics to capture and process more complex data
- Enhanced Patient-Level Insights: Deeper understanding of individual patient journeys
Shifting Media Landscape
Traditional media channels are experiencing significant disruption, creating new opportunities for POC:
- Declining Broadcast TV: Traditional TV spending continues to decrease
- Digital Channel Growth: Increasing focus on targeted digital touchpoints
- Live Event Premium: Live sports and similar environments command premium prices
Yalcin observed: “As spending on traditional broadcasting media decreases and becomes limited to very high-cost championship sports games, the impact of POC and digital channels is set to rise significantly. Therefore, it’s crucial to think holistically, as POC represents the final touchpoint in promotional activities—right when patients are about to make decisions in the doctor’s office.”
Conclusion: Creating a Culture of Measurement Excellence
Point of Care represents a powerful opportunity to reach patients at critical decision moments, but its full potential can only be realized through rigorous, consistent measurement. By establishing standardized approaches, fostering cross-stakeholder collaboration, and focusing on patient-level outcomes, healthcare marketers can transform POC from a tactical checkbox to a strategic imperative.
The POCMA Candid Conversations event underscored the industry’s collective commitment to advancing measurement practices through transparent dialogue and shared learning. As expressed in POCMA’s mission, these discussions represent a vital step toward “supporting the continued growth of Point of Care marketing through education, best practices, verification standards, and advocacy.”
As the healthcare landscape evolves, those who master POC measurement will gain significant advantages—not just in validating their marketing investments, but in continuously improving their approach based on data-driven insights. This patient-centered perspective aligns perfectly with the broader healthcare transformation toward more personalized, holistic care models.
The path forward requires commitment from all stakeholders—brands, agencies, vendors, and measurement partners—to establish the standards, processes, and collaborative frameworks that will define the next generation of POC excellence. Through ongoing industry collaboration like the Candid Conversations series, we can collectively elevate measurement practices to ensure Point of Care marketing delivers optimal value for patients, providers, and healthcare organizations alike.
This article synthesizes insights from the POCMA Candid Conversations inaugural event in January 2025, featuring measurement experts from leading organizations including Pfizer, Novartis, IQVIADigital, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Veeva Crossix, CMI, and Ipsos. The Candid Conversations series was created to foster open dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving among industry stakeholders committed to advancing Point of Care marketing effectiveness.
