The Changing Healthcare Landscape and the Rise of POC Marketing

Point of Care (POC) marketing has emerged as an increasingly viable and rapidly expanding channel in healthcare advertising, experiencing remarkable revenue growth of 171% since 2019, reaching over $803 million in 2023¹. The $803 million is based on data reported by 17 POCMA members and does not represent total industry spend. The total industry spend is likely higher than $1 billion, based on the year-over-year growth reported by РОСМА members and the 2022 ZS projection that the POC industry would reach $1 billion by 2023²⁹.

During this same period, pharmaceutical advertising spend for HCP run-of-site digital display and print ads declined by 22%², while DTC advertising increased by 26%⁵, highlighting a significant shift in media allocation strategies.

With POC marketing now growing at an annual rate of 22%¹, it commands an increasingly significant share of the healthcare media mix. This rapid expansion is driven by POC's distinctive ability to deliver personalized messaging at pivotal decision points in the healthcare journey, creating moments of impact when they matter most.

As consumers navigate an evolving mix of digital and in-person care experiences, POC marketing stands out for its precision in delivering hyper-targeted engagement. Leading brands are investing heavily in this channel, recognizing its proven effectiveness in reaching both patients and healthcare professionals efficiently at critical decision points within an increasingly competitive, multichannel landscape.

This report from the Point of Care Marketing Association, drawing on insights from M3 MI's Professional and MARS Consumer Health Studies alongside other industry data, delves into the driving forces behind POC's rise and offers strategic guidance for marketers seeking to optimize this powerful channel in meeting the evolving needs of today's healthcare consumers.

Report Focus

Drawing on new research to provide marketers with actionable insights, this report focuses on:

• Point of Care Marketing Spend: An analysis of point of care ad spending from 2019 to 2023 based on 17 contributing members of the Point of Care Marketing Association (POCMA).
  
• Evolving Audiences & Market Opportunities: Insights into shifting demographics, emerging care settings and new opportunities for reaching consumers.
  
• Strategic Impact of the POC Channel: An assessment of how POC marketing drives engagement, builds trust, and contributes to prescription growth and patient outcomes.
  
• Technological Shifts and Consumer Behavior: Exploration of how digital tools, telehealth, and wearable devices are transforming healthcare delivery and patient engagement.

Continue To the Market Overview →

About the Authors

POCMA

Point of Care Marketing Association

The Point of Care Marketing Association exists to advocate for the effective use of the Point of Care channel to advance patient healthcare outcomes. Members of the nonprofit Point of Care association work closely with brand, agency and provider stakeholders to advocate for the channel and promote its positive impact to ensure its continued growth as a vital and innovative segment of healthcare marketing. For more information, visit pocmarketing.org.

M3 MI

Marketing Intelligence and Media Insight

M3 MI is a leading provider of syndicated research for the healthcare industry

Our solutions empower informed decisions by marketers across the health ecosystem and better outcomes for their brands.

Highest quality research - Clients trust M3 MI for accurate, unbiased and actionable data: healthcare consumer and professional audience insights, media measurement, and advertising intelligence, as well as 100% opt-in, privacy safe consumer health audiences for activation.

Client success - We’ve built long-term relationships with, and contributed to the success of, hundreds of brands, ad agencies, media companies, researchers and consultancies, as their source for a deeper understanding of their customers and how to most effectively connect and communicate with them.

A trusted partner - Our new identity, as part of M3, is built on a decades long legacy of helping clients as Kantar Media Healthcare Research, PERQ/HCI and MARS Consumer Health — now leveraging M3’s resources as a global research and data company focused 100% on health and driven by technology.

www.M3-Mi.com

Personalization & The Rising Importance of POC

Healthcare marketing in the U.S. is transforming rapidly. Today's consumers navigate health information across a multitude of channels, with digital behaviors and non-traditional settings becoming increasingly prevalent. Primary care visits have declined over the past decade³ ⁴, particularly among younger generations (notably Millennials and Gen Z), while urgent care and retail clinic visits have surged—signaling a shift toward accessible, on-demand care. Concurrently, emerging technologies like telehealth platforms and AI-driven tools are reshaping patient-provider interactions, creating new opportunities for healthcare marketers to engage audiences at critical decision points.

POC marketing has become a critical strategy in this evolving ecosystem, experiencing an annual growth rate of 22% between 2019 and 2023.¹ Its ability to target and engage healthcare providers (HCPs) and patients in real-world, context-driven environments makes it a highly effective pillar of today’s marketing strategies.

Healthcare settings are also evolving. In-person remains the primary touchpoint, with 183 million annual visits to doctor’s offices². However, patient journeys are increasingly including retail health clinics, which have seen nearly 200% growth in visit volume since 2017⁹ and over 100% growth in claims volume in the past five years³⁰. Virtual care is also gaining prominence as patients seek streamlined access to services. The evolution underscores the necessity for broader and increased POC investment to meet patients in outcome-defining moments across various care settings.

Despite accounting for a smaller share of total media investment, POC marketing can drive outsized impact. In one case study for a specialty Rx brand in the Rheumatology category, POC attributed 35% of new patient starts with just 14% of the media spend⁶.

This report will explore the current shifts in healthcare marketing and POC effectiveness, analyzing key trends in healthcare behavior and offering strategic insights to help brands effectively engage healthcare audiences at critical points of care.

Key Data Insights: Surge in Healthcare Marketing Investment

• Recent data from POCMA reveals a dynamic shift in healthcare ad spend.
  
• Pharma Houses & Prescription Medications total media spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) ads increased by 26% from 2019 to 2023⁵
  
• Pharmaceutical total media spending on HCPs has decreased by 22% from 2019-2023²
  
• Point of Care spending has seen a 171% increase from 2019 to 2023 to $803 Million¹*
  
• Point of Care as a channel is growing at a rate of 22% year over year¹
  

*Note: these figures include only spending voluntarily reported by 17 members, meaning actual industry spend is likely much higher.

Point of Care's 171% growth underscores POC marketing’s expanding importance. This growth offers new opportunities for strategy refinement, allowing brands to capitalize on this rapidly expanding channel¹.

The New Mix: POC’s Role in the Bigger Scope

Healthcare marketing is undergoing a fundamental shift, with brands allocating more resources to strategies that maximize engagement at key moments of interaction. Rather than relying on broad, anonymous channels, brands are focusing on connecting with individual consumers through platforms and contexts that resonate more deeply. Advances in data insights are helping brands better understand and reach consumers in meaningful ways, reshaping marketing and content strategies across industries.

POC media is emerging as a pivotal channel within this new emphasis on personalization and relevance. Few moments are as contextually powerful as the actual point of care, where POC blends digital and in-person tactics to heighten message impact in real-world settings.

The rise in POC spending, growing 171% between 2019 and 2023¹ , reflects healthcare brands' increasing investment in high-relevance contexts—such as doctor's offices, pharmacies, and patient portals—where content can genuinely connect. This evolution in healthcare marketing emphasizes the need to deliver meaningful content in an increasingly complex media landscape where consumer attention is at a premium.

The Rise of Personalization in Marketing Strategies

Brands are turning to media channels with high consumer engagement, where content can be closely aligned with consumer interests and behaviors. Omnichannel approaches, designed to create seamless experiences across touchpoints, are becoming standard. Next-best-action (NBA) strategies, leveraging digital tracking and predictive analytics, are widely used to anticipate consumer needs.

Regardless of approach, marketing is pivoting toward customer-centered strategies, with 50% more brands now placing personalization at the core of their customer strategies than just two years ago. Brands with advanced personalization capabilities are dedicating 68% of their marketing budgets to these strategies, which are delivering strong results: companies leading in personalization are 48% more likely to exceed revenue goals, with notable gains in customer loyalty, satisfaction, engagement, and lifetime value¹².

The healthcare industry, too, is adapting to new consumer behaviors and care landscapes. Service delivery, marketing strategies, and technology investments are now prioritizing digital innovation and value-based care¹¹.

Realignment of Healthcare Marketing Strategies

Recent data illuminates significant shifts in how healthcare brands are approaching patient engagement. POCMA's analysis—drawing on data from multiple industry sources—captures this evolution, highlighting increasing focus on precision and engagement at key decision points.

The expansion of POC aligns with broader industry trends toward personalized patient engagement. With healthcare providers increasingly utilizing digital workflow tools[7] and informed patients reporting higher satisfaction with their care experience, POC offers unique opportunities to deliver value-driven content that supports both clinical and educational objectives.

Key Data Insights: Digital Channel Growth⁷

• Patient online research on treatment options and talking to their physician about it has risen 10% since 2022⁷.
  
• 75% of patients value healthcare information from a website dedicated to their health condition⁷.
  
• 68% value digital patient support information⁷.

MARS Consumer Health data shows the rise in digital engagement and personalized healthcare marketing demonstrates a clear opportunity that brands are actively pursuing. POC, in particular, stands out as a strategic way to achieve personalization goals, allowing brands to reach patients in ways that matter most at critical moments. However, while the potential of POC is significant, its continued growth faces several challenges that could limit its full impact. Strategic investment and careful planning will be essential to avoid pitfalls and ensure that POC’s unique value is fully realized.

Challenges to Realizing the Full Potential of POC Marketing

Despite its demonstrative role in reaching healthcare audiences, several strategic hurdles could limit POC’s full potential. Omnichannel strategies, while valuable, are resource-intensive and place heavy organizational demands on teams. AI-driven engagement is powerful, yet only 55% of brands can scale personalization effectively, and fewer than a third report strong analytics capabilities¹². Additionally, the move toward data-centered marketing and personalization introduces risks where data may fall short—particularly in POC settings, where channels may not offer continuous data streams or real-time KPI tracking. This can result in missed opportunities for patient engagement and interactions that would otherwise drive outcomes.

The push to repurpose boilerplate creative across multiple channels also risks diluting the personalized messaging POC excels at. While technology-driven standardization aims to improve efficiency, it often falls short of true personalization. Automated systems can distribute content based on broad user behaviors, but may miss the nuanced, context-specific needs that POC marketing addresses. Although algorithms can direct content based on user actions, they often lack the channel-specific focus and creative support needed to truly personalize high-impact messaging in healthcare. Only 42% of brands have the content management systems robust enough to operationalize effective, tailored content at critical care moments¹².

This gap in resources undermines the ability to deliver the timely, tailored messaging that drives POC success—such as doctor curation and endorsement of patient education. As a result, brands risk missing key opportunities for meaningful interactions with patients and healthcare providers that only points of care can offer. If costs are being cut in personalizing creative, the compelling strategy for truly reaching audiences is to bring POC into planning earlier vs. retrofitting creative later.

Interconnected Marketing and the Evolution of Patient Journeys

Our analysis of the latest data reveals how patient-centered strategies—such as omnichannel, NBA, and interconnected marketing—are rising in response to consumer-driven changes in healthcare. Broader trends in a digital-first, option-rich environment are reshaping how patients engage with health information and care providers. These strategies aim to meet consumers where they are, responding to patient behaviors at high-value moments that influence decision-making and drive engagement. Today’s consumers expect concierge-level experiences⁹ that anticipate and adapt to their evolving needs and lifestyles. In healthcare, where they are patients, these stakes are particularly high, as impersonal or tone-deaf messaging can quickly alienate patients.

Unlike traditional integrated marketing, which merely aligns messaging across touchpoints, interconnected marketing actively links those touchpoints in real time—creating a seamless, responsive experience. This adaptability is especially critical in healthcare, where patients often navigate multiple, sometimes disconnected, interactions with providers while managing complex personal and medical needs.

Brands that deliver tailored touchpoints throughout the patient journey—providing relevant, incremental information at key stages—see stronger outcomes¹². As marketing strategies become more interconnected, they can dynamically adjust across channels based on the patient’s location and their stage in the healthcare journey, helping brands remain relevant in increasingly non-linear pathways.

The Power of Point of Care in an Interconnected Strategy

POC marketing plays an important role within an interconnected approach, aligning seamlessly with the shift toward personalization. It enables brands to engage customers in targeted, contextually relevant tactics—whether in a doctor’s office, pharmacy, or through a patient portal—that resonate with modern patient journeys.

When integrated with channels like digital or television, POC amplifies impact by creating cohesive patient experiences. For example, in a case study by Veeva Crossix, patients exposed to both digital and POC ads were 200x more likely to convert (based on net conversion rates for digital only and digital + POC)⁶. This synergy—rooted in net conversion rate analysis—demonstrates POC’s ability to reinforce digital efforts and guide patients toward action.

An interconnected approach can enhance POC campaigns across tactics, as well as between channels. For example, patient messaging in a portal can reinforce HCP guidance given in the clinic, while pharmacy reminders can build on in-office discussions. Synergy between channels—like highlighting a treatment option at the POC that a patient previously encountered online—amplifies awareness and retention. Neglecting POC is like having a chef, a menu, and premium ingredients but placing the dining room in another building—creating a disconnect in the patient experience.

Key Data Insights: Multichannel Approaches Enhanced by POC

• 150 million U.S. adults research health/wellness topics weekly online—a 12% increase since 2022⁷
  
• Patients exposed to both digital and POC ads were 200x more likely to convert compared to just seeing a digital ad alone⁶.
  
• 87% of adults who visited a prescribing HCP in the past year encountered healthcare ads in clinical settings⁷, demonstrating POC’s broad reach representing a sizable audience exposed to POC media in a healthcare context

This MARS Consumer Health data underscores the strategic value of POC within an integrated multichannel approach. The significant lift in prescription rates demonstrates POC's effectiveness in influencing treatment decisions at critical moments. When strategically integrated with digital, television, and other channels, POC contributes substantially to the marketing mix by driving measurable engagement and conversion at key decision points.

Moreover, with 49% of patients typically conducting research online prior to doctor appointments (a 17% increase since pre-pandemic levels), there exists a considerable opportunity to engage patients earlier in their healthcare journey⁷. By incorporating POC touchpoints throughout pre-consultation stages, brands can deliver consistent, contextually relevant messaging that shapes patient-provider conversations and treatment decisions before they enter a clinical setting.

Summary on the State of the Industry

The healthcare marketing landscape is shifting dramatically, driven by consumer demand for personalized, accessible information and seamless care experiences. In response, brands are moving toward more personalized, contextually relevant strategies with Point of Care playing a larger role than ever before⁷.

POC marketing, with its distinctive ability to connect with patients and healthcare providers directly in real-world settings, is more than likely increasing its share of the healthcare media mix. This rapid growth reflects the broader shift toward targeted, conversion-focused marketing, as brands double down on cross-channel strategies that enhance engagement at key decision points. Data-driven tactics like NBA and omnichannel approaches are increasingly standard, with 68% of healthcare marketers now leveraging these methods to deliver high-impact, personalized experiences¹².

However, as brands allocate more resources to engage consumers where it matters most, challenges persist. Integrating POC early in planning processes—not retrofitting campaigns—ensures cohesive messaging across touchpoints.

Elevating POC Strategies for the Era of Personalized Care

As healthcare marketing embraces personalization, POC presents a powerful opportunity to engage both healthcare providers and patients. Providers expect more tailored educational content, and patients demand timely, relevant information along their health journeys. As digitalization accelerates and patient workflows evolve, there’s a growing opportunity to deliver contextually relevant, unifying messaging to both patients and providers at critical points of care. Personalized POC content enhances HCP support and patient engagement. M3 MI's Professional Health Studies reveal significant shifts in how providers value and utilize personalized content within their workflows - with 85% finding condition-specific materials useful for patient education and reference⁸. This engagement pattern suggests opportunities for improving health outcomes through targeted POC strategies.

New Ways to Engage: Providers are Increasingly Digitally Dependent

Physicians generally dislike being targeted by content or ads on general or consumer sites, with 17% finding this beneficial according to M3 MI’s Digital Insights study. However the response shifts when ads appear on professional websites and apps, where 51% of physicians view targeted ads as helpful in work-related contexts⁸. Rather than relying solely on external media to engage HCPs, brands can enhance relevance by embedding POC content directly into provider workflows and technologies, delivering personalized resources that align with physician needs and preferences.

As physicians increasingly rely on digital tools, the importance of high-quality, seamless digital content grows. For example, 75% of physicians use digital apps daily; among physicians who have EHR apps installed, 87% identify access to EHR as most important in supporting their practice⁸.

Key Data Insights: Physician Adoption of Digital Platforms

• 84% of physicians' time spent reading medical content in a typical week is through digital media⁸
  
• 75% of physicians use digital apps daily; among physicians who have each of the following apps installed, they rank access for the EHR most important in helping with practice (87%), followed by diagnostic reference (84%), and drug reference (82%)⁸
  
• 51% of HCPs feel they can learn about new products or procedures virtually or in-person equally well, up 25% from 2022⁸
  
• 93% of physicians use EHRs, portals, and websites as a top information resource, second only to CME, Colleagues, Conferences, and Meetings (94%)⁸
  
• Through EHR systems or Telemedicine platforms, 55% of physicians with that option have forwarded pertinent education materials directly to patients; another 35% would if available⁸

This M3 MI Professional Health data illustrates the increasing reliance on digital tools by physicians within their workflows, making POC integration an essential component for reaching healthcare providers effectively.

The Evolution of EHRs: From Documentation to Dynamic Systems

Once seen primarily as documentation tools, EHRs have evolved into dynamic systems enabling more personalized and timely messaging by leveraging patient data. Today, EHRs play a vital role in information-sharing across healthcare ecosystems, connecting physicians, care teams, pharmacies, and healthcare brands to both each other and their patients. These technologies facilitate a reciprocal relationship, aligning patient data, HCP diagnostic needs, and targeted patient-support information.

For instance, 27% of physicians use EHR systems to distribute patient education and disease maintenance information.⁸ In-workflow messaging keeps physicians and other HCPs, such as pharmacists, informed about new products, medical education, and support services. The impact is notable: 64% of HCPs have used EHR systems to search for alternative medications, while 29% of physicians who saw advertising in their EHR find the ads useful⁸.

EHRs also present an opportunity to drive patient adherence through automated tools. If available, 43% of physicians would request auto-reminders in the EHR for patient prescription journeys, with 34% already utilizing such features⁸. These functions can foster stronger collaboration between brands and physicians to improve adherence, particularly for patients adjusting to new medications or managing conditions like memory loss or stress.

The Digital Disconnect: Balancing Patient and HCP Preferences

Despite growing patient demand for digital health resources, a gap exists in how physicians share these resources with their patients. While physicians increasingly rely on digital tools within their own workflows, they are not referring patients to these resources at a comparable rate. This disconnect suggests that, while digital resources are available and in demand, physicians often perceive them as either misaligned with their practices or burdensome to integrate into patient care.

Challenges of Physician Referrals

Despite growing patient demand for digital health resources, several factors may contribute to the low referral rates among physicians:

• Integration Complexity: Administrative burden continues to shape digital adoption patterns. A 2024 MGMA report reveals that 68% of physicians cite administrative tasks, including digital health tool integration, as a significant contributor to workflow challenges. This aligns with M3 MI's Digital Insights finding that while 75% of physicians distribute printed materials, only 25% regularly utilize patient portals - suggesting opportunities for more seamless digital integration strategies that respect provider workflows⁶.
  
• Perceived Lack of Value: 34% of physicians find patient education materials too complicated for patients to easily understand⁸,which suggests that existing resources lack the depth, ease-of-understanding, or relevance necessary for effective patient support. which may discourage physicians from recommending these resources.
  
• Resource Integration & Workflow Alignment: M3 MI's Digital Insights study reveals a critical gap between resource availability and clinical implementation. When educational tools - whether digital platforms, patient portals, or printed materials - aren't seamlessly integrated into provider workflows, adoption faces significant barriers⁸. As Dr. Eagle explained at the 2024 POC NOW Summit, "doctors, nurses, health care providers and patients all live together in a broken health care system... so much of the authority for what happens to patients is now outside of my office." This fragmentation creates workflow challenges where providers spend significant time "chasing those issues down after we've seen the patients" when they discover barriers to ordering tests or medications²⁷.

Addressing these challenges would help bridge the gap between what patients seek and what physicians feel comfortable recommending. The following M3 MI Professional Health data illustrates the current landscape of physician-distributed patient education and highlights the areas where alignment could foster stronger engagement.

Key Data Insights: Physician Distributed Patient Education

• 78% of physicians distribute printed education materials to patients⁸
  
• 25% of physicians post materials to patient portals and 15% of physicians email materials directly to patients⁸
  
• 44% of physicians refer patients to websites for education, and 12% refer patients to download an app⁸
  
• 70% of physicians say they would offer more support materials and tools to patients if they were more customized to patients⁸

Physicians play a vital role as content gatekeepers, both curating practice content and guiding patients toward relevant, trustworthy information. Yet, the data reveals a gap between patient-oriented digital resources and physicians’ referral rates to these options. Bridging this disconnect will require greater support and alignment from pharmaceutical companies and healthcare organizations to meet both patient needs and physician preferences effectively.

Patient Demand is Disconnected from Resources

MARS Consumer Health data shows that patients seek highly relevant, trustworthy information, and healthcare providers play a key role in endorsing these resources. For example, 75% of patients value health information from websites dedicated to their health conditions⁷. Similarly, a majority of people value in-person health information from their doctor’s office or hospital⁷, making these POC settings important touchpoints in the patient journey.

If physicians perceive patient resources as misaligned with their treatment plans or irrelevant to their patients’ needs, they may overlook or dismiss them. Without their endorsement, patient sources may also be less trusted by patients if they access the materials in other ways. To ensure patient education materials are both accessible and credible, aligning them with physicians’ standards is essential. Physicians are uniquely positioned to understand patient health literacy and care needs, so integrating their insights can enhance the effectiveness and credibility of educational content.

Key Data Insights: Patients Seek and Value Health Information

All media types are valued across doctor offices and hospitals:

• 84% value digital education materials provided by a doctor or hospital (e.g., video links, digital brochures, etc.) including 74% who value digital screens or tablets and 70% health related television programs in doctor’s office/hospital⁷
  
• 78% valued brochures, posters other health education materials and 81% health-related publications⁷

These figures from MARS Consumer Health underscore the importance of providing patients with relevant and trustworthy health information at key moments in their healthcare journeys. Strong patient preference for both digital and print resources in clinical settings highlights an opportunity for healthcare brands to deliver trusted, physician-endorsed content. By aligning educational materials with patients’ care journeys and clinical needs, POC can help bridge the gap between patient demand for information and the resources available, fostering a more informed and engaged patient population.

Print distribution of patient materials is valued. While digital tools are on the rise, many physicians continue to rely on print media for patient education—a strategic choice that reflects the strengths of print in clinical settings. As illustrated in M3 MI’s studies, both physicians and patients appreciate print materials, as shown earlier in this section. Currently, the majority of physicians continue to deliver printed patient education and disease maintenance information with 73% finding print useful in the exam room⁸.

Physicians’ preference for print has several advantages:

• Focused, Distraction-Free Environment: Print offers patients an easy way to absorb information.
  
• Tangible Resources: Print materials are easily shareable with family members or caregivers, extending the conversation beyond the exam room.
  
• Personalization: Advances in AI now allow print materials to be highly targeted and relevant, enhancing their impact in a digital age.

Physicians consistently value printed materials across healthcare settings. Despite the rise in digital platforms and resources, 97% of materials are still provided directly in-office².

This preference extends to patients, who report higher engagement with condition- or treatment-specific materials when encountering POC advertising in the office—24% versus 16% among those who did not notice POC ads⁷. These figures affirm print can reinforce patient engagement and support their healthcare experiences.

Balancing Print and Digital in POC Strategies

To bridge the gap between print and digital tools effectively, POC marketers can develop strategies that harness the unique strengths of both formats. A balanced approach not only accommodates different learning styles but also fosters a more inclusive and accessible patient education ecosystem. Here’s how brands can integrate the two:

• QR Codes on Print Materials: Adding QR codes or short URLs in print materials can provide a seamless transition from offline to online resources, directing patients to personalized digital content that complements in-office education.
  
• Printable Digital Summaries: Digital platforms can offer summaries, or action plans that patients can print at home or bring to their next appointment, reinforcing key messages and supporting ongoing provider-patient discussions.

By offering diverse educational materials tailored to various learning preferences, healthcare marketers can build a more effective and patient-centric strategy. For example, an EHR prompt for physicians to print a condition guide alongside a prescription, paired with a QR code for accessing additional personalized digital resources, blends both mediums to maximize patient support.

The Role of POC in Bridging the Gap

Point of Care marketing serves as a vital bridge in today's healthcare ecosystem, where a significant gap exists between digital tool availability and practical adoption. This 'digital shortfall' - evidenced by M3 MI's finding that while 75% of physicians distribute printed materials, only 25% regularly utilize patient portals⁸ - reflects not a resistance to technology, but rather the complex realities of clinical practice.

The MGMA's 2024 analysis reveals that 68% of physicians cite administrative tasks, including digital tool integration, as a significant workflow challenge[6]. Yet the same physicians show strong receptivity to well-integrated solutions: 63% report using or being open to AI-powered assistance within their EHR systems, marking a 31% increase from 2022⁸.

This apparent paradox - high potential interest alongside low current adoption - suggests opportunities for more thoughtful digital integration strategies. When digital tools align with clinical workflows and deliver clear value, adoption follows.

Key Data Insights: Physician Engagement with Digital Healthcare Communications

• 46% of physicians report seeing ads on EMR/EHR platforms⁸
  
• Of them, 29% of physicians found the ads useful⁸
  
• 51% of HCPs report that targeted by ads on professional websites and apps beneficial compared to 17% on general consumer sites⁸

Healthcare providers demonstrate sophisticated channel preferences that directly impact engagement. The stark contrast between professional platform receptivity (51%) and general consumer site engagement (17%) reveals a crucial insight: HCPs increasingly welcome digital communications, but their receptivity is fundamentally shaped by both context and relevance. This pattern suggests opportunities for more nuanced approaches that align messaging strategy with clinical workflows and professional environments.

Bridging the Gap: Strategies to Address Architecting Value-Driven Digital Integration

Embedding personalized, POC-aligned digital tools into physician workflows and fostering collaboration between brands and healthcare providers can address these challenges and create more seamless, effective patient care pathways. Here are key strategies:

• Collaborative Content Creation: Involve healthcare providers in developing digital resources to ensure they are relevant, credible, and align with physicians' workflows.
  
• Workflow Integration: Design digital tools that fit naturally into healthcare workflows. For example, simplifying the referral process or automating certain aspects can reduce the burden on HCPs and their staff.
  
• User-Centric Design: Continuously test and refine digital content based on feedback from both healthcare providers and patients, ensuring resources are accessible, easy to use, and valuable for all.
  
• Provider Education: Launch awareness campaigns to inform healthcare professionals about available digital resources, emphasizing how these tools can support patient care effectively.

Physicians are not resistant to digital tools but are gatekeepers deeply invested in patient outcomes. They seek educational materials that are practical, easily discoverable, and tailored to the patient's needs. To make digital resources truly effective, marketers need to understand the needs of HCPs in developing these materials and seamlessly integrate them into provider-patient interactions.

Summary on POC Meeting the Market

As healthcare marketing pivots toward personalization, POC strategies stand out as a uniquely impactful channel, aligning with the shift toward more targeted, context-driven engagement. POC strategies enable brands to deliver relevant content at critical points in the patient journey, meeting both the needs of healthcare providers and patient expectations for credible, personalized information.

This section highlights the importance of balancing digital and print resources in POC to cater to diverse learning preferences while also addressing workflow barriers that limit effective resource distribution across the point of care environment. By embedding collaborative content creation, workflow integration, and user-centric design into POC strategies, healthcare brands can not only bridge existing gaps but also elevate POC as a powerful channel that resonates with today’s marketing shifts toward personalization and seamless, multichannel experiences. Aligning educational materials within physician workflows helps ensure that POC marketing not only drives engagement and adherence but also may set a new standard for meeting modern consumer demands in healthcare.

The Value: Everyone Wants More at the POC

Point of Care marketing stands out for its distinctive ability to deliver targeted information to patients and providers when it is most relevant. Beyond brand awareness, it connects with patients and their care partners at vulnerable stages in their health journey—moments when they seek reassurance, clarity, and prepare to make decisions that affect their quality of life. In healthcare, relevance is paramount—not only to drive engagement but to ensure patients feel understood in their values, health concerns, and preferences. As consumer behaviors navigate a fragmented, non-linear healthcare landscape, the deeply personal nature of health intensifies the need for communication and guidance that aligns with each individual’s health journey.

Despite limited overall investment, 82% of patients value health information at their doctor’s office or hospital⁷ illustrating the effectiveness of perceived medically-endorsed content. By engaging patients when health is top of mind, POC reinforces decisions across touchpoints, ensuring messaging supports them throughout their journey while delivering measurable results for marketers.

Key Data Insights: POC Powers Patient Action

• 58% of patients or caregivers who saw healthcare ads in a doctor’s office were willing to discuss the advertised treatment with their doctor⁷
  
• 38% of patients conducted an online search about a condition or treatment options after viewing POC ads⁷
  
• 34% of patients obtain new prescriptions after seeing POC ads⁷

These figures from MARS Consumer Health illustrate how POC not only engages patients but also inspires actions that contribute to improved care outcomes, from initiating conversations with providers to following through on treatment options.

Bridging Barriers in Healthcare with POC

POC impacts every stage of the healthcare funnel, extending beyond awareness to address significant barriers like affordability. For instance, 21% of Americans have avoided filling prescriptions due to cost or coverage issues¹⁷, a challenge compounded by 63% of physicians frequently encountering cost-related barriers around patient medication⁸. By integrating resources such as copay cards, discounts, and assistance programs into POC materials, brands can alleviate these barriers. In M3 MI’s Digital Insights Study, a notable 80% of physicians report they provide information about Rx discounts, with 50% initiating conversations about them, and 48% of patients would try a new Rx if offered a coupon⁸. This integration boosts adherence and addresses a key barrier to better health outcomes.

POC’s Untapped Potential

POC's demonstrated impact creates opportunities for strategic expansion. As healthcare brands refine their patient engagement strategies across clinical settings, POC's ability to deliver contextually relevant messaging at critical decision points positions it as a key driver of personalized patient experiences. As the healthcare industry increasingly prioritizes personalization and patient-centricity, POC offers an exceptional opportunity to deliver trusted, tailored messaging precisely when it matters most. By fully leveraging POC, healthcare brands can drive meaningful engagement, support better health outcomes, and fulfill the modern expectation for personalized patient experiences.

Benefits for Patients

POC marketing excels at delivering relevant, contextual information precisely when patients are most attentive and prepared to act. Healthcare visits heighten patient focus and engagement, and POC marketing leverages these moments to provide valuable information. For instance, 58% of patients and caregivers who encountered a pharmaceutical ad in-office reported that it made them more knowledgeable about their medications—a 12% increase from previous years.⁷ This data underscores how POC ads effectively support patients seeking to understand their health options.

Beyond boosting awareness, POC materials empower patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions. With 82% of patients finding POC information useful, POC marketing can significantly enhance health education and informed decision-making, with the goal of improving the quality of care and patient outcomes⁷.

Benefits for Healthcare Providers

POC media offers healthcare providers unique resources that seamlessly integrate into care delivery. These resources—accessible before, during, and after care visits—help drive patient adherence and understanding, encouraging patients to engage actively in their treatment decisions. Using a multi-channel approach—including print materials, websites, emails, and apps—HCPs can meet diverse patient preferences and learning styles, ensuring that patients receive information in the way that they want to receive it.

Key Data Insights: Healthcare Providers Require Relevance and Health Literacy Sensitivity

• 85% of physicians find check-out materials specific to a condition or treatment useful and equally value website information for patients to reference at home⁸
  
• 34% of physicians report that current patient education materials are too complicated for patients to understand⁸

A major challenge for physicians is that many patient education materials are overly complex. POC materials can bridge this gap by simplifying medical information into clear, accessible content. Given that most physicians provide printed patient education during visits, there’s a clear need for these materials to enhance patient understanding and reinforce physician guidance². By utilizing POC resources, HCPs can foster deeper patient engagement, helping patients and caregivers take an active role in their health journey.

Trust in Pharmacy Care

Pharmacists hold a trusted role in patient care, especially as they expand services like immunizations and patient counseling around treatment. With nearly two-thirds of patients valuing take-home print materials from pharmacies—a 10% increase from 2022—these locations serve as important touchpoints for POC messaging⁷. As pharmacies enhance digital support, opportunities to engage patients broaden, complementing the value of in-person interactions. Because patients often rely on pharmacists for additional information, this positions pharmacies as important hubs for delivering personalized POC messages that support informed health decisions.

Key Insights: Print Information In-Person, In-Bag, and All the Way Home⁷:

• 31% of patients notice ads at the pharmacy⁷
  
• 89% of patients value their pharmacist⁷
  
• Nearly 2 in 3 (65%) value pharmacy’s print brochures or other take-home materials⁷

While convenience may drive pharmacy visits, the experience at brick-and-mortar pharmacies—where most interactions occur—creates a unique opportunity to integrate prescription services with retail and over-the-counter products. These products can either stand alone or reinforce adherence strategies. For instance, a pharmacist might recommend probiotics to counter common medication side effects or advise against certain foods that could interfere with a prescription—leveraging in-store availability to support patients. This setting fosters a shopping mindset that complements prescription pickups and aligns with the consumer trend toward their health and wellness investment.

As integral parts of the healthcare ecosystem, pharmacies present unique opportunities to amplify POC messaging. Pharmacists, among the most trusted healthcare professionals, regularly provide personalized advice in real-time, and with the support of POC materials, this combination of trust and tailored content presents a powerful opportunity to drive patient education and meaningful health results.

Benefits for Marketers

For healthcare marketers, POC marketing has the potential to deliver compelling results. - A case study by Veeva Crossix⁶ underscores POC’s efficiency in delivering new patient starts. In this example, POC represented just 14% of the total media investment but generated 35% of the new patient starts. Compared to the other channels, POC was the most efficient, outperforming the other channels.⁶

This performance pattern, combined with POC's ability to engage patients at critical decision points, suggests significant potential when strategically integrated into marketing ecosystems.

Key Data Insights: Marketers Gain from High-Impact POC Engagement

• 42% of patients saw a healthcare ad in the doctor’s office within the last year⁷
  
• According to the MARS Consumer Health Study, patients who notice ads in an office were⁷:
  
  • More likely to switch medications (17% v 9%)
    
  • More likely to perform a related online search (38% v 26%)
    
  • More likely to fill a prescription (59% vs 48%)
    
  • Took medication as prescribed (59% vs. 47%)

The growing demand for personalized, trusted health information presents a significant opportunity for healthcare marketers to leverage POC. These metrics emphasize POC’s ability to effectively deliver on brand objectives, proving it should be integrated into multi-channel approaches for maximum impact.

Leveraging Trust with Point of Care Marketing

Point of Care marketing connects healthcare providers, pharmacists and patients.. When brands optimize POC messaging through customized creative, well-timed triggers, and precise targeting, they can reach the right patients at defining moments in their health journey. This trust-based strategy—in fact, the only marketing approach that fundamentally leverages the patient-provider connection—extends beyond healthcare providers to include pharmacists, who play a vital role in supporting patients' health decisions after the appointment. As the spectrum of POC settings expands—from clinics and hospitals to pharmacies and patient portals—marketers have more opportunities to engage in all these settings, increasing the reach of their message and turning recommendations into meaningful patient actions.

Key Data Insights: Trust and POC Effectiveness

• 83% of people trust healthcare providers to tell the truth about health issues and how to protect public health⁸
  
• Healthcare providers are the most trusted source for health information⁸

By tapping into this high level of trust, healthcare brands can position themselves as credible partners in the patient journey, ensuring their messaging is not only seen but acted upon. The demand for patient-centered materials elevates the value of this space—benefiting patients with credible content.

One Channel that Aligns Segments, Brands, and Marketers

POC marketing is a unique channel in the healthcare ecosystem because it delivers tailored messaging precisely when it matters most. Its role extends beyond simply creating awareness; POC actively connects patients, healthcare providers, and caregivers with the information, products, and services that meet their needs at pivotal points in their care journeys. This unique approach benefits everyone involved: patients and HCPs receive highly relevant support, caregivers gain clarity, and marketers can improve patient outcomes. For brands, POC is a channel that can impact the patient’s journey, ensuring that solutions reach those who will benefit most—making it a vital part of any well-rounded healthcare strategy.

The Role of Caregivers in Amplifying POC Effectiveness

Caregivers play a vital, yet often underrecognized, role in healthcare. Their involvement amplifies the effectiveness of POC efforts, improving patient understanding and adherence. Acting as both decision-makers and emotional support systems, caregivers—typically close family members or friends—benefit from resources designed to help them understand conditions, treatment plans, and manage expectations around complex health issues, such as chronic illnesses or end-of-life decisions⁸.

Cultural nuances also shape the caregiver's role. In many communities, a single family member often leads healthcare decisions for the household. In Hispanic families, for example, matriarchs often guide family health journeys. Developing POC content that respects and reflects these cultural dynamics empowers caregivers to promote proactive health behaviors, particularly when patients may be reluctant to seek care on their own, like the common reluctance towards prostate screenings.

By thinking more expansively about personalization and recognizing caregivers as key decision-makers, healthcare marketers can expand the impact of POC campaigns. Caregivers serve as a natural extension of the patient and developing content with their cultural and emotional contexts in mind can address underserved or at-risk populations more effectively. This approach aligns with health equity goals by overcoming barriers to care, fostering community involvement, and supporting adherence to treatment plans⁸.

Key Data Insights: Caregivers and POC's Expanding Influence

• 18-19% of caregivers actively engage with treatment-related materials, significantly enhancing patient comprehension and adherence⁸
  
• 48% of caregivers have seen a healthcare ad in a doctor’s office in the last year⁷
  
• 45% of the family caregivers (42% of the US population) are involved in key condition or treatment-related information and decisions⁷
  
• According to the MARS Consumer Health study, 3 in 5 caregivers (60%) provide treatment-related support, such as discussing treatment with healthcare providers, making doctor appointments, and researching health information⁷

Caregivers as Strategic Partners in POC Communication

Caregivers are essential to ensuring treatment adherence, particularly in complex care environments like chronic disease management or oncology. Integrating culturally sensitive and condition-specific content that speaks directly to caregivers helps bridge gaps in patient understanding, strengthening the support system around patients.

Including caregivers in POC strategies also aligns with value-based care by promoting better adherence, reducing hospital readmissions, and increasing patient satisfaction. As caregivers play a critical role in patient outcomes, healthcare brands can maximize their impact by ensuring their messaging supports the entire care continuum—patients and caregivers alike.

Enhancing Physician-Patient Collaboration Through POC

POC marketing offers the opportunity to do more than just deliver educational materials—it can actively enhance collaboration between physicians and their patients. Patients today are more informed and proactive, seeking to participate in their healthcare decisions. By integrating real-time data, personalized insights, and interactive tools, POC strategies can elevate how patients engage with their treatment options, fostering deeper, more meaningful connections with their physicians. Research from Boston Consulting Group (2024) highlights that this approach not only strengthens the physician-patient dialogue but also improves long-term outcomes, especially in environments where patient autonomy and informed decision-making are prioritized¹⁴.

Key Data Insights: The Evolving Role of POC in Physician-Patient Interactions

• Nearly 1 in 4 physicians currently use or plan to adopt wearable devices or remote monitoring for patient care, fostering continuous patient engagement⁷
  
• 80% of patients feel doctors listen to their concerns and input on their health or treatment plans, up 5% from 2022⁷

Strategic Considerations for Optimizing Physician-Patient Collaboration

• Leverage real-time data and personalized insights: Incorporate tools such as digital dashboards or exam room screens to visualize treatment plans, making healthcare information more accessible for patients.
  
• Support shared decision-making: Empower physicians to guide patients through treatment options using data-driven, patient-centered information, fostering more interactive and informed discussions.

Summary of The Value of POC to Our Audiences

At critical moments in the patient journey, POC marketing provides targeted, relevant information that supports meaningful health decisions. For patients, POC messaging delivers content when it’s most impactful—within clinical settings or pharmacies—reinforcing key health choices and empowering them with trustworthy information. Caregivers, often vital in health decision-making, benefit from POC materials that respect cultural nuances and provide them with tools to support loved ones effectively.

For healthcare providers and marketers alike, POC is more than a channel—it's a strategic catalyst that transforms clinical interactions from transactional exchanges into meaningful dialogues. By precision-targeting messaging at the most pivotal moments of patient engagement, POC marketing creates asymmetric value: delivering outsized impact through strategically placed interventions.

This approach reimagines marketing ROI not as a simple arithmetic of investment and return, but as a complex narrative of patient empowerment, provider trust, and brand relevance. POC's true economic value lies in its capacity to convert moments of clinical vulnerability into opportunities for meaningful connection, where a single, well-crafted interaction can ripple through an entire patient journey.

Shifts in Healthcare Consumer Behavior and Implications for POC Marketing

As healthcare becomes increasingly consumer-driven, evolving patient behaviors are reshaping how people seek care and interact with providers. Moving away from traditional, linear care pathways, patients are now more likely to turn to digital resources, urgent care, and retail health clinics, aligning their health journeys with the convenience and accessibility they expect from other consumer experiences. They rely on online information, health apps, and wearable devices to navigate care options, with younger generations, in particular, shifting toward models that prioritize flexibility, on-demand access, and holistic options.

Patient Information Ecosystems: The Emergence of Deliberative Healthcare

In parallel with the trend toward consumer-driven care, patients are also building robust “information ecosystems” to inform their health decisions. As Deloitte’s Future of Health report suggests²¹, this is giving rise to what might be termed “deliberative healthcare.” Instead of viewing healthcare simply as a discrete series of visits or interventions, patients are moving toward a more dynamic, collaborative process—collecting, interpreting, and integrating health information over time to make better-informed decisions.

According to the AMA Journal of Ethics, this shift is best understood as shared decision-making that evolves as an ongoing narrative rather than a single event²². Increasingly, patients exhibit what can be called “temporal intelligence” in their choices: the ability to gather, compare, and synthesize health information across multiple timelines—before, during, and after clinical encounters.

This deliberative trend goes beyond simply having faster access to information. It involves patients constructing holistic health narratives, where they:

1. Contextualize clinical recommendations in light of personal or family history.
   
2. Explore treatment alternatives that align with their lifestyle and values.
   
3. Seek confirmation and reassurance from peers, providers, and digital resources.

For marketers and healthcare providers, this means creating communication strategies that facilitate exploration, validation, and collaboration—rather than top-down, one-way information delivery. The more these information ecosystems grow, the more critical it becomes to provide meaningful, personalized guidance that resonates with patients’ evolving expectations and empowers them to shape their own health outcomes.

​​Key Data Insights: Patient-Driven Ecosystems and Virtual Care

Emerging trends in healthcare highlight a shift toward consumer empowerment and digital care models, supported by comprehensive studies and expert analysis.

• 80% of consumers are interested in using digital tools to manage their health, and nearly 60% actively use online resources to research symptoms, treatments, and healthcare providers before consulting a physician²¹
  
• Patients are increasingly taking longer timelines to deliberate health choices. Time allows for exploration of alternatives, consultation with others, and alignment with personal goals, fostering better outcomes²²
  
• 80% satisfaction with virtual visits, aligning with other studies that confirm virtual care as a viable alternative to in-person consultations for many patients²²
  
• Retail health clinics have reported significant growth, while younger generations demonstrate a strong preference for care models that integrate convenience and flexibility²¹

Evolving Approaches

As patients increasingly embrace alternative care models, POC marketing must evolve to meet them wherever they seek care. These shifts make POC more than a final, single touchpoint—it is now a critical, interconnected component of a brand’s entire marketing strategy. Today’s patients expect convenient, personalized access to health information and services, whether through telehealth, retail clinics, in-office or apps that help them monitor their health in real time.

Patients’ evolving expectation includes on-demand access to health resources—not necessarily for immediate care, but for timely, relevant information and support that fits seamlessly into their daily lives. Patients want to make informed decisions at their own pace, whether it’s researching a treatment, booking a telehealth consultation, or monitoring health metrics via a wearable device.

To reach these proactive patients, marketers need hyper-targeted, personalized content that resonates on an individual level. This requires a shift to audience-centered messaging, investing in strategies which align with consumer behaviors and preferences.

The rise in POC spend reflects how leading brands recognize the need for innovative, patient-centered marketing. Integrating POC into broader, interconnected strategies allows brands to enhance impact across the patient lifecycle, aligning with the personalized, patient-driven realities of modern healthcare.

Who is Today's Healthcare Consumer

Today’s healthcare consumer is proactive, not only in seeking information but also in choosing how and where they access care. While not all consumers are digitally native, an increasing number embrace technology and expect seamless integration of digital tools into their health journeys.

Patients are also more willing than ever to share personal health data, whether through medically prescribed or self-initiated apps, with the expectation that healthcare providers will use this data to enhance care quality and personalization. This influx of patient-generated data presents challenges for providers, marketers, and brands alike. Collaboration among healthcare practitioners, marketers, and brands to interpret insights, guide care decisions, and tailor messaging to individual patient needs will be essential for engaging patients meaningfully and effectively throughout their health journeys.

Key Data Insights: Today’s Patient Wants to Be Informed and Connected

• 82% of patients value health information at their doctor’s office or hospital⁷
  
• 150 million U.S. adults go online for health and wellness at least weekly–an increase of 12% since 2022⁷
  
• 49% of US adults using wearable devices use them daily, and 82% of them are willing to share health data with clinicians¹⁵
  
• 68% value digital patient support information, and the use of online videos to learn about conditions/treatments has increased by 11% since 2022⁷

These engagement patterns reveal how healthcare consumers demonstrate trust through their actions. When patients consistently value and act on information from specific sources - whether through discussing treatments their doctor recommends (82%) or sharing personal health data via wearables (82% willing) - they are expressing trust through engagement. This behavioral evidence shows how value and trust work in tandem within healthcare marketing contexts, particularly at points of care where decisions directly impact health outcomes.

Today’s healthcare consumers expect personalized, timely healthcare information and to engage with digital tools at unprecedented rates. They look for seamless, interconnected experiences across all channels—whether digital platforms, print materials, or in-person consultations.

To meet these demands, healthcare brands and marketers need to move beyond passive content strategies and provide targeted, value-driven messaging. This includes developing cohesive touchpoints for both digitally oriented consumers and those who prefer traditional options like print.

While digital tools are rapidly becoming the primary source of health information, print materials and in-person interactions remain essential for accessibility and health equity. Resources from trusted providers, such as doctors and pharmacists, are particularly vital for patients seeking reliable, non-digital information. Marketers who integrate POC resources into the nonlinear care pathways people navigate today—ensuring relevant information is accessible on-demand, across channels—may see greater return.

As healthcare consumers increasingly pilot their own health journeys, credible information sources and healthcare institutions also play a critical role. Generational differences in trust are shaping how patients perceive, engage with, and act on health information—a reality healthcare marketers must navigate carefully to meet expectations and counteract misinformation in every format.

Generational Trust and Information Disconnects in Healthcare Marketing

There is a growing distrust in established medical institutions, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z, presents a significant challenge to healthcare marketers. Yet, among Gen Z, Point of Care media has emerged as their most valued media channel⁷, presenting a distinct opportunity for targeted engagement within this demographic.

There is a growing distrust in established medical institutions, particularly among Millennials and Gen Z, presents a significant challenge to healthcare marketers. Yet, among Gen Z, Point of Care media has emerged as their most valued media channel⁷, presenting a distinct opportunity for targeted engagement within this demographic. Despite Gen Z’s relatively high trust in POC, interest in health is unflagging, particularly in younger generations. More than ever before them, Millennials and Gen Z investing in Health and Wellness, proactively seeking information at unprecedented rates⁷ ²⁵.The challenge is exacerbated by the overwhelming volume of online information, contributing to decision fatigue, anxiety, and vulnerability to misinformation. A recent study found that 40% of frequent health information seekers experience emotional distress due to excessive online searching, often leading to increased health anxiety⁷. This information overload offers healthcare providers and brands an opportunity to deliver validated, credible content, particularly in trusted environments like the Point of Care.

The erosion of public confidence in healthcare communication is reflected in the following data.

However, this pursuit is complicated by an overwhelming volume of online information, which contributes to decision fatigue, anxiety, and vulnerability to misinformation. A recent study found that 40% of frequent health information seekers experience emotional distress due to excessive online searching, often leading to increased health anxiety⁷. This information overload offers healthcare providers and brands an opportunity to deliver validated, credible content, particularly in trusted environments like the Point of Care.

The erosion of public confidence in healthcare communication is reflected in the following data.

Key Data Insights: Erosion of Trust in Health Information

• 84% of patients feel their doctor listens to their concerns and input about their health or treatment plans⁷
  
• 64% of people worry about medical science becoming politicized⁸
  
• 41% of young adults (ages 18-34) trust only providers aligned with their politics⁸
  
• 55% of people worry about misinformation influencing health decisions⁸
  
• Trust in health reporting has dropped by 14 points since 2019⁸
  
• 31% of U.S. adults trust medical information shared by other people on social media⁷

These metrics illuminate both challenges and opportunities in healthcare communication. While traditional channels face trust headwinds, points of care remain crucial venues for rebuilding connection through meaningful patient-provider engagement.

Regaining Trust and Authority Through Modern POC

Today's healthcare environment reflects an unprecedented intersection of politicization and digital transformation. Drawing from Health Affairs' analysis of post-pandemic public health dynamics, we see how political polarization has fundamentally altered trust architectures in healthcare communication - with 64% of the public expressing concern about medical science politicization[8].

This shift creates both challenges and opportunities for POC marketing. As traditional channels face increasing skepticism, point of care environments emerge as crucial venues for rebuilding trust through evidence-based, contextually relevant engagement. Healthcare providers, maintaining their position as trusted information sources, can serve as critical bridges between clinical evidence and patient understanding.

The key is leveraging POC's unique position at the intersection of clinical authority and personal healthcare decisions. Rather than avoiding the broader societal context, effective POC strategies acknowledge these dynamics while focusing on delivering value.

1. Leverage Healthcare Provider Authority, Trust, and Support
   Healthcare providers remain a highly valued source of information. Align branded content with patient care needs rather than focusing on promotion is essential. Involve practitioners and patients in content research and review to create materials that genuinely support healthcare literacy.
   
2. Combat Misinformation
   With 55% of people concerned about misinformation⁸, healthcare marketers are best served by countering false narratives with clear, evidence-based messaging. Invest in Transparent Messaging and Trusted Tones
   Using plain language and clear, transparent content helps build trust, fostering familiarity and a sense of being understood. Successful brands address the specific concerns and diverse identities of Millennials and Gen Z in trustworthy ways.
   
3. Tailor Messaging to Evolving Values
   Because 41% of young adults only trust healthcare providers whose values align with their own⁸, Millennials and Gen Z expect healthcare communication to reflect their values. Thus, reinforcing the importance of culturally sensitive and inclusive messaging makes sense.
   
4. Prioritize Health Equity and Identity
   Addressing long-standing inequities is essential to rebuilding trust. For example, 61% of LGBTQIA+ adults report negative healthcare experiences–nearly double that of non-LGBTQIA+ adults¹⁰. Marketers must prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, integrating patient perspectives to ensure their messaging is inclusive and sensitive to diverse communities.

As trust in traditional healthcare models erodes and consumer-driven behaviors reshape the industry, both healthcare providers and patients are adapting to new expectations. This shift signals a reimagining of ‘normal’ in healthcare journeys, with patients now leading the way in navigating their care through choices that align with their lifestyles and values.

Reimagining Normal in Healthcare Journeys

Traditional healthcare journeys are unlikely to return as patients adopt a more active, consumer-driven role in navigating their health options. Based on M3 MI’s studies, physicians are adapting to these changes: among physicians with telemedicine apps installed, 73% rank them as important tools for practice, with 39% reporting daily use⁸, With 38% of patients preferring in-person care, choices that prioritize convenience and align with consumer lifestyles are becoming the norm⁷

Patients can now obtain prescriptions for concerns like hair loss, weight management, or mental health with minimal effort—responding to an ad, visiting a website, or downloading an app. Many receive a prescription delivered to their door in less than a week, without ever visiting a doctor’s office while still engaging with a prescriber.

Key Data Insights: Reimagining Patient Journeys with Digital and Distributed Care

• Among physicians with telemedicine apps installed, 73% rank them as an important tool in helping with practice, 39% report daily use⁸
  
• Physician adoption of wearables has increased 75% since 2022, and is expected to reach 50% by 2026⁸
  
• 43% of physicians either currently or planning to use technology to monitor patient vitals⁸

These evolving care models are reshaping how patients evaluate and engage with healthcare services. While in-person care remains irreplaceable for complex or nuanced health concerns, virtual care provides brevity, comfort, and a sense of privacy—removing barriers to care, especially for sensitive topics like mental health or for connecting patients to specialists in areas where access is limited.

This shift also influences in-office care, as increasingly autonomous patients arrive at visits with more information and rely less on doctors as their sole source of knowledge[²¹ ²²]. They want their input valued in treatment decisions, contributing to an increase in satisfaction—coinciding with increases in online information seeking. 84% of patients now report feeling their doctors listen to their concerns and input about their health or treatment plans⁷.

The growth of virtual and retail-based care models also offers potential relief for an overburdened healthcare system. By integrating modern tools into their practices, doctors can provide more efficient care, while patients, in turn, are more receptive to new treatments and education.

Beyond virtual care, distributed models like wearables and digital monitoring tools are expanding how patients and doctors actively manage health in real time. As this trend accelerates, technology will continue to bridge gaps in care, fostering improved communication, real-time decision-making, and more dynamic, personalized care options.

Integrating Retail Health and DTC Behaviors into POC Strategies

Patients are now actively “shopping” for healthcare products and services beyond traditional clinical settings, often managing personal health data—like blood sugar levels—through wearables and health apps without direct medical oversight. This shift toward self-guided health management calls for POC strategies to become equally adaptable, predictive, and responsive to consumer-driven behaviors.To engage these proactive consumers effectively, POC must evolve to include new care settings and decision-making points.

Key Strategies for POC Marketers, Healthcare Systems, and Providers:

• Embrace New Technologies: Integrate wearables, health apps, and telehealth platforms into POC strategies to provide real-time, personalized health information.
  
• Expand POC Touchpoints: Include retail clinics, virtual care services, and other non-traditional settings as integral parts of the POC ecosystem.
  
• Leverage Patient-Generated Data: Utilize insights from patient-shared data to tailor messaging and interventions, enhancing relevance and effectiveness.
  
• Foster Interactivity and Personalization: Develop interactive tools and personalized content that meet patients' desires for engagement and control over their health journey.

Aligning messaging with patients’ evolving needs and integrating new health pathways into POC strategies can foster more meaningful interactions.. This approach reduces resistance to data sharing and healthcare advertising by offering clear value to consumers. Many patients already share personal health data through fitness apps and wearables for non-medical purposes and often connect this data with their healthcare providers. When patients see positive outcomes and trust-building interactions through responsible data use, they become more open to sharing data and engaging with brands within healthcare contexts.

Delivering high-quality, value-driven content through Points of Care can encourage patients to explore more POC and connected health tools. As patients’ willingness to share data and engage with personalized healthcare grows, so too does the potential for brands to create deeper, trust-based relationships.

POC marketing is establishing itself as a central driver in modern healthcare, expanding to new care points such as retail health settings, virtual care environments, and those enabled by emerging health technologies or innovative care delivery models. Any setting where care decisions are made with healthcare professionals—constitutes a Point of Care opportunity.

Reimagining POC as a foundational component of healthcare marketing, rather than a supplementary channel, allows brands to better navigate today’s complex healthcare landscape. This approach enables them to effectively engage both patients and healthcare providers across the full spectrum of modern healthcare touchpoints.

Summary of Emerging Trends

As healthcare becomes more consumer-driven, patients increasingly turn to digital tools and retail health services, with younger generations prioritizing on-demand access and personalized, holistic care. This shift aligns healthcare with modern consumer standards, blending convenience with control over health journeys.

To keep pace, POC marketing must be agile and integrated across both traditional and new care settings. Today’s consumers expect seamless, real-time health information that spans retail clinics, telehealth, and digital platforms, making it essential for brands to offer personalized, responsive messaging across channels.

As trust in healthcare institutions declines—particularly among Millennials and Gen Z—POC offers a way to rebuild credibility by providing transparent, reliable information through trusted healthcare providers. By adapting to these evolving behaviors and embracing innovative touchpoints, POC marketing is well-positioned to engage today’s healthcare consumers effectively, building trust and supporting better health outcomes.

Looking at the Future of the POC Channel

The Evolving Perception of Point of Care

The role and reach of Point of Care marketing are expanding alongside the increasing number of healthcare touchpoints and nonlinear patient journeys. As both patients and healthcare providers seek more integrated health information and education, POC provides brands with a natural platform to connect healthcare audiences with valuable, relevant content.

As brands focus on delivering content with genuine value, resistance to data sharing and advertising within healthcare platforms is diminishing. Patients want timely, relevant information, and physicians look for value-driven, health-literate content that aligns with care plans and supports patient needs. Just as data sharing through wearables and health apps has eased privacy concerns, a similar opportunity is opening for POC. Physicians already rely on digital workflow tools, and informed patients report increased satisfaction with their care experience.

Key Data Insights: POC Engagement as a Driver of Satisfaction and Retention

• 80% of patients report that POC education increases care satisfaction¹⁴
  
• 68% of those receiving educational materials say it makes them more likely to return to that same provider¹⁴
  
• 71% of physicians currently use EHRs to confirm prescribing information, and an additional 22% would adopt this technology if available⁸

By investing in the expansion and quality of POC offerings, brands can improve both patient and provider experiences. However, success depends on the quality of educational materials. Trustworthy, well-crafted content not only enhances patient engagement but also transforms POC spaces into valuable components of the healthcare journey.

POC has evolved from being a promotional channel, to a critical platform for education, collaboration, and deeper engagement between patients, providers, and brands.

Patients trust their healthcare providers, and by aligning POC messaging with high-quality, educational content, brands can leverage this trust to increase visibility, engagement, and impact.Key Data Insights: The Importance of POC in Omnichannel and NBA Strategies

The expanding definition of point of care now encompasses both traditional clinical settings and emerging digital touchpoints where healthcare decisions occur:

• Health information sites (79%) and condition-specific sites (75%) rank highest among digital sources patients trust for healthcare guidance⁷
  
• Wearable devices represent a critical extension of the point of care environment, with 71.5M U.S. adults at risk of cardiovascular disease now using these devices to actively monitor their health²⁴, This creates new opportunities for contextual engagement at decisive moments in the patient journey
  
• Healthcare providers are embracing this expanded POC ecosystem, with 21% of Oncologists & Hem/Oncs planning to integrate wearables into their patient care strategies by 2026 - a 31% increase from 2022²⁴

These trends highlight POC's unique ability to create protected spaces for healthcare engagement across physical and digital environments. Whether through wearable devices that extend clinical monitoring into daily life, telehealth platforms that enable private consultations, or in-person visits, POC settings provide the privacy and focus needed for meaningful health discussions. This multi-dimensional approach allows POC to reach specialized audiences that broader campaigns often miss, while maintaining the trust equity that makes point of care marketing distinctly powerful.

Prioritizing POC allows brands to reach patients at high-impact, decision-making moments without sacrificing the personalization and contextual relevance unique to POC environments.

By investing in POC as a central component of marketing strategies and adopting a balanced, patient-centered approach, brands will be better positioned to lead in the evolving healthcare landscape. This strategy ensures that each channel’s strengths are leveraged, contributing to a cohesive, optimized patient experience aligned with the personalized, patient-driven realities of modern healthcare.

Key Takeaways and Conclusions

Point of Care marketing is leading a transformative shift in healthcare, propelled by evolving consumer behaviors, technological advancements, and a heightened focus on personalized care. Its growth rate between 2019 and 2023¹ showcases a unique ability to deliver hyper-targeted, personalized messaging at pivotal moments in the patient journey.

Today's patients are proactive and digitally engaged, seeking personalized information and expecting seamless integration across multiple channels. POC marketing meets these demands by providing relevant, trusted content where and when it matters most—whether in a doctor's office, pharmacy, or through digital platforms like EHRs and patient portals. By leveraging the high level of trust patients place in healthcare providers, POC marketing bridges the gap between brand messaging and patient needs, enhancing education, engagement, and adherence.

To capture today’s health audiences, healthcare marketers should prioritize the following strategic imperatives:

1. Strategic Integration

• Embed POC Early into Marketing Strategies
  Treat POC as a central component of an interconnected marketing strategy. Overcome organizational silos to ensure cohesive messaging across all touchpoints, creating a seamless patient journey from awareness to action.
  
• Embrace Emerging Care Models
  Integrate POC strategies into new settings like retail health clinics, telemedicine, and wearable technologies meeting patients where they increasingly seek care²⁰ ²⁸ and ensuring relevance in the evolving healthcare landscape.

2. Content and Personalization

• Personalization and Relevance
  Invest in creating content tailored to individual patient contexts and needs. Collaborate with healthcare providers to develop medically accurate and easily understandable materials that resonate on a personal level¹².
  
• Re-envision Patient Journeys
  Utilize patient data responsibly to create highly personalized messaging that enhances engagement and drives better health outcomes. Recognize that patient journeys are no longer linear and adapt strategies accordingly⁹.

3. Trust and Collaboration

• Build Trust Through HCP Collaboration
  Partner with healthcare providers to develop credible, valuable resources that support both HCPs and patients, addressing the erosion of trust caused by misinformation and politicization.
  
• Stay Relevant to Patients
  Lead with patient-centered empathy. Incorporate culturally and identity-sensitive approaches to reach diverse patient populations, promoting inclusivity and addressing disparities in healthcare access and outcomes²⁰.

By implementing these strategies, healthcare marketers can drive meaningful engagement, foster trust, and contribute to better health outcomes—positioning themselves for success in the rapidly changing healthcare marketing landscape.

Summary of Future Forecast

Point of Care marketing is proving itself a pivotal channel that aligns with patient needs, healthcare provider goals, and brand objectives. As healthcare touchpoints multiply and patient journeys become more nonlinear, POC offers a versatile platform for delivering timely, relevant content across diverse care settings—from traditional offices and pharmacies to digital environments and retail clinics.

To deepen POC’s impact within these evolving patient journeys and care models, the operational and strategic underpinnings of personalization must be well understood. High-quality, value-driven POC content enhances patient satisfaction and engagement, making it indispensable for brands aiming to connect meaningfully with both patients and healthcare providers. Data reveals that effective POC education not only boosts patient satisfaction but also fosters trust and loyalty toward healthcare providers.

Integrating POC strategically across all healthcare settings—from in-office consultations to telemedicine—optimizes marketing performance and improves patient outcomes. Through insights-driven, patient-centered messaging and strong collaborations with healthcare providers, brands can leverage POC to support informed, individualized care journeys, establishing POC as a foundational component of modern healthcare marketing.

References

1. POCMA. (2024). Healthcare industry spending details. [Internal data] sourced POCMA member reporting
2. 2019-2023 HCP advertising spend for the categories of Prescription Medicines and Pharmaceutical Houses sourced from M3 MI. Includes run-of-site digital display and print advertising
3. Ganguli, I., Shi, Z., Orav, E. J., Rao, A., Ray, K. N., & Mehrotra, A. (2019). Declining use of primary care among commercially insured adults in the United States, 2008–2016. Annals of Internal Medicine, 171(12), 945-946.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32016285/
4. Johansen, M. E., Kircher, S. M., & Richardson, C. R. (2019). Primary care visit trends for adult patients before and after Medicaid expansion. Annals of Family Medicine, 17(6), 538-546.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-019-05104-5
5. 2019-2023 DTC advertising spend for the categories of Prescription Medicines and Pharmaceutical Houses sourced from Vivvix(MediaRadar) (except where noted). Includes TV, Radio, Outdoor, Online Video, Newspaper, Mobile Web Video, Mobile Web, Mobile App (2021-2023), Magazine, Internet Search, Int Display, Hispanic Newspapers, Cinema (No Cinema data was collected from March 2020-September 2020 due to COVID), B-to-B Magazines, AVOD (June 2020-2023).
6. Veeva Crossix. (2022, 2024). Cross channel impact case study. [Internal data].
7. M3 MI. (2024). 2024 MARS Consumer Health Study
8. M3 MI (2024) Professional Health Studies: Physician Digital Insights Study and Sources & Interactions Study.
9. McKinsey & Company. (2024). Driving growth through consumer centricity in healthcare. McKinsey & Company Healthcare Systems & Services. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/driving-growth-through-consumer-centricity-in-healthcare
10. Medical Group Management Association. (2024, January 11). Physician burnout still major factor even as unexpected turnover eases [Research report]. MGMA Stat. Retrieved January 24, 2024, from https://www.mgma.com/mgma-stat/physician-burnout-still-major-factor-even-as-unexpected-turnover-eases
11. Riley, K. (2024, January 16). Why 2024 is pivotal to embracing value-based care, data integration. Health Data Management. https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/why-2024-is-pivotal-to-embracing-value-based-care-data-integration
12. Deloitte. (2024). Unlocking customer growth: Driving high value actions through personalization and retail media. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/chief-marketing-officer/articles/personalization-strategy-in-retail-media.html
13. Riley, K. (2024, January 16). Why 2024 is pivotal to embracing value-based care, data integration. Health Data Management. https://www.healthdatamanagement.com/articles/why-2024-is-pivotal-to-embracing-value-based-care-data-integration
14. Zhang, X., Chen, X., Wen, H., & Zhao, X. (2024). Online health information seeking during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of Internet users in 10 countries. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 26(1), e51186. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10880534/
15. Edelman. (2024). 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer. https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer
16. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). SchoolVaxView | Vaccination coverage. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/coverage/schoolvaxview/data-reports/index.html
17. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2024). Health and health care for LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. https://www.kff.org/lgbtq-health-policy/
18. American Print & Bindery. (n.d.). AI impact: What to expect in the print industry. American Print & Bindery. https://americanprintandbindery.com/blogs/print-bind-closer-look/ai-impact-what-to-expect-in-the-print-industry
19. Cobbe, J., Singh, J., & Bartlett, J. (2019). AI-driven personalization in digital media: Political and societal implications (Research Paper). Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/default/files/021219%20AI-driven%20Personalization%20in%20Digital%20Media%20final%20WEB.pdf
20. Boston Consulting Group. (2024). The future of digital health 2024. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/the-future-of-digital-health
21. Deloitte. (n.d.). The future of health: A focus on the consumer. Deloitte. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/life-sciences-and-health-care/articles/future-of-health-consumer.html
22. Lown, B. A., & Kryworuchko, J. (2020). What's the role of time in shared decision making? AMA Journal of Ethics, 22(5), E409-414. https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/whats-role-time-shared-decision-making/2020-05
23. Wolters Kluwer. (2024, March 14). Telehealth in care deserts: Helping to overcome barriers created by location, costs, or social stigma. https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/telehealth-in-care-deserts-helping-to-overcome-barriers-created
24. Dhingra, L. S., Aminorroaya, A., Oikonomou, E. K., Nargesi, A. A., Wilson, F. P., Krumholz, H. M., & Khera, R. (2023). Use of wearable devices in individuals with or at risk for cardiovascular disease in the US, 2019 to 2020. JAMA Network Open, 6(6), e2316634. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2805753
25. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (2023, August 15). New survey of American businesses shows employers are acting to support growing demand for mental health services. U.S. Chamber of Commerce. https://www.uschamber.com/health-care/new-survey-of-american-businesses-shows-employers-are-acting-to-support-growing-demand-for-mental-health-services
26. Hawley, S. T., & Haymart, M. R. (2024). The potential of wearable devices in cancer care delivery. JAMA Oncology, 10(5), 573-574. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.0001 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2816982
27. Eagle, D. (2024). Challenges in healthcare delivery [Panel discussion]. POC NOW Summit 2024, Point of Care Marketing Association.
28. American Medical Association (2024, December 13). Health care technology trends 2025: AI benefits, wearable use cases and telehealth expansion. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/health-care-technology-trends-2025-ai-benefits-wearable-use-cases-and
29. Divinagracia, N, Summers, V. State of the Point of Care Marketing Industry 2022https://pocmarketing.org/industry-insights/state-of-the-point-of-care-marketing-industry-2022-zs-pocma
30. IQVIA. (2023). The use of retail clinics is accelerating. IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. https://www.iqvia.com/insights/the-iqvia-institute/reports/the-use-of-retail-clinics-is-accelerating