Inside the POC Shift: 6 Key Takeaways from POC Now Summit 2025
How POC Marketing is Earning Its Place in the Mix
19th May 2025
Each year, the POC NOW Summit convenes a cross-section of the most influential minds in Point of Care (POC) marketing: brand leaders, healthcare agencies, media partners, life sciences professionals, and policy experts.
As healthcare journeys grow more complex, the Summit underscored a powerful truth this year: POC is not a fixed or limited touchpoint. It is a dynamic, responsive ecosystem that remains grounded in clinical care while continuing to evolve as a personalized, measurable, and strategic channel. It is a channel that deserves greater attention in a marketing landscape defined by shifting regulations, rising patient expectations, and increasing pressure to prove value.
Hosted by the Point of Care Marketing Association (POCMA), the 2025 Summit explored how the channel is responding to current pressures and future expectations. Sessions addressed the challenges healthcare marketers face today, including policy uncertainty, rising demand for accountability, and the need to reach patients and providers in more relevant, measurable ways.
What were the key takeaways?
Across conversations, several clear themes emerged that we’ve gathered below. Together, they offer a snapshot of how Point of Care is evolving to support stronger engagement and smarter strategy in a shifting healthcare landscape.
1. POC’s Influence Is Expanding, And So Are Expectations
New data from Ipsos was presented at the Summit, revealing just how deeply POC is embedded in the healthcare experience:
- 71% of healthcare surveyed HCPs report using POC solutions regularly (multiple times monthly).
- 68% of exposed patients reported materials enabled them to ask more questions during consultations with their doctors
- 73% of HCPs surveyed reported patients were more actively engaged in treatment decisions after exposure to POC materials.
Yet this increasing visibility comes with new demands. Patients are seeking clearer, more personalized support. Providers want data-driven tools that enhance, not disrupt, care. And marketers must meet both expectations, while staying compliant and measurable.
2. The Measurement Imperative: Proof Drives Progress
Across sectors, Summit speakers emphasized the same challenge. We can no longer allow measurement to create barriers for integrating POC to a media plan.
Marketing mix models struggle with POC campaigns due to their continuous nature but can improve with better inputs. One suggestion discussed utilizing patient volume metrics as a way to improve POC measurement in these models. All agreed that without universal frameworks, marketers are struggling to capture both quantitative results and the qualitative richness of patient-provider engagement.
“Square peg, round hole, point of care and MMMs to me across the board just do not fit.”
Meghan Sarli, Principal, Insights & Enablement, PatientPoint
“So the thing with MMM is it’s garbage in, garbage out. So essentially an MMM is only as good as the KPIs that you put in the model.”
Joy Joseph, EVP Analytics, MedFuse
The discussion highlighted the need for standardization across the fragmented POC channel, which encompasses multiple settings, tactics, and audiences. The panel emphasized that collaboration among all stakeholders—agencies, clients, vendors, measurement partners, and analytics teams—is essential from planning through execution.
Setting appropriate KPIs aligned to campaign goals and developing industry-wide standards were identified as critical steps to elevate POC marketing’s position when competing for media budget allocation.
3. Policy Watch: Defend the Role of Patient Education
In a time of heightened political scrutiny, the regulatory future of pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing remains uncertain. Legal and policy experts at the Summit emphasized that, while other channels may face increasing pressure, Point of Care is uniquely positioned to deliver messaging that withstands scrutiny. Their message to marketers was clear: Don’t panic. Be prepared.
“If a pharmaceutical advertising ban is in an executive order or rulemaking, keep calm. Don’t cancel your ad buys.”
Jim Potter, Executive Director, Coalition for Healthcare Communication
While proposed ad bans loom, changes would take time, face constitutional scrutiny, and require FDA action. Legal precedent strongly favors commercial speech protections, especially when marketers provide truthful, educational content.
“You have to defend what you’re doing. You’ve got to own it and be proud of it.”
Tish Pahl, Principal, OFW Law
The industry’s best defense? Make clear how POC marketing improves outcomes and empowers decision-making, particularly in spaces where patient health and public trust intersect.
4. Personalization in Practice: Better Reach to Patients, HCPs, and Caregivers
A major theme throughout the Summit was the move from generalized messaging to audience-specific strategies. POC, by its nature, is well-suited to deliver messages that reflect the emotional, behavioral, and contextual needs of each audience it reaches.
For patients, Ipsos research presented at the Summit showed that 96% of surveyees exposed to Point of Care resources reported increased confidence in their treatment decisions (Ipsos, 2025). These same patients were also significantly more likely to adhere to prescribed therapies and make meaningful lifestyle changes.
For providers, personalized POC materials tailored to specialty, care setting, and patient population help enrich the clinical conversation and avoid disruption.
“We should be catering to [providers] and ensuring they have richer conversations based on their audience.”
Kate Phillips, Ipsos
For caregivers, who often remain overlooked despite their critical role, the need for thoughtful, accessible communication is urgent. Psychologist and researcher Dr. Allison J. Applebaum spoke to the experience of more than 53 million unpaid caregivers who manage complex responsibilities with little formal support.
“What do they do? Absolutely everything.”
Dr. Allison Applebaum
In order to provide meaningful support to caregivers, marketers should:
- Provide practical educational materials that simplify complex medical tasks
- Promote tools that help caregivers coordinate care across providers, and address financial/legal concerns
- Integrate caregiver mental health support into materials and platforms
- Facilitate peer support networks to reduce caregiver isolation
5. Technology Has Moved the POC and Marketers Must Follow
The Summit highlighted the rise of a digitally connected, proactive healthcare consumer. From telehealth to wearables, the definition of care is expanding, and so must our understanding of POC.
“Technology brings insight into the dynamic nature of a consumer or physician who changes every day.”
Keith Matt, VP of Sales, PulsePoint
Today’s marketing strategies must reach beyond in-office visits to pre-visit research, post-visit engagement, and increasingly mobile care environments. Retail clinics, remote monitoring, and online provider selection are reshaping patient touchpoints.
The opportunity? A truly omnichannel strategy where POC is not just a physical place—but a moment of relevance anywhere the patient is making decisions.
6. A Unified Future: Research, Standards, and Shared Momentum
One of the most forward-looking milestones at this year’s Summit was the launch of POCMA Research. This report is part of a new initiative designed to:
- Aggregate best practices
- Elevate evidence-based marketing
- Help professionals stay ahead of regulatory changes
As this resource grows, it will help unify the industry around shared standards, improve education, and drive smarter, more confident decision-making.
Final Word: From Touchpoint to Transformation
The 2025 POC NOW Summit made it clear: the future of Point of Care marketing belongs to those who evolve with it.
Patient expectations are rising. Policies are shifting. Technology is moving fast. And yet, the human moment of care remains sacred. Every session pointed to a single mission: to meet that moment with relevance, empathy, and evidence.
POC is no longer a stop on the journey; it’s a space where journeys change.
