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.