In today's digital healthcare landscape, being found online means understanding how patients actually search for information. This session bridges the gap between technical optimization and healthcare marketing reality, offering a refreshingly straightforward approach to Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Whether your patients are typing queries or asking their smart speakers, you'll discover practical strategies to ensure your healthcare content meets them where they are. No coding knowledge required—just actionable insights you can apply to your website, blog posts, and social media right away.
In 2025, Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center completed its transition to Deaconess Memorial Medical Center, marking a pivotal moment in the organization’s integration into the Deaconess Health System. This session explores the strategy behind the rebrand, including naming, visual identity, internal alignment, community perception, and change communication.
The session offers a dual perspective on how system strategy and local execution came together to create a cohesive, community-informed brand transition. Attendees will learn how the team honored Memorial’s Catholic identity and legacy, engaged stakeholders across levels, and successfully rolled out the new brand across platforms.
This session is ideal for healthcare marketers navigating mergers, acquisitions, or brand transitions.
An ongoing shortage of physicians and healthcare specialists -- coupled with regulatory and state issues -- contributes to significant challenges faced by hospitals, clinics, and healthcare operations across Indiana in recruitment. Planning and executing effective marketing strategies and tactics can reposition opportunities and elevate efforts to attract and secure physicians and professionals, including rural areas. This presentation will review recent campaigns in urban and rural areas, and how principles can be applied to promote success. This presentation will be co-presented with Dr. Brandy Terrell, who has led physician and professional recruitment at Southern Indiana Community Health Care (she has presented at numerous conferences, including Indiana Rural Health Association and IU Center for Rural Engagement).
In 2024, IU Health's regional marketing and communications team launched a streamlined internal communications and PR strategy that significantly boosted employee engagement and brand health. By simplifying communication channels, targeting messages based on who needs to know what and when, and using a new platform to segment by department, we created a more effective and personalized communication flow.
The results speak for themselves: email open rates jumped from 40% to over 60%, Teams channel engagement increased, leadership became more actively involved, and our PR and brand health scores saw notable year-over-year growth. This session will share how we made it happen—and how you can too.
We will hear a 5-minute presentation from My Shirt Works and then head to lunch in the lobby.
This presentation will focus on how the rise of AI tools and agents is impacting healthcare marketing teams - new tools and capabilities available for marketing teams, the changes in consumer behavior and how they impact marketing results, including the very real healthcare concerns around privacy.
Attendees will learn some practical ways they can be deploying AI and advanced tools worth keeping in mind for the future, moves they can make in response to the changes in consumer behavior driven by AI, and a practical discussion about how to approach adopting and implementing AI tools as a healthcare organization including navigating the privacy issues at hand.
Indiana Hospital Association (IHA) executives Laura Kracher and Luke McNamee will address the highly challenging and often adversarial public and political environment that Indiana’s hospital industry faces. They will provide examples of how the current landscape has shaped media headlines, public perception, and ultimately health care policy. Attendees will learn about a new statewide PR campaign aimed at reshaping the conversation and building a new narrative. The presentation will conclude with key takeaways for hospital communications professionals and the crucial role they play in these efforts.
When a social media crisis went viral, Nationwide Children’s Hospital took the bold initiative to create a complete workforce social media curriculum to train every single staff member on best practices in personal and professional usage. They embarked on this goal by developing a curriculum, tiered on seven levels, with diverse learning modules to fit the needs of a varied staff. By going beyond traditional presentations and employing techniques like turning policy into infographics, recording podcasts, utilizing internal signage, holding brown-bags, and creating a digital module, their team has been able to make an impact on how social media is viewed within the organization.
This session will demonstrate the need for advocacy, professionalism, branding and awareness on social media’s impact for brand success.
Find out how Nationwide Children’s social media team is able to train everyone from the C-suite, to physicians, to new hires on how to best engage and advocate on their brand's behalf.
3 years ago, CarDon & Associates chose to invest in leaders. A Leadership Academy was launched. A leadership soft skills pathway was created. There is a qualitative payoff in this investment that is heard in the dozens of stories, the shift toward a healthier work culture and the increased ownership and engagement by those who have benefitted from these programs. There is also hard, quantitative data that demonstrate that people WANT to learn and grow. Participation is up and the retention rate of those who participate is 20 percentage points higher than those who do not. This presentation will explore all of these various dynamics that have made investing in learning and development one of CarDon's best decisions in recent years.
IHMPRS President will wrap up day one and you will hear a 5-minute presentation from our Networking and Dinner Sponsor, rater8.
Kick off the evening by gathering with fellow attendees in the hotel lobby for a casual pre-networking meetup. It’s a great chance to connect before heading to Topgolf together. Whether you prefer to walk or drive, we’ll depart as a group for an evening of food, fun, and conversation.
Unwind and connect with fellow attendees at our Networking Event and Dinner at Topgolf. Enjoy great food, casual conversation, and a little friendly competition—all in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Whether you’re swinging a club or just soaking in the vibes, it’s the perfect way to end the day!
7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Registration
8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.
Welcome by Tiffany Conover, IHMPRS President
Title Sponsor Presentation: Mark Shepler, Phoenix Innovate
8:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.
Unlocking Efficiency: Using AI for Healthcare Content Creation
by Robbie Schneider, Franciscan Health
In today's competitive healthcare landscape, marketing teams face the challenge of creating informative, engaging content that resonates with patients while maintaining accuracy and compliance. This talk explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in streamlining content creation for healthcare marketing teams and strengths and weaknesses of current technologies. The presenters will delve into practical applications of AI, from generating targeted blog posts and social media content to crafting personalized patient education materials.
9:45 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Breathing New Life Into an Old Brand
by Sarah Murlin and Ashley Hartman, Reid Health
As health organizations across the nation faced financial challenges resulting in changes to services and structure, reputation and brand felt the impacts. Recognizing the importance of resilience and strategic positioning, Reid Health decided to focus on strengthening our brand during these times. This presentation will outline the recommitment to breathing new life into an old brand; recommitting our brand promises to our community and our patients. These efforts include a new emphasis on accessibility, visual brand enhancements, rebranding service lines, introducing new content (including social media processes) that affirms our commitment to diverse communities and more. Our presentation will unpack brand and industry sentiments during challenging times and how to adjust marketing strategies to recapture audiences.
10:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Sponsor Meet & Greet / Break
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
NexusPark: Transforming an Old Mall into a Health, Wellness and Recreation Destination
by Joel Philippsen and Beth Dawson, Columbus Regional Health
In 2018 Columbus Regional Health partnered with the City of Columbus, Indiana to purchase a community mall, Fair Oaks Mall. Like many community malls across the country the facility was plagued with high vacancy rates due to changing shopping patterns over the past several years. In this presentation you will learn about how this facility was transformed and repurposed into what is now a state-of-the-art multispecialty medical facility and how the Columbus Regional Health marketing and communications team played a critical role in the planning and execution process.
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Sponsor Presentation: My Shirt Works
Lunch and IHA Update
During the lunch break we will hear an update from the Indiana Hospital Association.
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Reach for the Stars: The Importance of Google Reviews in Healthcare Marketing
by Gena Linville, Major Health Partners
In today’s digital age, patient reviews wield immense power, especially in shaping Google rankings for healthcare providers. When prospective patients search for medical services online, they rely heavily on these reviews to guide their decisions. Beyond establishing trust and credibility, patient feedback plays a pivotal role in bolstering online visibility. Actively encouraging satisfied patients to share their positive experiences can significantly elevate your Google search rankings, attracting a larger patient base and cultivating a thriving practice. In this presentation you will learn how Major Health Partners began harnessing patient Google reviews and redefined the success of their healthcare business.
2:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Creating Person-Centered Experiences: Enhancing Brand Awareness Through Strategic Events and Arts Programming
by Amanda Byrd and Courtney Fehrenbacher, Eskenazi Health
Creating person-centered experiences extends beyond clinical settings and enhances brand awareness and equity. This session will review special programs that support Eskenazi Health’s brand through strategic events operations and arts programming, including the Eskenazi Health Public Art Collection and the Marianne Tobias Music Program.
2:45 to 3:30 p.m.
Sponsor Break & Eskenazi Tour
3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Wayfinding Simplified
by Tiffany Conover, Good Samaritan
Learn how a small rural hospital completely overhauled its interior wayfinding to improve patient and visitor experience without the expense of hiring a wayfinding consultant. After a failed wayfinding approach that left patients and visitors confused for more than eight years, a cross-functional team at Good Samaritan came together to create a new and improved method. This team utilized surveys, department input and the Six Sigma DMAIC process to implement a winning approach to wayfinding, while keeping costs low.
4:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Day One Wrap Up and Networking Sponsor
Networking Sponsor Presentation: TBD
6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Networking Dinner at Rathskeller
at 401 E. Michigan Street
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Check-In & Continental Breakfast
9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Keynote: Is Your Culture Killing Your Brand?
by Burl Stamp
Keynote Presentation Sponsor: Stamp & Chase
An organization’s culture and its brand are inextricably linked. Beyond the visual and messaging aspects of brand development, what consumers/patients and employees experience when they interact with our organizations plays a significant role in their conceptualization of our brand and brand promise. Burl Stamp, FACHE, is an experienced healthcare executive who started his career in marketing, communications, and strategic planning. He then went on to become a hospital CEO. His work today with healthcare organizations focuses on how everyone in the organization affects brand perception and how successful marketing strategists can - indeed must - play a bigger role as brand development leaders/advisors across the entire organization.
10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
How Transformation in Today's Digital Landscape Impacts Healthcare Marketing Strategies
by Mark Shepler, Phoenix Innovate, and Judi Willett, Reid Health
Healthcare marketing is experiencing an evolution, one that offers challenges that should be embraced through more dynamic, authentic, effective, data-based solutions that truly resonate with patients. By gaining a deeper understanding of the power of omnichannel marketing, healthcare marketing professionals can enhance relationships with local audiences, creating greater patient and talent acquisition opportunities. During this session you will learn about data and security, patient acquisition, and attracting and retaining talent.
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Rebranding to Provide Clarity and Alignment
by Mike Chapman and Marie Forszt, Powers Health
Community Healthcare System in Northwest Indiana made the strategic decision to rebrand as Powers Health to accomplish the following:
This case study will lead participants through the lessons learned from the VP of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Powers Health and their agency lead as they navigated an 18-month rebranding process. Strategies shared during this session include the development of a “living” and comprehensive Brand Launch Plan to act as our north star, ensuring that leadership and employees were part of the process (without tipping employees off about a rebrand), and identifying challenges and pitfalls as early as possible. Learn about the critical role a VP of Marketing must play internally to gain trust and buy-in from system leadership and the importance of working with an agency partner who has been through system rebrands and understands the process, opportunities, and challenges. Lessons learned also include the importance of establishing a leadership-based Brand Launch Team and an army of Brand Ambassadors, developing new ways to inspire internal audiences around the new brand, and dealing with a Board approval process that would likely leak the rebrand and new name to employees and the press – five months before the planned brand launch. Lastly, the presenters will share the creative developed to differentiate and elevate the system in the marketplace and instill internal pride in the organization and the brand lift we were able to measure.
12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Door Prizes & Wrap Up
by Tiffany Conover, IHMPRS President
Communicating change in the healthcare setting is about more than press releases and some internal emails. In the last year, Jane Pauley Community Health Center added a new pharmacy, launched a foundation, and transitioned four bustling outpatient clinics from a major hospital network. Each change communication is unique and there isn't a one-size-fits-all formula. Here are the lessons learned about how to approach transitions in your organization and how to effectively inform your audiences.
For more than 20 years, Good Samaritan has hosted two of its most impactful community outreach events—the Men’s Health Fair and Women’s Wellness Fair—delivering free, comprehensive health screenings to hundreds of attendees each year. These long-standing programs not only promote preventive care and early detection but also strengthen community trust and generate measurable downstream revenue for the organization.
This presentation will explore how these events have evolved from grassroots efforts into streamlined, high-impact initiatives serving up to 500 men and 400 women annually. Attendees will gain insights into the strategies that made this possible—from simplifying logistics and enhancing the patient experience to implementing new technology that helps track downstream revenue and better measure long-term clinical and financial impact.
Make sure to get your Passport for Prizes card turned in.
New federal regulations taking effect in 2026 will require healthcare organizations to meet strict website accessibility standards. This session will help marketing and PR professionals understand what these changes mean, what WCAG 2.2 compliance involves, and how to begin preparing now. Attendees will learn the key role content and communications teams play in creating inclusive digital experiences and leave with practical tools and strategies to support compliance and improve accessibility for all users.
The basic rules of improv—finding agreement, listening, leading by empowering others, making confident choices, and celebrating those choices—are more than just performance techniques. These same principles can improve productivity, sales, and networking skills, build stronger leaders and teams, boost creativity, and help employees and clients feel more valued.
This interactive keynote offers participants an entertaining opportunity to grow in a safe environment and walk away with valuable skills they can put to use immediately. Recently named one of the “Top 10 Speakers to Follow” in 2025 by MSN.com, international speaker Jon Colby has been empowering people through improv for over 25 years.
As a graduate of the world-famous Second City Conservatory and an educator with over 15 years of classroom experience, Jon keeps audiences laughing while delivering practical, lasting insights. He doesn’t simply talk at the audience—he engages every participant in a hands-on session full of content that sticks. Whether working with a Fortune 100 company, an association, or a nonprofit, Jon always delivers customized content. His client list includes American Express, Honda, Salesforce, OneAmerica, Charles Schwab, the NCAA, and the YMCA.
