Reflecting on HMPS 2025

HMPS (Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Summit) is one of our favorite events of the year. Why? 

Because of the connections: connections with our clients, connections with the healthcare industry, and most importantly, connections being made to improve the healthcare experience. When this many healthcare leaders get together in one place, good things are bound to come from it. 

MDRG founder Sondra Brown and VP of Growth Kristy Roldan attended the Orlando event this year. Here are their takeaways!

1. What was your favorite moment from HMPS '25? 

Sondra: Our event at Eagles Edge was hands down the best. It was terrific spending time with our amazing colleagues and clients. Spending time IRL is a different ball game in our "Zoom" world. Getting to know people personally contributes to a greater understanding of priorities and leads to better work. Also, Patrick, Andy, and Ellen Dalton are impressive with a golf club.

Kristy: I agree with the golf event. In the hustle of a conference, it was nice to do something with an activity and break the mold.

2. Were there any session or speaker highlights?  

Sondra: In our panel session, Patrick Knauer had a mic-drop moment when he relabeled urgent care as convenience care, which is precisely what it is and should be. Moving away from our insistence on a single PCP model and leaning into consumerism means letting people access care in the manner they want.

Andy Chang also took the house down when discussing his "why" for being in healthcare. The question was, "What moves you?" He discussed that healthcare is the largest line item in our GDP and the #1 reason people go bankrupt. When he thinks about the marketing asks that come his way, he evaluates his spending, knowing that he has a responsibility to fix healthcare and spend as responsibly as possible, constantly evaluating whether he is doing something for the good of the community.

Kristy: VillageMD CMO Ellen Dalton and SVP Lisa Slama talked about how they deliver value-based care for Medicare Advantage patients. This is a highly complicated subject. Understanding Medicare Advantage is hard enough to begin with because there are so many different features, the costs can change, and insurance is complicated. But you layer in value-based care, another complicated topic, and it gets even more complex. Ellen and Lisa broke this down in a way that made so much sense. I get it now!

3. Last year, AI was a huge topic at HMPS. How has the conversation changed over the past year? 

Kristy: AI is still a huge topic, but now the novelty is over. All these other uses are starting to come into play: How can we apply AI practically to improve patient experience? How can we make appointments or other ways for patients to navigate care more easily? Its use is expanding.

4. What were the big themes or issues that you noticed?   

Sondra: In the past few years, there has been a lot of angst, hand-wringing over post-pandemic woes, and access issues. This year, however, I felt more positive, talking about solutions (our urgent care session was a good example). Instead of discussing the challenges, the conversations seem more about, "How do we move forward?"

Kristy: Patient experience has been neglected in the last few years because of the urgency of access issues, but now I think we’re getting back to it. What is the best patient experience? Ultimately, that is what will drive loyalty.

5. What are your big takeaways from HMPS '25?

Sondra: We are finally leaning into a new way of being and a world in which we must address, acknowledge, and respond to changing consumer expectations. Instead of getting caught up in nomenclature… "Patient" vs "Customer" vs "Consumer"… we are finally acknowledging that the person receiving care doesn’t always fit into our model, and we need to adapt and give them space to interact with us in the way they want.

Kristy: Healthcare marketers are still being asked to do more with less money, so they are working to find ways to make the most of limited budgets—it’s tricky, but they are trying.

6. As you spoke to people throughout the week, where did you see the biggest gaps in healthcare companies?

Sondra: We can get so stuck in the bureaucracy of healthcare. We have to get out of our way and start thinking more nimbly. Yes, I know healthcare is complicated, nuanced, and regulated. But we can do both.

Kristy: We need more insights across the board. Given the number of choices that any consumer or patient has today, knowing their preferences and decision-making processes is becoming increasingly critical.

7. What's one thing you learned that you will definitely be using in the future?

Sondra: Returning to the CMO panel, focusing on relationship building to earn trust. This applied to my team and my clients.

Kristy: Sondra mentioned this earlier, but in her talk "Urgent Care As A Front Door," Patrick Knauer from Banner Health said... "Convenient care is not always urgent, but it is convenient." Wow.

8. What are you looking forward to for next year?

Sondra: Continuing to learn from colleagues who are challenging themselves to think more strategically and thoughtfully about the future of healthcare. And maybe a late-season ski trip in Salt Lake.
Kristy: Seeing how the conversations have changed surrounding AI. I'd like to see AI being a tool that's utilized by patients to both gain more access to the care they want or need—a real way to improve patient experience. 

Did you miss us at HMPS '25? Contact us to talk about how we'll apply what we've learned.