Intro: The following SHSMD Podcast is a production of DoctorPodcasting.com.

Bill Klaproth (host): On This edition of the SHSMD podcast, we're talking about how healthcare marketing teams can move from occasional AI use to a more intentional AI-first strategy. Joining me is Lacey Reichwald, Director of Marketing at AHA Media Group. Lacey is presenting a session in a six-session course offered by SHSMD called AI's Impact on the Future of Healthcare Digital Strategy. So, let's talk with Lacey and get more information on her session coming up right now.

This is the SHSMD Podcast: Rapid Insights for Healthcare Strategy Professionals in Planning, Business Development, Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations. I'm your host, Bill Klaproth. Lacey, welcome.

Lacey Reichwald: Thank you. I'm excited to talk to you again.

Host: Yeah, it's always great to have you on the podcast. So thank you, Lacey. Last time we had you on was actually at SHSMD Connections, and it was great to talk to you then.

Lacey Reichwald: Yeah. Yeah, that was great.

Host: Yeah. So, this time, you're participating in a six-session course called AI's Impact on the Future of Healthcare Digital Strategy. You are actually hosting the first session. So, let's talk about this and get people up on this great course that SHSMD is offering.

So in your session, you're going to talk about moving from an—well, AI when I think of it, to an AI-first mindset. What does that actually look like in day-to-day marketing work?

Lacey Reichwald: So in day-to-day marketing work, what we have found when we're talking to our clients is they will mention use cases that they are using AI to practice or using AI to try to move things along more quickly. And usually, it's after they've already become really frustrated with something. So, they are trying to figure something out on their own or they're trying to pull some data together. And then, someone will say, "Well, have you asked ChatGPT or have you asked Copilot?" And they're like, "Oh, no, I hadn't even thought of that." So, the mindset shift that I try to have people take the shift that I want them to have is to think about how they can build AI into their daily workflows before they get to that point of frustration. So, mapping out your daily processes and then identifying where are the areas where I can automate things, where I can move things along a little bit faster, and finding the right tool for those jobs before you get to that point of frustration and trying to basically find a shortcut. Because although AI does speed things up, I don't see it as a shortcut. I see it as just expediting processes.

Host: Yeah, that's a great point. So, it sounds like you should do an audit of your daily workflow and find out where AI can fit into it. And then instead of being reactionary like, "I'm stuck," maybe now I should ask AI if you review your whole workday, you might be able to say, "You know what? AI can do this for me automatically with a few keystrokes and I don't have to do the legwork for it."

Would that be right?

Lacey Reichwald: Yeah, absolutely. And then, I also see a different sort of reactive behavior that happens in marketing departments where maybe there is leadership asking you to use AI, but not really telling you how to use it. They're just saying, "Use AI. Why can't you use AI to do that?" And then, companies are sort of grappling with, "Okay, how do we fit this into the work that we're doing?" And what I have seen is that then people will adopt AI to do tasks that maybe they weren't even doing before. They've actually created more work for themselves. So, starting with that process map.

And yes, to your point, there are ways that AI can help you build out that process map. It's a little bit easier—scratch that—it's a lot easier to see those areas where, okay, maybe I could use some assistance here and, you know, maybe there's some automation that can help us with this.

And then, when you have leadership saying, "We need you to use AI," you can say, "You know, we're working on identifying the best places to use AI so that we're using it efficiently." They love to hear that, you know, you're thinking about your work that way as being efficient and trying to get the best ROI instead of just throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks.

Host: So, I'm wondering, for a marketing leader who wants to do more with AI but isn't sure where to start, you talked about some really great stuff, but gosh, how do I get started with this? Can you suggest maybe one pilot project that you'd recommend exploring first?

Lacey Reichwald: No, I can't. But I'll tell you why. And that's because every team is a little bit different. And so, I actually think the first sort of pilot to do or the first project to do is to form a cross-functional team. Get some people who are already interested in AI together around a table and map out, again, those processes that your team is doing, some of the areas where you have bottlenecks, and identify that together. It could be some low-hanging fruit. It could be something that's a little bit more ambitious, and it really depends so much on the team, the team's makeup, how many people there are, how your department is structured. So, that's why I don't like to say, "Well, do this one thing."

However, I will say that a good sort of like low stakes area to practice and to see how AI works is in doing some gap analysis. So, AI does two things really well. It creates new things based on—I mean, it's not brand new because it's based off of everything that's been put into it, but it creates and it evaluates. And I really like it for evaluation where you can take two or more inputs and ask the AI, "What's missing here?" So, a great example of this is if you're going to update some service line pages and you have some really great patient information, not HIPAA-protected patient data, but like survey results or patient sentiment or just overall big picture demographic information, stuff that's safe to upload. And you can ask the AI, "Here's the page that I'm looking to update. Here is our target market information. Where are we missing the mark? Where are the gaps that I can focus on when I update this page?" And you'll get a great response there because you've provided that context.

Host: So, identify bottlenecks, like you said, get the team together. That's a great idea. And then, talking about this gap analysis, well, of course it can create and it can evaluate, but having it do that evaluation to figure out where there are weak spots or gaps, that's a great way to use AI. So, I know in your session you're also going to talk about evaluating AI pilots based on risk, effort, and payoff. Why is that kind of framework important, especially in healthcare?

Lacey Reichwald: In any Industry or when you're starting any new initiative, I think it's really important to take a step back and identify what risks are there and also what is the effort going to be versus the eventual payout, right? It's like that cost analysis. We should be doing that in all aspects of our life. You know, is the juice going to be worth the squeeze type of thing.

But in healthcare, I think it's especially important because we have such limited resources. Teams are already so strained, and things tend to move a little bit more slowly, which actually gives us the time to sort of step back, make those assessments before plunging all the way in without wasting any of those valuable resources that we have, because it's only getting tighter for healthcare marketing teams.

Host: When people are done with your particular session, what's one mindset shift or practical takeaway you hope they'll immediately bring back to their organizations?

Lacey Reichwald: I'm so excited that I get to do this first session to sort of lay the groundwork for the way folks can think about AI in the remaining five sessions. One of the cool things that I get to do is ahead of the session, anyone who is a student takes a survey that identifies their current comfort level with AI, how they're using it, and just all of these different benchmarks that I've actually been tracking with different groups over the past two years. And then, in the session, we go through those results and we say, "Okay, this cohort is sitting right here, and here's how that compares to the rest of the industry and how things have changed over the last two years." And so far, in every session that we've done that in, the takeaway has been, "I'm not as behind as I thought I was."

People really come into these sessions feeling like, "Oh, everyone is so much farther ahead of me." And really, even now, years after the first ChatGPT launch, we're all still just figuring this out together, and especially when it comes to how do I apply this to my work. So, that's the biggest takeaway I want people to have is realizing that they're not alone wherever they are in their journey, there's room to grow and they're not behind the curve.

Host: And with something like this, you don't want to be behind the curve. So, it's a great time right now to jump on board and really understand it so you can put it to the best use for yourself and your own organization and your own career. So even if you're a little shy, you're like, "I don't know about this," it just makes sense to really learn more about it and start using it and understanding it. Is that right?

Lacey Reichwald: Absolutely. I mean, I'm seeing AI pop up in job descriptions across all departments. But in marketing especially, AI is such an important tool and understanding how to use it. So, your point is excellent. This isn't just about how you can help your organization succeed, but also how you can develop the personal career skills that are going to help you grow if you move into another organization or even to grow within your own organization.

Host: So, I am getting pushback about AI from some people in my own family like, "Dad, you're using AI too much," or, "I'm worried about how much you're using AI." And I'm like, "You know what? I know you don't like it," and there is pushback, and a lot of people are—I don't want to say afraid, but are wary or just do not want to learn it at all.

So, I'm like, "Hey, listen, this thing is here to stay. The train has left the station. It's moving down the tracks. Fine, you might not like it. The best thing you can do is learn it. Learn all about it. Learn everything you can about it. Make yourself a more valuable employee. For your own personal growth, learn everything you can about it and learn how to apply it in the right situations to help you be a more productive employee." Are you sensing this same feedback? And what do you say to people that offer pushback against AI?

Lacey Reichwald: Yeah, I absolutely am sensing that pushback. I've heard it personally from people in my life as well. And I'm just sort of sensing it in the sort of ether. You're hearing a lot of this pushback.

I would say it's all about balance. I completely agree with people who say that AI should not be gobbling up thousands of songs—millions of songs—and then turning around and creating music and taking that away from artists. Or, oh my gosh, if I see another AI-generated flyer on Facebook, now that like everyone's grandma can create a garage sale flyer using ChatGPT, it is everywhere. And I don't think that that is an important use of AI or not even necessarily a responsible use of AI. However, saying, "I'm not going to use it at all," digging in your heels and saying, "There's no way I'm going to use this," is like saying, "I'm not going to use a computer when computers first hit the scene."

Host: Exactly.

Lacey Reichwald: Yes, or in 2008, saying, "I'm never going to do a job that requires me to put something on Facebook." Because it really is just the new frontier of where we are. I agree that we have to make personal decisions about how much we want to use it. I think, from an environmental standpoint and also just from a critical thinking standpoint, I have noticed that I've gone back to handwriting more than I have typing because I want to have that connection between my brain and my body when I'm thinking.

And it is easy to sort of give all of those critical thinking skills away to AI. So, I understand the pushback, and I just think like all things in life, it's about finding the balance and finding the way that it works best for you.

Host: Yeah, Lacey, I think balance is the right word for it and the right way to look at it. You're not going to use it for everything, but where it can be useful and help you be more productive and end some of those frustrations you were talking about, not being reactive but being proactive, putting it to use in those ways, the things you talked about on the podcast today and the things you're going to talk about in the session, and this whole new SHSMD course coming up, I think, is the right way to look at it.

So if you're listening to this podcast right now, make sure you sign up for this course. Just go to shsmd.org/education and look for AI's Impact on the Future of Healthcare Digital Strategy. Lacey, always great to talk with you. Thank you again

Lacey Reichwald: Thank you so much. I'm really excited for this session. And I hope that anyone listening today signs up, and I'll see you there.

Host: Going to be great. I'm telling you. Thank you again, Lacey. Once again, that is Lacey Reichwald, director of marketing at AHA Media Group. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels, and please hit the subscribe or follow button to get every episode. And to access our full podcast library of other topics of interest to you, visit shsmd.org/podcasts. This has been a production of Doctor Podcasting. I'm Bill Klaproth. See ya!