How It's Done: a Podcast for Curious Marketers – Details, episodes & analysis

Tune in to our must hear moments from Season 4. Explore real-world examples of brand storytelling that drives loyalty and sales, the importance of agile planning in fast-changing markets, and the impact of thought leadership. Dive into the ethical and strategic implications of AI in marketing and PR, including its role in SEO and content creation. Plus, discover why authenticity and character are key to earning media success. It’s a highlight reel packed with the strategies and perspectives shaping what’s next.

In this special 2024 Wrapped episode, we’ve curated the most impactful moments from this season’s conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and storytellers. From leveraging AI to transform marketing workflows to redefining healthcare branding and thought leadership, these highlights capture the insights that mattered most. Hear how organizations are navigating change, embracing new technologies, and driving meaningful connections in a competitive landscape. Whether it’s uncovering emerging trends, exploring human-centered strategies, or sparking new ideas, this episode is packed with takeaways to inspire your 2025 plans.

Show Notes

(00:01:15) John Hallock: Why marketing plans should be simple, flexible, and adaptable to change.

(00:04:57) Mark Macias: Meaty earned media comes from compelling characters and authentic storytelling and solid data.

(00:08:15) Linda Smith: Driving brand awareness with strategic, and sustained, thought leadership.

(00:14:02) Todd O’Neill: How AI is rapidly changing the SEO landscape.

(00:19:27) Greg Gallant: Podcasts as a critical component of the modern media landscape.

(00:23:17) Femtech Panel: Building brand awareness on limited marketing budgets.

(00:26:32) Colin Hung: How even small booths can have a big impact at healthcare conferences.

(00:32:30) Carol Flagg: The rise of vodcasting to expand your podcast’s reach.

(00:35:49) Mitch Duckler: The Future-Ready Brand: how Fortune 500 brands are leveraging AI to enable micro-segmentation and hyper-personalization.

(00:41:37) Brian Tanquilut: A prominent financial analyst with prescient predictions about healthcare claim denials, revenue cycle challenges, and the future of pharmacy.

Relevant Links/Information:

• Season 4, Episode 1: The Quantum Health Effect: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Brand Storytelling

• Season 4, Episode 2: A Diamond in the Rough: How Digging Deep Uncovered a Wall-Street-Journal-Worthy Story about Lab-Grown Diamonds

• Season 4, Episode 3: How Progeny Health Leveraged Customer Brand Loyalty, Thought Leadership, and Patient Advocacy to Build Brand Awareness and Drive Sales

• Season 4, Episode 4: The Ethical Use of AI in PR and Marketing: Expert Counsel from a Professor with His Finger on the Pulse

• Season 4, Episode 5: Future Proofing PR: Insights from Muck Rack’s CEO

• Season 4, Episode 6: Empowering Her Health: Unveiling the Secrets of the FemTech Movement

• Season 4, Episode 7: Swag, Socks, and Sweet Success: Colin Hung's Conference Formula

• Season 4, Episode 8: The Future of Digital Media: How Vodcasting is Changing the Game

• Season 4, Episode 9: The Future-Ready Brand: How to Leverage AI and Emerging Technologies

• Season 4, Episode 10: Follow The Money: 2025 Healthcare Trends & Headlines

Jeffries senior equity analyst Brian Tanquilut dives deep into the hottest healthcare trends and what's shaping the industry's future. From Medicare Advantage cutbacks to the evolving role of telehealth, Brian shares insights on where the money's flowing and what healthcare marketers need to know. Tune in for a must-listen discussion that unpacks the critical shifts in healthcare, labor costs, and technology investments.

Brian Tanquilut brings over 20 years of experience as a senior equity analyst with Jeffries, providing a unique perspective on healthcare’s most pressing issues. In this episode, he reveals how healthcare providers are navigating post-COVID realities, from labor stabilization to Medicare Advantage cutbacks. We explore how major health plans are shifting strategies, what the decline in supplemental benefits means for patients, and how technology like AI is reshaping the industry. Tanquilut also dives into the challenges facing telehealth and the growing importance of the pharmacist-patient relationship. Don’t miss his expert take on the future of healthcare and how these trends will shape marketing strategies for years to come.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Medicare Advantage plans are pulling back on “consumerism” supplemental benefits.

• How healthcare labor costs are stabilizing and impacting operations.

• Reasons behind the decline of telehealth and what patients value more.

• How AI is changing the game for payors and providers alike.

• The evolving role of pharmacists as key healthcare partners.

Show Notes

(01:23) Overview of healthcare sectors Brian covers, including hospitals, pharmacies, and value-based care  

(04:26) The Medicare Advantage cutbacks and how they affect supplemental benefits  

(08:12) Stability of commercial insurance and the focus on Medicare Advantage  

(10:00) Discussion on the Jeffries Bus Tour and healthcare’s importance in Nashville  

(12:40) Labor cost inflation in healthcare and signs of stabilization  

(13:48) Medicaid reimbursement rates increasing and the impact on hospitals  

(19:28) Hospital investment challenges: labor vs. technology during post-COVID recovery  

(20:00) AI in healthcare: payers’ advanced tools and hospitals’ need to catch up  

(21:18) Revenue cycle management moving to the forefront of hospital CFOs’ strategies  

(24:54) Decline of telehealth post-COVID and the importance of patient-clinician relationships  

(26:30) How pharmacies, like CVS, are shifting to a cost-plus model and emphasizing pharmacist-patient relationships  

(30:15) Behavioral health demand is high, but clinician shortages are a challenge  

(31:12) Why direct-to-consumer behavioral health models are fading while insurance-based models thrive  

(35:15) How upcoming elections may affect healthcare policies  

(36:18) Brian’s go-to healthcare news sources: Beckers, Modern Healthcare, Politico, and CQ HealthBeat  

(37:29) Future trends and key takeaways for healthcare marketers  

Relevant Links & Recommended Reading

• Recommended Reading

• Becker’s Hospital Review

• Modern Healthcare

• Politico

• CQ Healthbeat

• 11 Years of the Two-Midnight Rule: How a Controversial Policy is Shaping Medicare and Hospital Admissions in 2024

• CMS Update to the Two-midnight Rule

• For providers, application of the 2-midnight rule to Medicare Advantage appears to bring a revenue influx

• The State of Claims: 2024

• Find Jefferies on

• Jefferies.com

• LinkedIn

• Find Brian Tanquilut on:

• LinkedIn

• Find Kriste on:

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

• Email Kriste: kg@growwithfuoco.com 

What are the essentials of a strategic marketing communications plan, and how can marketing, communications, sales and the executive suite keep it simple, remain flexible, cross-pollinate, and work in sync to effectively execute against such a plan?

Quantum Health CCO, John Hallock shares takeaways from his deep well of experience at some of healthcare’s biggest brands, from his time at Livongo during one of the health tech’s biggest mergers, to his time at well-funded startup Transcarent, and now, leading the small-and-agile team at Quantum Health.

(0:46) John Hallock discusses his previous roles in the healthcare industry, including his time at Livongo and Transcarent.

(6:02) John dives into Quantum Health’s focus on storytelling and how it separates them from competitors.

(8:54) John discusses the strategies  Quantum Health has used to bolster its industry presence 

(11:29) John shares insights into internal alignment and getting stakeholders to understand different forms of content created by the comms team versus the marketing team.

(13:29) John discusses in-house talent plus when and how to leverage external agencies.

(17:35) John talks about the importance of storytelling and leveraging different forms of media to support communication efforts.

(20:00) Kriste and John discuss the successes and failures of experimenting with out-of-the box ideas.

(23:49) John discusses the rise of CEO PR and the importance of CEO involvement in public relations.

(27:48) Kriste and John talk  about using brand journalism and real stories to inject new relevance into the Quantum Health brand.

(40:10) John and Kriste talk about how there are more opportunities to get your story out, leveling the playing field for smaller companies.

(44:56) John shares his favorite news sources, including Med City News and Modern Healthcare, and the importance of staying updated on industry news.

Relevant Links & Recommended Reading

• Blogs and Podcasts

• The Art of Warrioring 

• How a Tiny Team Delivers Massive Media & Thought Leadership Results for Digital Health Darling Livongo

• Find John Hallock on:

• LinkedIn

• Find Kriste on:

• LinkedIn

• Twitter

Email Kriste: kg@growwithfuoco.com

Every marketer has been asked (potentially even haunted by) the question, “Is it measurable?” Our guest Joe Zappa and host Kriste Goad dive into the measurability of content marketing, AI for marketers, why you should never work with a generalist marketing agency, winning the “War of Ideas, ”and much more on this episode of How It’s Done. 

• Find Joe Zappa on: Linkedin and Twitter
• Find Sharp Pen Media on LinkedIn and sharppenmedia.com
• Find Kriste on: LinkedIn and Twitter
• Email Kriste: kg@growwithfuoco.com

Erica Freckelton not only has the coolest glasses at fuoco but she also has experience optimizing websites and social accounts for various tech and healthcare companies. With those glasses she can see what a lot of people can’t.

On this episode of How It's Done:

• Shining a light on Dark Social
• Why Dark Social is ruining your online attribution
• Expert tips on how to make Dark Social work for you
• How traditional attribution is losing you money
• Erica Freckelton's superpower

Follow ⁠fuoco on LinkedIn⁠ or find Erica on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

Throughout his career in healthcare, Karey Witty has served in just about every C-suite role there is, but it’s his latest role as managing partner of value-based-care-focused investment firm Valtruis that has Karey more excited than ever, not just about his job, but about the promise of healthcare. 

In this episode of How It’s Done Karey talks with us about the meaning behind the Valtruis name, the things that make up a brand that go far beyond a name or a logo, and about finding meaning in his work and in life, including his quest to “figure out what these next chapters are going to look like.”

Listen in for more, including:

• The ironic superlative Karey was lauded with in high school
• Karey’s career path to WCAS/Valtruis
• What makes Valtruis different from other healthcare investment funds
• Valtruis’ chosen Greek goddess and why what you wear, even, is an expression of your brand
• The drivers behind Valtruis’ ground-up brand builds
• Valtruis’ new Nashville office
• Karey’s current Spotify playlist and the surprising song he has on repeat

Related links

• Connect with Karey Witty on LinkedIn
• Learn more about Valtruis 
• As of 2021, there are over 30 Venture Capitalist firms in Nashville and as of 2023 over 50 reported
• WCAS press release announcing the Valtruis formation

People & Companies Mentioned

• Tracy L. Bahl, Managing Director, Valtruis
• Anna Haghgooie, Managing Director, Valtruis 

fuoco’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager Erica Freckelton is back with our host, Kriste Goad in part two of our three-part demand generation series for healthcare marketers. Tune in as they discuss the importance of knowing your target audience, demand creation vs. demand capture, and more.

Follow ⁠fuoco on LinkedIn⁠ or find Erica on ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

fuoco’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager Erica Freckelton joins our host, Kriste Goad in part one of a three-part demand generation special.

Tune in as they discuss changes in B2B buying behavior, how to evolve your marketing strategy, and the advantages of first-party data in part one of this three-part special. 

Follow fuoco on LinkedIn or find Erica on LinkedIn.

The “Headline Hunter” Kathryn Rickmeyer joins our host Kriste Goad as they discuss pitching stories, how to make content more valuable, and the importance of media in marketing.

Learn more about Tennbeat at Tennbeat.com. Have a story you’d like to share with Kathryn? Email her at Kathrynrickmeyer@gmail.com, or follow her on Linkedin.

Dennis Dailey, Editor-in-Chief and lead reporter for Mobile Health Times joins host Kriste Goad as they discuss the upcoming health conference, ViVE, and a new, snackable health technology information show, HITshow.

Learn more about HITshow by emailing Dennis at ddailey@hit.show, follow Dennis on LinkedIn, or find his coverage at mHealthtimes.com.