Beyond the Click: Proving Marketing’s Impact on the Bottom Line
Clicks and calls can tell marketers whether a campaign is active. But health care leaders want to know how those interactions ultimately drive results. An industry leader and marketing executives from University Hospitals and Ochsner Health share how connecting marketing activity to appointments, patients, and revenue can change the conversation about marketing’s value.
// By Susan Dubuque //
When Jamie Mermelstein entered health care marketing after working at an agency that specialized in startups, much of her old marketing playbook stopped making sense. That strategy centered on creating demand. Launch something new. Convince consumers they need it. Build interest until they buy.
Health care does not work that way. “You can’t manufacture a diagnosis,” says Mermelstein, vice president of digital experience at Unlock Health. A symptom, scan, referral, or life event creates the need for care. Marketing’s job is to be there when the need arises and help patients take the next step.
But many marketers still struggle to prove what happens after a patient clicks, calls, or fills out a form. Less than 1 percent of health care marketers say they can connect more than half of their marketing spend to actual outcomes, Mermelstein says.
Left to right: Jamie Mermelstein, vice president of digital experience, Unlock Health; Matt Eaves, vice president of digital marketing, University Hospitals; and Sarah Montalbano, marketing automation manager, Ochsner Health
Mermelstein joined Matt Eaves, vice president of digital marketing at University Hospitals, and Sarah Montalbano, marketing automation manager at Ochsner Health, for a recent Strategic Health Care Marketing member roundtable on marketing ROI, featuring winners in the Best Digital Marketing ROI and Outcomes category in the 2025 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. Together, their presentations explored what it takes to prove marketing’s impact on outcomes that matter to the business.
Continue reading to learn how health care marketers strengthen attribution, break down data silos, and connect marketing to appointments, revenue, and growth.