HCIC 2026
The Backbone of Scalable Healthcare Marketing
Building the operating model that makes strategy and MarTech work
The messy middle sits between deciding what the organization wants to do and being able to deliver it consistently. These resources help you diagnose the friction, align on what success should look like and test a clearer way of working through one real initiative.
Featuring Denise Davis, Bridget Granger and Becky Imbimbo, moderated by Therese Lockemy.
Diagnose → Align on the destination → Map the work → Examine skills and capacity → Pressure-test and act
Start with the friction
There is no single perfect operating model. Begin with the resource that matches the problem you are facing, then move through the sequence as the work becomes clearer.
01 / DIAGNOSE
The Predictability Pulse
From Becky Imbimbo and BL3 Advisory
Best for: Getting a quick read on where unpredictability is entering the marketing operation.
A 10-minute assessment that helps leaders examine how predictably their marketing operation runs across intake and prioritization, workflow, governance, roles, technology and executive visibility. Use it as the opening diagnostic to identify where the operating model needs attention before changing structure or adding technology.
02 / ALIGN ON THE DESTINATION
Charting Your Course
From Bridget Granger
Best for: Aligning the team on what success should look like before timelines and deliverables take over.
A set of prompts that helps a team define its North Star, meaningful measures of progress, risks and dependencies, and the capacity or support required to move forward.
Turn the insight into a working model
The tools below were developed by Inner Path Digital and informed by operating model and pod-design work with Emory Healthcare. They have been simplified and adapted to give other healthcare marketing teams a useful starting point.
03 / MAP THE WORK
Map One Initiative
Developed by Inner Path Digital, informed by operating model and pod-design work with Emory Healthcare.
Best for: Making the operating model visible through one real initiative.
Use this working canvas to connect the intended outcome, work products, roles, workstreams, handoffs, priority rules, decisions and operating rhythm. It helps the team see how the work actually needs to move before trying to redesign everything at once.
04 / EXAMINE SKILLS AND CAPACITY
Capabilities and Capacity Framework
Developed by Inner Path Digital, informed by operating model and pod-design work with Emory Healthcare.
Best for: Separating a true skills gap from a capacity, ownership, workflow or prioritization problem.
Define the work the future model requires, examine capabilities through multiple forms of evidence and determine the right response. That may mean developing, reassigning, borrowing, buying or augmenting talent, or simplifying work that should no longer be done.