Turning CRM into a Strategic Engine: Healthcare Leaders Share Candid Lessons on Data, Alignment, and ROI

Healthcare marketing executives and CRM experts, including leaders from Emory Healthcare, Banner Health, and Lionshare, reveal operational challenges, data governance requirements, and cross-functional collaboration needed to turn CRM investments into measurable patient engagement and ROI.

// By Therese Lockemy, MBA //

Healthcare systems are investing heavily in CRM platforms, third-party data providers, and data integration tools, yet many struggle to demonstrate meaningful return on investment. The technology itself isn’t the barrier. It’s the operational readiness, organizational alignment, and data governance that determine success or failure.

In a recent eHealthcare Strategy & Trends webinar, four healthcare marketing leaders shared candid insights on what it really takes to make CRM work.

Chris Pace, a recognized healthcare marketing leader formerly with Banner Health, captured the essential shift: “One thing that Banner really tried to do over the [past] six, seven years in architecting a CRM is really looking at it as not just a marketing tool, but a unified engine for growth.”

Left to right: Laura Lee Jones, founder and CEO, LionShare; Judith Ward, strategic healthcare marketing executive; Denise Davis, vice president, marketing technology & operations, Emory Healthcare; Chris Pace, marketing executive

The panel’s insights offer a practical roadmap for healthcare organizations looking to transform their CRM investments into strategic growth engines. Their collective experience reveals that with proper planning and cross-functional collaboration, organizations can avoid common pitfalls and build CRM capabilities that drive sustainable growth.

Read on to discover strategies that separate CRM success from failure.

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