As marketers, we are all guilty of sprinkling in buzzwords to try and amplify the products or solution we are trying to sell. But one thing we all seek to avoid is using cringeworthy buzzwords or phrases that have become “tired”. The challenge is – how do we know when a word or phrase has fallen out of favor and causes more eyerolls than clickthrus?
To help, the team here at HITMC has put together this list of healthcare and health IT buzzwords that we think should be erased from your lexicon in 2022. Our Founder and CEO, John Lynn suggested these 3 buzzwords to remove from our vocabulary in 2021: Simple, AI, and Interoperability.
Simple – “Is there anything that’s simple in healthcare? It’s just hard for anyone to believe that something’s simple. Plus, simple is relative. Simple in healthcare still often means multiple committees, lots of reviews, etc. Sometimes we make it hard in healthcare, but in many cases that’s by design. Throw in the phrase “no work on your part” in this same basket.”
AI – “I get the desire to be grouped in the world of AI. I’ve wanted to be involved in AI since I was a kid watching robots in movies. However, you’re not doing AI. It’s likely just as powerful and builds more trust and believability to use terms like machine learning, chatbots, real-time analytics, etc.”
Interoperability – “This could mean anything and so it means nothing. Be more specific with how you’re actually interoperable. Is it one way? Is it two way? What data are you sharing? Specificity is more powerful than vague mentions of interoperability.”
Next up, I asked Colin Hung for his three words and he gave me: Patient-Centered, Adherence/Non- Compliance, and Digital Transformation. Below he explains why:
Patient-Centered – “This has become a completely hollow buzz-word. It’s like “customer-centered” in the retail or airline industry. Everyone likes to say it, but has anyone actually delivered on it? Is having valet parking being patient centered or is offering telehealth to patients more centered? Would patients who do not have cars or access to technology feel like you are patient centered? Better to say you are working to meet patients where they are.”
Adherence/Non-Compliance – “Both these terms are a relic of the paternalistic approach to healthcare – where patients needed to be told what to do for their health. Using these terms implies that patients are the only ones to blame when they are unable to do what is prescribed for them. It ignores the fact that there may be a language issue or that the treatment may be beyond the means of the patient. It does not suggest a partnership with patients which is where we need to be.”
Digital Transformation – “I think we are doing ourselves a disservice in healthcare by using this term to describe projects. Yes, there are still some manual process that need to be digitized, and yes, there are some archaic digital technologies still in use, but haven’t we spent the last couple of decades digitizing healthcare? We have implemented EHRs, PACs, LIMS, and numerous other acronyms. Let’s call projects what they are: Enhancing Digital Patient Engagement, Streamlining Surgical Workflow, etc.”
I decided to follow John and Colin, and chime in with my own list of terms that I would like to see everyone stop using in 2022: New Normal, Content is King, and Omnichannel.
New Normal – “Although it was probably the most annoying buzzword of 2020 in my mind, it still gets used today and was rated the number one most annoying business buzzword in 2021. We have all lived through many changes and “new normals” since the pandemic started (and for some people well before the pandemic). And we will all continue to evolve through different stages of what normal is or feels like, so if you’re one of those people still using this term, please stop. Also, go easy on the ‘trying times’, ‘now more than ever’, or ‘we’re all in this together’. They are equally as cringeworthy.”
Content is King – “Although, I am definitely guilty of using this term, I think it needs to face its retirement in 2022. By now, we all know that content is crucial in any marketing strategy. These days, no one is skipping out on creating great content if they want to be successful in marketing a product or service. While I don’t disagree that “Content will always be King,” I do think what we should be saying in 2022 is simply “Create Great Content.“
Omnichannel – “While I understand that customers want to be able to speak to brands on every platform and want that company to know their shared history, I do think a more personalized approach should be implemented for each channel rather than an open trough approach. Think: Channel-Centric. Brands should be thinking about how they can strategically engage with their customers and prospects on the RIGHT channel, with the RIGHT content at the RIGHT time to best determine the next best step for that customer.”
What are the buzzwords that would be your list to stop using in 2022? We want to hear them! Add them in a comment below are tweet them using the hashtag #HITsm
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