Optum Care Pacific Northwest

Rhea Parayno

Healthcare marketing is undergoing a fundamental transformation, where brand, access, technology, and patient expectations must operate in alignment. At the center of this evolution is Rhea Parayno, marketing director for Optum Care Pacific Northwest, who leads local strategies designed to strengthen patient acquisition, retention, brand growth, and community engagement across primary and specialty care clinics.

Her responsibilities span integrated campaigns, digital strategy, sponsorships, marketing operations, and marketing support for clinic teams. Through this work, Parayno bridges marketing objectives with the realities of healthcare delivery, reflecting a broader industry shift where marketing leaders are no longer focused solely on awareness but are helping organizations improve access, engagement, and the overall patient experience.

17 years in healthcare have shaped Parayno’s view of what makes that connection work. She has seen the field move from traditional advertising toward fully integrated model that combines digital and traditional channels. One principle has remained constant: every strategy must begin with understanding patient needs. Patients need to understand the value a service offers, but they also need confidence in the organization behind the message because healthcare decisions carry personal weight. Parayno therefore works and collaborates across creative, operational, and clinical teams to create a consistent brand voice, tone, and visual identity that can strengthen trust and long-term loyalty.

“Healthcare decisions are deeply personal, so establishing trust is just as important as communicating services and benefits,” says Rhea Parayno, marketing director.

Her own career path also informs how she leads people. Parayno progressed from marketing coordinator through roles likemarketing associate, marketing project manager, and marketing manager before she became a marketing director. That progression gave her hands-on exposure to project management, campaign execution, strategy, brand, patient acquisition, retention, and demand generation. Experience across mid-sized companies, large corporations, and Fortune 5 organizations also gave her access to executive teams, boards, business owners, and cross-functional stakeholders. Those experiences taught her that marketing leaders need to understand both how work gets done and why it matters. Technical expertise helps leaders guide teams through practical challenges, while a clear sense of purpose helps people see how their work supports business performance and patient outcomes.

For Parayno, these changes reinforce a larger lesson: marketing in general is experiencing significant transformation driven by technology, but marketers need to look beyond marketing advancements alone and pay equal attention to how healthcare delivery itself is evolving. Digital front-door capabilities like online scheduling, virtual visits, digital patient communications, and symptom checkers are changing how patients access care across primary and specialty services. Future marketing leaders therefore need a strong grasp of both the consumer journey and the patient journey, along with digital fluency, data-based decision-making, strategic thought, adaptability, and cross-functional collaboration. The ability to connect marketing, technology, and care delivery will help marketing leaders translate complex healthcare experiences into meaningful interactions.

At the core of Parayno’s leadership philosophy is a belief that business impact begins with investing in people. She applies that belief across three groups: teams, stakeholders, and the communities healthcare organizations serve. Teams need coaching, mentorship, trust, autonomy, and room for ideas. Leadership teams and stakeholders need alignment around priorities, objectives, and measures of success. Patients, consumers, and customers need empathy and a clear understanding of their needs, challenges, and journeys.

This people-first approach has shaped how Parayno leads, builds teams, and views the role of marketing within healthcare. For her, the future of healthcare marketing will depend on marketers who can combine technology, strategy, and human understanding to create experiences that truly serve patients. As the industry continues to evolve, marketing leaders are shaping how people discover, access, and experience care. By combining strategic vision, operational insight, and a commitment to developing people and serving her community, Parayno continues to position marketing as a critical driver of growth, engagement, and meaningful healthcare outcomes.