If you agree with the notion that the more difficult or serious a “purchase,” the more likely the consumer (patient) will research, then it is up to healthcare organizations to provide more information. It is up to providers to lead and help the patient/community member focus more on health and less on disease state.
Hospitals and healthcare organizations need to be where their prospective patients gather and that’s where the social web comes into play. Share and become the advocates for your patient community. Become the healthcare organization that is a trusted member of the prospective patient’s world. The patient experience comes well before the patient actually sets foot into a doctor’s office, a lab or the hospital. The prospect can learn about the hospital (or the physician), become acquainted with it as a health resource and develop a relationship that will make it natural for referrals and actual patient visits to follow.
Social media makes it easy to listen and interact with prospective patients. There is an amazing amount of “chatter” going on. You can sit in your own waiting rooms to hear some conversations or you can listen and learn via social media sites. What are prospective patients thinking about their health status? Or are they thinking about it? Do they have concerns about primary care? About EMRs? Or are they thinking about how much something will cost?
Market intelligence via social media can be meaningful and can be well measured. If you have a hospital blog – what is the viewership? If you publish an article on fitness, how many downloads did that article have? Monitor how often your organization’s name (or that of your competitor’s) is mentioned on Twitter. Most of these metrics cost the time it takes to assemble the data.
If the healthcare organization positioned itself as a resource or even as the new community hub (albeit a virtual hub) how much value would be added for individuals to have a guide to their healthcare needs/concerns?
The bottom line should be how to help our patients and physicians find what they need – even if we are not it. It is a more global goal and one that moves beyond limiting self-interests.
Recent statistics indicate that at least 50% of the population in the United States is actively engaged on the Internet. This number will not be getting smaller. What are you waiting for?
Tags: healthcare social media, market intelligence, patient experience
