Posts Tagged ‘connecting’

Some Health Care Social Media Examples (hospitals)

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

In my last post, thanks to the Pew Survey Data, we know that many people are on-line and engaging in a variety of activities. Some of the activities include simple searches and project/service investigation while others are engaging in social media. Organizations have to decide if they are going to enter into this conversational mode and how they will meet their objectives.

In this post, I just want to provide some examples of what some health care organizations (mostly hospitals) are doing:

The American Cancer Society is on Twitter (@AmericanCancer). Their updates center on the latest cancer news and research. You can also catch the Lance Armstrong Foundation on Twitter (@livestrong). Cancer survivors are sure to follow LiveStrong and discuss and celebrate their news.

Many hospitals and health systems also are on Twitter. Some provide health updates. Here is an example from Beth Israel Deaconess (@healthwithbidmc) in Boston:

HealthwithBIDMC:

  1. Obama Administration May Recommend 3 Flu Shots for Americans This Fall. http://bit.ly/103yfdabout 23 hours ago from web
  2. Swine Flu Likely to Return to U.S. Next Winter. http://bit.ly/r6rq0about 23 hours ago from web

Henry Ford Hospital is experimenting with various social media outputs – they recently transmitted the robotic procedure for the removal of a cancerous bladder by satellite to the International Robotic Urology Symposium and they also provided updates on Twitter. Physicians “tweeted” directly from the operating room in a detailed description of the procedure. Physicians also answered question “tweets” about the surgery. The hospital indicated they hoped to provide awareness of the hospital’s new surgical capabilities

The Henry Ford health system has utilized YouTube and podcasting as well, offering medical advice, educational updates and a variety of health information.

Some organizations are experimenting with FaceBook accounts. Scripps Health in California has a Facebook account where they provide information about their organization and health tips. Here is a recent post:

Sneak peek! See the online version of the Scripps 2008 Annual Report, complete with video. This year’s edition, “A New Era of Medicine,” focuses on the many exciting medical advancements that Scripps employs or is helping to develop.

Mayo Clinic’s penetration into social media was recently detailed in the Star Tribune:

These days, Lee Aase of the Mayo Clinic is a walking, talking, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, YouTubing force who’s blasting Mayo into the social networking world faster than you can say “Mayo Brothers.”

Aase says Mayo is simply spreading its reputation as it always has: through word-of-mouth. In fact, Mayo spends very little on advertising. It has had the same logo — three overlapping blue shields symbolizing research, education and clinical practice — for years.

The Web, however, seemed a natural move to Mayo executives. “As we see people communicating in new ways, we want Mayo Clinic to be part of the conversation,” said Dr. Thoralf Sundt, chair of Mayo’s marketing committee. “We know the conversations are happening out there. This is a chance for us to join.”

Does any of this actually get patients in the door?

Several patients with rare diseases have told their doctors at Mayo they came after watching another patient’s video on the Sharing Mayo Clinic blog. But numbers are hard to pin down, Aase said. What he does know is people are watching.

What this produces in patients and revenue remains to be seen, said Bevolo. But since Web tools are free, he added, “the risk of it is so little.”

In my next post, we will look at what medical practices and physicians are doing in the social media realm.

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Building Physician Relationships: A Long Term Process that Takes Planning and Focus (Part II)

Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

It is not always easy to keep the communication flow going without a specific reason or follow-up when you are focusing predominately on building the physician relationship. Keep the focus on your physician. Your tactics should vary from sending them an article about a clinical trial study done in their specialty area to offering to register them for an upcoming CME. Remember, you’re seeking to provide value and help them see you as a trusted resource.

Use your hospital’s publications to pass on information with a personalized note. Personalizing information makes people feel more important. The note may be about a service the new physicians will find useful or reinforcing a conversation you had about the changes in the lab.

Be a conduit of information – connecting people, information and the like. Maybe the new doctor tells you his wife is feeling isolated since both children are at school. This is information you hold on to and share with the nurse manager in pediatrics because she is the co-chair of the PTO at that same elementary school. You want to get connection points moving on their own but you are giving them some social adrenaline to move forward faster.

Asking for information should be a standard in your approach. You’re supplying a service, so call the physician or her office staff and conduct a mini-survey to see how things are going. Ask about what’s working and what needs improvement. Something as simple as, “I am following up on our monthly outcome reports. Is the information helpful to you?” can launch a meaningful discussion.

Another area of outreach is simply asking how things are going and if there is anything you can help them with — truly listen to what they have to say. Their answers may be surprising. Don’t try to be a problem-solver all the time Too often, physicians have no place to go with their business concerns and sometimes just being able to talk is invaluable to them.

Cultivate these new relationships with service and attention. The flow of business will move in your direction and you will find that retention issues are solved in an on-going manner versus in a crisis moment. This type of relationship building takes organization and patience. Set up a consistent system to provide attentive service. Soon, it will become a natural part of your business approach, you’ll position yourself well and your physicians will feel the difference.

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Building Physician Relationships: A Long Term Process that Takes Planning and Focus (Part I)

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

We are an inpatient society. We are in the midst of great upheaval in our financial systems and yet there is daily commentary on “the fix” and how soon it will be behind us. We are always looking for the quick solution or the one method to answer our concerns. We are sometimes so busy looking that we let other problems surface. Physician recruitment has been so much in our focus these past few years that many of our organizations have lost focus on physician retention. To avoid the revolving door and to make sure we are allowing our hard-won recruitment efforts to pay off, we need to make sure that retention has the same focus as recruitment.

Building a physician relations program takes time. A good physician relations program also has a wide array of aspects – formal, informal, executive rounding, liaison visits, physician to physician. There are many pieces to a comprehensive program. Examining the program and making incremental and systematic refinements will help build effectiveness without overwhelming your resources.

One of the central tenants to all outward facing endeavors is building the relationship. Your long-term focus is on the physician’s strategic needs and working together to sustain satisfaction with the hospital’s service. Note the emphasis is on long-term. While you may move mountains to help with a quick fix, the bulk of your energies should be developing success on both sides of the relationship: problem-solving, service and communication.

As you develop the relationship, communication will be your strongest asset. With new physicians, schedule in contact times to check up on how they are doing and feeling. This may include sending a reminder to the pertinent service line manager to make sure key orientation activities are happening. You also want to maintain contact with the appropriate physician(s) who is working with the new physician to help them connect. And how is their family adjusting to the community? Keep tabs on the communication emissaries and track the contact points. While you are building a relationship and the process is organic, it is wise to facilitate meaningful encounters until the relationships have solidified.

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