Social media has fundamentally changed the patient to patient and patient to provider communications relationship. The advent of transparent, real time social media communication platforms that allow open and honest dialogue presents a host of opportunities for health care facilities to capitalize on positive patient sentiment and build a trusted support community to actively engage with. Patient evangelists can be identified and leveraged to spread good will and build brand equity to help maintain trust and confidence in health care services. Just as the explosion of social media communication can translate into many positives for a health care facility, it can also work as a platform for patients to voice complaints and negativity. Health care providers should be aware that social media use requires a detailed and comprehensive plan for employees to follow that dictates guidelines and procedures to follow for patient communication and what steps to take in the event of positive or negative expressions. Are healthcare facilities adequately prepared to handle the new paradigm of social media communication?

1. Free Online Learning Podcasts
Podcast length – 43:07
Social Media and Health Care – How Does the Industry
Navigate the New Communications Landscape?
Liz Scherer
Health Journalist, Digital Copywriter, Social Media
Strategist, Consultant, Blogger and Women’s Health
Advocate
Ed Bennett
Director of Web and Communications Technology
University of Maryland Medical System

2. How is social media changing the patient to patient and
patient to provider communications paradigm?
What reputation or brand damages can materialize if a
patient discovers a duplicate or overlay on their
electronic medical record?
What action steps can health care providers take to
immediately address & rectify bad publicity?
How important is it for a healthcare organization to
have a crisis communications plan in place and what
percentage of facilities actually have one?
How important has transparency in health care
become now that patients are empowered to seek
information and advice on their own?

3. Are hospitals prepared to deal with the social media positive
and negative communication from their patient base or do
they still have a long way to go?
Examples where hospitals have suffered, lost business, or
experienced damage to their brand name due to viral negative
stories or headlines on social media.
What proactive steps can hospitals take to avoid negative
headlines?

4. • A recent Pew Research Center study says that 1 in 3 American adults
have used the web to figure out a medical issue
• Roughly 1/3 of patients used tablets or mobile devices on a daily basis
for research and/or to book appointments
• 94% of prospective patients said the reputation of a medical facility is
important in hospital selection
• 51% of patients say they’d feel more valued as a patient via digital health
communications
• 77% of patients used search prior to booking an appointment
• 90% of adults 18 – 24 years of age said they would trust medical
information shared by others in their social media networks

5. • 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a healthcare
provider
• 26% of all hospitals in the US participate in social media
Sources:
1. Pew Internet & American Life Project - http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Health-
online/Summary-of-Findings.aspx January 2013
2. Fathom Digital Marketing & Analytics - http://www.fathomdelivers.com/13-stats-every-
healthcare-marketer-should-know-in-2013-and-why/ January 2013

6. • Information sought by patients is influential on how social media has
changed the communications paradigm
• Clinicians still remain a central resource for patients when it comes
to technical issues – still remain at center of communication model
• Patients seek peers for information, emotional support, and
practical advice on a medical diagnosis, prescription drugs and side
effects via social media
• Social media is fueling the rise in patient advocacy by those who feel
disenfranchised by the system
• Rise in demand from a very small percentage of patients to become
part of the overall health care provision system
• Consumer demand far outstrips supply that health care providers
bring to the table in social media
• Recent Price Waterhouse Coopers report indicates that consumers
trust social media information from Doctors more than they trust
information from hospitals, health insurers, or drug companies

7. • Number of Doctors participating in social media is still relatively
small compared to the number of practicing physicians
Did you know?
Four years ago, Ed Bennett founded the
Hospital Social Network List, a compilation
of health-related organizations actively using
social networking sites and maintaining
officially sponsored accounts.

8. • Less of a danger, and more of an opportunity to have another set of
eyes (patient) on medical records for review and possible correction
• Patients tend to often be confused by their medical records and the
information it contains for insurance purposes
• Not viewed as potential for damage – patients get same quality
treatment they always have, but now they have opportunity to see
record, read it, and provide feedback – new check and balance wrinkle
• Since State laws vary on how medical records can be amended, medical
record data isn’t erased, but amended so you can’t overwrite original
health record making patient/clinician/institutional relationship
important to remain strong

9. • Once a mistake is identified, act swiftly and decisively to make the
correction
• Improved communication between different departments helps to
proactively avoid future mistakes
• Avoid using social media channels to communicate with patient on
sensitive issues regarding their medical records – even if it’s a private
message
Did you know?
Liz Scherer writes a blog called “Flashfree,”
geared towards providing evidence-based,
alternative , and integrative strategies to
manage the medical, emotional, social, and
physical challenges of menopause and
midlife.
Flashfree.me

10. • Any reasonably sized hospital should have a crisis communications plan,
and most do
• The new wrinkle is adding social media communications as part of the
plan and thought should be given to determine how it will be used in
times of crisis
• Roots of how to use social media in times of crisis should be tied into
corporate social media communications plan and guidelines that
outlines social behavior, etiquette
• Importance should be placed on who specifically should be
communicating during times of crisis with backups if an individual isn’t
available

11. • Increasing demand from patient groups to play a more meaningful role
in the patient – provider relationship has spawned the need for
healthcare transparency
• Social media has shifted patient empowerment from individuals to
groups
• As access to information becomes easier and more widespread the
relationship between patient and provider is changing, many providers
aren’t adequately prepared to deal with the information request influx –
HIPAA laws, malpractice claims are barriers to information free flow
• Physicians and providers using social media still remain somewhat siloed
– talking more amongst themselves than directly to patients
• Patient demand for greater transparency is high, but not quite being
realized
• At University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMS), nurse practitioners
are primary communication portals with patient support groups –
physicians aren’t always information purveyors

12. • It depends on the hospital
• Larger hospitals usually have the staff and resources to address
positive and negative comments in a timely manner
• Smaller hospitals, which arguably make up the majority of the
5,000+ hospitals in the country, are still not quite up to speed on
developing a social media action plan and team to address it
• Most larger hospitals use social media monitoring tools like Radian 6
to actively listen to channels & instantly respond
• Smaller hospitals on tighter budgets can use free tools like Google
Alerts to monitor social media for positive and negative patient
sentiment
• Employee culture is key asset for all hospitals to prepare for social
media patient communication – employees need to be empowered to
be eyes and ears of organization
• Additional key is to engage with patients, not just acknowledge – social
media is not meant to be a bullhorn

13. • New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital Jay Z and Beyonce baby scandal
• Taught the important lesson that once a scandal is active
on a platform, it is wise to address and contain it before it
spreads to other platforms
• St. Louis’ St. John’s Mercy Medical Center OB/GYN doctor
patient complaint debacle
• Showed us that it’s important healthcare providers study all
the facts before taking action, ensure fair treatment of
employees while balancing sensitivity and concerns of
patients
** Having a plan in place on how to deal with social media
communication that covers all plausible scenarios is key to timely,
effective responses – the problem will not just go away

14. • Foster a corporate culture of collective accountability for brand name
reputation – every employee needs to have skin in the game
• Build up the community of people you are engaging with
• This helps to build a community of evangelists that can act on
behalf of the organization in times of crisis or when dealing with
negativity
Example – Children’s Hospital of Boston – over 700,000 in Facebook
community
• Be consistent in messaging – take a measured approach to
communications and maintain uniformity
• Have clearly defined goals before you embark on a social media
communications campaign – it helps to align goals with tactics

16. John Trader
Director of Communications
RightPatient®
1050 Crown Pointe Pkwy.
Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30338
jtrader@rightpatient.com
404-528-1270
www.rightpatient.com
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