Food for Thought on Physician Involvement in Social Media
As healthcare continues to advance in it’s adoption and involvement in the social media space, fortunately, we see more and more physicians “dipping their toes” into what many consider uncharted waters. Patients, caregivers and the vast population of online health information seekers stand to gain insurmountable value from this interest and participation by physicians. With so many content sources available online, many unvetted... Read More
Where Does Responsibility for Patient Experience Fall?
An article from HealthLeaders August 2011 edition gives us a detailed look at where patient experience initiatives rank among importance throughout various healthcare organizations. While 55% of respondents ranked patient experience within their top five priorities; the more alarming statistic relates to the 22% reporting “an abundance of higher priorities” and the 11% deeming a “lack of funding or budgeting.” One variable which fluxuates... Read More
Greater Means of Communication Could Lead to Higher Risks
Communication is, without a doubt, the basis of Social Media. Unfortunately, for the millions of businesses around the world operating Facebook Fan Pages, we are unable to directly communicate with our fans without the entire Facebook community viewing our message. As many of you are aware, Facebook removed the direct message feature from Fan Pages; due to an influx in misconduct from spamming agencies. Without this feature, Page Administrators... Read More
Taking the Plunge Into Social Media
At times, we find convincing a physician or practice administrator to jump feet first into the deep, unknown pool of social media is more difficult to accomplish than getting a child to eat their vegetables. Most give short, one-word responses; ranging from, “No.” to “Why?” So, why do we remain relentless in our push to involve healthcare professionals in the world of social media? According to the Pew Research Center, “61% of adults... Read More
A Healthcare Marketer’s View on Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing Strategies
A very interesting and informative piece circulated on Twitter this week and caught my attention. The post by Jeff Bullas, Social Media Marketing: 10 Inspiring Infographics (Great resource piece!) shares some great statistics and examples of the power and influence of social media on our behaviors and buying patterns as consumers. Jeff also dives deeper into the conversation related to the shift from outbound marketing efforts, or what I like to call... Read More
Congratulations to our own, Jamie Verkamp!
Congratulations to our own, Jamie Verkamp, for receiving the MGMA-ACMPE Edward B. Stevens Article of the Year Award! The Edward B. Stevens Article of the Year Award recognizes a medical practice professional who has made a substantial contribution to the body of published literature to foster more effective and efficient healthcare delivery in the field of medical practice management. The article, “Titled Social Media as a Way to Connect with Patients”... Read More
Healthcare Customer Service the Panera Way?
When I’m out of town for work, I spend a fair amount of time at Panera. They are consistent across the country, have some healthy food options, convenient locations and the ever-coveted free wifi connection. This morning, as I spent time between client staff trainings on improving the patient experience, I overheard a Panera employee “practicing what I preach” each day–she delivered a personal experience to her customers.... Read More
Costs vs Benefits of Healthcare Social Media Participation
The healthcare social media twitter chat (otherwise known as #hcsm, happens every Sunday at 8pm CST) was a buzz last night with many great topics related to healthcare’s adoption of this new media and how to continue to engage with patients online. It’s a hot topic in healthcare right now; organizations such as hospitals, health systems and private practices alike are all grappling with understanding how they can best use the tools and... Read More
The DMV and the Patient Experience: Too Closely Related?
I had the pleasure of having both my driver’s license and my vehicle tags come up for renewal the same month, warranting a trip to my local DMV. I found myself dreading the experience and frankly, putting it off until the end of the month; the long wait, taking off from work in the middle of the day because of the less-than-convenient hours, the threat of poor customer service and the cumbersome paperwork all loomed like a heavy cloud over my... Read More
Head in the Sand: Hiding from the Changes in Healthcare
As healthcare consultants, we travel… a lot. This week, we’ve been speaking at conferences in three different states. Though all over the map, many of the healthcare conference attendees seemed to have one thing in common: resistance and dread for change. Our Partner, Jamie Verkamp, asked one audience how many of them wished that social media was a fad and wanted to put their heads in the sand until it passed; over half of the room raised their... Read More
