As the explosive growth of social media continues to make headlines, many hospitals are being forced to realize the importance of embracing these new channels to communicate with the online community. But recognizing the potential impact of social media is just the first step; getting involved requires a bit of a strategy.
While many hospitals and healthcare systems are at a loss as to where to begin with social media, one New England hospital is proudly leading the way. Back in 2006, when “blogging” was still an unfamiliar term to most of the population, the President and CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Paul Levy, started a blog called “Running a Hospital.” He decided to document his experience at the 600-bed teaching hospital in the form of a blog “to share thoughts about hospitals, medicine and health care issues.”
The blog has been no stranger to controversy. In his first year of blogging, Levy revealed the central line infection rate at BIDMC – an unprecedented level of transparency – and documented the progress his staff had made in this area. By doing so, Levy told Molly Galler of the “Race Talk Blog” that he invented “transparency as management.¹” By publicizing the progress, his staff was compelled to work harder to achieve better results, ultimately causing at least one health system to begin referring patients to BIDMC’s ER over a competitor. The new referrals accounted for a 10% increase in patient volume.
While these results seem to prove the case for getting involved with social media, it is often difficult to measure such a direct impact. Measuring the return on investment of social media may, in fact, be the most challenging aspect of involvement. But Levy wasn’t all that concerned with ROI when he first began the blog. In fact, he didn’t see it as a marketing effort at all, rather, as he said in his very first post back in August of 2006, “I thought it would be fun to share thoughts with people about my experience here and their experiences in the hospital world.²”
Levy’s “thoughts” are eagerly consumed by readers all over the globe. And while the blog may not have been born out of an elaborate social media strategy, the blog has clearly influenced the very active social media program at BIDMC. The hospital now has five blogs ranging in topics from hospital “news and notes,” to questions about cancer, to the challenges faced by new moms. BIDMC also produces videos, podcasts, quizzes, and polls – all of which it distributes using Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube.
What BIDMC has discovered that so many hospitals (and businesses in general) have not, is the importance of creating a social media strategy that focuses on producing valuable content. While Facebook and Twitter provide a unique way to speak directly to consumers, they can only produce results if you have something valuable to say.
Still not sure what your audience wants to hear? Ask them! Ask your patients where they get their health information online. What websites do they visit? What blogs do they read? Chances are, you or someone in your organization can offer a unique viewpoint that your patients – and the rest of the online community – would like to hear.
Getting started with social media may seem overwhelming, but the most effective strategy is really very simple. Take a page from Paul Levy’s playbook and leverage your expertise and experience to create valuable content. Then share your valuable content via social channels to start connecting with your audience online.
1. Galler, Molly. “Running a Hospital, Social Media Style.” Race Talk Blog, February 2, 2010.
2. Levy, Paul. “Running a Hospital,” Running a Hospital. August 2, 2006.
