Times are tough – that much is obvious. Amidst all the bad news, however, healthcare continues to add jobs. To someone outside of the industry, these numbers may suggest that healthcare is “recession proof” and that healthcare providers aren’t feeling the effects of the economic downturn, but as you probably know all too well, that simply isn’t the case.
Despite continued job creation in the
healthcare industry, the bad news continues to mount – massive layoffs at
pharmaceutical companies, multiple hospital closings, health plans struggling, etc.
For every BLS announcement about job growth in healthcare, there is another headline
spouting doom and gloom.
These are unsettling times for every industry, but the
overall outlook for healthcare is still positive. You already know the reasons for
the projected growth – aging baby boomers, technological advances, longer
life spans, even healthcare reform. These long-term forces will continue to drive
job growth in the industry, but it doesn’t mean physicians aren’t worried about
the impact that the recession and other circumstances may have on future earnings.
Around the country, patients
are facing financial hardships affecting their ability to seek medical care. According
to a recent MDsearch.com
Income Survey, 61% of physician respondents have
seen a decrease in patient traffic, and 64% have seen a decrease in elective procedures.
The downturn isn’t surprising because for most patients, job loss is accompanied
by the loss of health insurance, and even those who still have coverage are facing
rising co-pays. The recession is causing a shift in patients’ priorities, and money
now seems better spent on gas and groceries than anything less than emergency medical
services.
While most physicians are not worried about losing their
employment, they are concerned about the drop in patient visits and what that means
for their income. Nearly half (47%) of the MDsearch.com survey respondents earned
less in 2008 than they did in 2007, and 57% project they will earn less in 2009
than they did in 2007.
Physicians Use Social
Media to Combat the Downturn
Physicians of all specialties are concerned
about their incomes, and many are taking matters into their own hands. In an effort
to promote themselves and their practice or facility, physicians are using free
online mediums like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to engage with current patients
and reach out to new ones. One of the most popular physician bloggers, Dr. Kevin
Pho of KevinMD.com, has this to say about why doctors and nurses should engage in
social media:
“It’s to a health professional’s benefit to have some sort of online presence. Not only to engage and provoke discussion, but also to make them pro-active in the information associated with them when their name is Googled.
More patients will be searching for doctors and hospitals via search engines, and being active in blogs, Facebook and Twitter allows you to define your online reputation. Going forward, this will be one of the more important reasons why doctors, nurses, and medical institutions should have a robust social media presence.” [1]
But physicians aren’t acting alone. According to a recent article in the Jackson & Coker Industry Report, at least 367 hospitals have created accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and/or You Tube, and a number of hospitals have blogs authored by their CEOs in an effort to personalize their message. [2]
As the popularity of social media grows, healthcare providers will continue to explore how these new tools can help them create an online presence. Healthcare may not be totally “recession proof,” but with the help of tools like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube and blogs, healthcare providers and facilities have new ways to engage with consumers and foster growth in the industry.
