1. No category

WHITE PAPER
Healthcare “Friending” Social Media:
What Is It, How Is It Used,
and What Should I Do?
February 10, 2012
HIMSS Social Media Work Group
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Contents
Healthcare “Friending” Social Media:
What Is It, How Is It Used, and What Should I Do?
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Definitions and Tools ............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
What is Social Media? ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5
What are the tools used in social media? ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Apps .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Blogs ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Collaborative Projects (e.g., Wikipedia) ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Content Communities (e.g., YouTube) .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Crowdsourcing .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Devices (mobile/portable) ............................................................................................................................................................ 8
Enterprise Social Media ................................................................................................................................................................ 9
Games / Exergames / Virtual Game Worlds ............................................................................................................................... 10
Location-Based Sites/Apps ......................................................................................................................................................... 10
mHIMSS ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Microblogs (e.g., Twitter) ........................................................................................................................................................... 11
Provider Rating Sites ................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Social Networking Sites .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Tools (RSS, Widgets) ................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Virtual Social Worlds (e.g. SecondLife) ....................................................................................................................................... 14
Current Social Media Practices ............................................................................................................................................................ 15
Provider-Consumer ......................................................................................................................................................................... 15
Consumer-Consumer (Patient Support Groups) ............................................................................................................................. 17
Life Sciences .................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Advocacy Group – Consumer .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
Provider – Provider ......................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Health Information Exchange (HIE) – Consumer ............................................................................................................................. 24
PHR – Consumer .............................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Public Health-Provider/Consumer .................................................................................................................................................. 25
Things to be Considered ...................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI)................................................................................................................................ 27
Security through Policy and Education............................................................................................................................................ 27
Physician Participation and the Validity of Data ............................................................................................................................. 28
Social Media Return on Investment (ROI) ....................................................................................................................................... 28
Advice to Providers .............................................................................................................................................................................. 30
Advice to Consumers (Patients and Families) ...................................................................................................................................... 31
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................................. 34
WHITE PAPER
Healthcare “Friending” Social Media:
What Is It, How Is It Used, and What Should I Do?
February 10, 2012
Executive Summary
Adoption of social media tools by the general population is increasing rapidly. Research combined by ZDNet
predicted that global users of social media topped 1 billion by the end of 2011. 1 In contrast, only 21% of U.S.
hospitals are active on social media. 2 Gartner’s Anthony Bradley defines social media as, “an on-line
environment established for the purpose of mass collaboration.” 3 The purpose of this paper is to educate the
reader regarding social media tools and healthcare uses, with ideas and suggestions on how to get started. 4
The variety of available social media tools is growing exponentially, and includes resources such as: Apps, Blogs,
Collaborative Projects, Content Communities (e.g., YouTube), Crowdsourcing, Device Integration, Enterprise
Social Media, Games/Virtual Game Worlds, Location Based Apps, Microblogs (e.g., Twitter), Product/Service
Rating Sites, RSS, Social Networking (e.g., Facebook), Virtual Worlds, Widgets and advanced user tools. This
paper provides health care professionals with definitions of social media tools, examples of their use throughout
healthcare, and recommendations for providers and consumers (patients, families or caregivers) getting started
in the exciting world of #HCSM (Health Care Social Media – in “Twitterspeak”).
There have been many successful use cases of social media, including Smith and White Hospital’s use of Twitter
and Facebook for disaster-related communications following the Fort Hood shootings; patient and physician
blogs; physician use of Twitter for education; patients sharing outcomes and supporting each other in diseasespecific communities; physicians discussing treatments with each other using communities and enterprise social
media; and hospitals both educating the community and acquiring new patients.
Successful use of social media can actually lead to a positive Return on Investment (ROI) for providers, as
effective education and engagement of consumers may convert them to patients. However, healthcare social
media must ensure that privacy and security are handled appropriately by establishing social media policies and
ensuring adherence to standards of professionalism and HIPAA compliance.
Over time, social media will become so ubiquitous that it will be considered part of routine healthcare
operations and consumers’ day-to-day lives. This is initially referred to as “social health.”
So, if Healthcare + Social Media = Social Health (today), then Social Health (today) = Health (future) As Lee Aase,
Director of the Social Media Center for the Mayo Clinic advises, “Take some baby steps and get into the shallow
end of the pool as soon as possible. The great strategic ideas will probably come after you have some
experience in the social media world.” 5
1
Hinchcliffe, Dion. “Social Business Holds Steady Gap Behind Consumer Social Media.” ZDNet Enterprise Web 2.0. ZDNet. 27 August 2011. Web.
6 December 2011.
2
Bennett, Ed. “Three Years Later.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10 27. Web.
01 20 2012. http://ebennett.org
3
Bradley, Anthony. “Defining Social Media: Mass Collaboration is its Unique Value.” Weblog entry. Gartner Blog Network. 2011 March 8.
2011 December 21. http://blogs.gartner.com/anthony_bradley/2011/03/08/defining-social-media-mass-collaboration-is-its-unique-value/
4
This white paper may be read in full at http://www.himss.org/ASP/topics_connectingConsumers.asp.
5
“6 tips from Lee Aase About Getting Involved with Social Media.” Ragan’s Health Care Communication News. 2010 04 4. Web. 2012 02 09.
http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/6_tips_from_Lee_Aase_about_getting_involved_with_s_5049.aspx
Introduction
Adoption of social media tools by the general population is increasing rapidly. Research combined by ZDNet
predicts that global users of social media will top 1 billion by the end of 2011, and it is estimated that Facebook
alone currently has 800 million users. 6 7 Consumers are also increasingly looking online for health information –
59% of all adults (80% of adult Internet users), in fact. 8 In contrast, only 21% of U.S. hospitals are active on
social media, in spite of the fact that most of their patients (consumers) are already using these venues – often
looking for health information. 9 The purpose of this paper is to educate the reader regarding social media tools
and their use in healthcare today (a snapshot in time, as it is evolving quickly), and to provide ideas and
suggestions for stakeholders wishing to get started in this excited new arena.
What specifically are consumers doing with health information online? The following statistics may get your
attention:
•
•
•
•
•
25% of all adults have read someone else’s experience or commentary about health issues in a blog,
news group, or website
19% have watched an online video about health issues
18% have consulted online reviews of drugs or medical treatments
12% have consulted online reviews of doctors or other providers
11% have consulted online reviews of hospitals or other facilities 10
Why should you, as a provider, care? Your patients may be making important decisions based on this
information. 11
As well-known speaker, patient engagement advocate, and co-chair of the Society for Participatory Medicine
Dave deBronkart (“e-Patient Dave”) says, “The key in any case is to realize that the world has changed, especially
the ‘membranes’ that used to separate information from the public. Today things evolve so fast, it’s not rare –
nor a failure – for a patient to have seen something their doctors haven’t. As with any other professional skills
development, it’s an opportunity for growth in competence.” 12
6
Hinchcliffe, Dion. “Social Business Holds Steady Gap Behind Consumer Social Media.” ZDNet Enterprise Web 2.0. ZDNet. 27 August 2011. Web.
6 December 2011.
7
Piombino, Kristin. “Infograph: The Cost of Marketing on Facebook.” Ragan.com. Lawrence Ragan Communications, Inc. 6 December 2011.
Web. 6 December 2011.
8
Fox, Susannah. “The Social Life of Health Information, 2011.” Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project. 12 May 2011. Web.
20 December 2011.
9
Bennett, Ed. “Three Years Later.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10 27. Web.
01 20 2012. http://ebennett.org
10
Fox, Susannah. “The Social Life of Health Information, 2011.” Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project. 12 May 2011. Web.
20 December 2011.
11
Heidelberger, Cory Allen., Omar El-Gayar, and Surendra Sarnikar. “Online Health Social Networks and Patient Health Decision Behavior: A
th
Research Agenda.” Proceedings of the 44 Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences – 2011. IEEE Computer Society, Washington, D.C.
22 February 2011. Web. 22 December 2011. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5718717
12
deBronkart, Dave. Personal Interview. 2012 02 06.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 4 of 34
That’s the intent of this paper – to help healthcare stakeholders grow in their social media knowledge,
competence, and to begin to actively engage with their consumers through social media.
Many health care providers and medical facilities, if they have not yet engaged with social media professionally,
are trying to determine their first steps, and, if they are more ambitious and already dabbling in it, considering
more formalized strategies. This paper provides health care professionals with definitions of social media
resources and tools, examples of their use throughout healthcare, and recommendations for providers and
consumers getting started in the exciting world of #HCSM (Health Care Social Media – in “Twitterspeak”).
Definitions and Tools
What is Social Media?
Many definitions tend to build on concepts or vocabulary that is understood mainly by technologists. Anthony
Bradley, a Group Vice President at Gartner Research, however, has thought heavily on this subject and offers us
the following succinct definition:
“Social media is an on-line environment established for the purpose of mass collaboration.” 13
Though one-on-one messaging or collaboration is often facilitated within this online environment (e.g.,
Facebook messaging), that is secondary to the purpose for which it was designed – mass collaboration.
What are the tools used in social media?
A variety of technology platform categories and tools support the use of social media platforms:
Apps
“Apps” refers to software applications that are utilized primarily on a mobile platform, as well as on iPads and
possibly tablets. Many mobile devices are pre-loaded with standard apps, but also facilitate downloading
additional purchased or free apps that have been built for their technology platform. Many apps will also have a
web interface that can be accessed from a desktop computer. The popularity of many apps can be directly
attributed to their use of game mechanics, or “gamification,” which the Gamification wiki describes as ”…the
infusion of game mechanics, game design techniques, and/or game style into anything.” 14 Many believe this can
create almost an addiction to a given app or game based on the production of dopamine in the brain when
rewards are received, or when another user recognizes an action (e.g., “liking” or commenting on a task
achieved). 15 Many companies are working to incorporate gamification and its accompanying psychology into
new apps to encourage healthy behaviors. This may include linking the apps to larger social networking
platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, in order to engage the user’s existing network of friends in promoting
healthy behavior.
13
Bradley, Anthony. “Defining Social Media: Mass Collaboration is its Unique Value.” Weblog entry. Gartner Blog Network. 2011 March 8.
2011 December 21. http://blogs.gartner.com/anthony_bradley/2011/03/08/defining-social-media-mass-collaboration-is-its-unique-value/
14
“Gamification” Gamification wiki. 2011 12 11. Web. 2012 01 24. http://gamification.org/wiki/Gamification
15
Shaer, Matthew. “Game of Life” Popular Science. February 2012. Print.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 5 of 34
There is a “boom” specifically in the development of mobile health apps. Mobihealthnews.com, which is
dedicated to the mobile health industry, has released a number of studies forecasting continued growth.
According to its 2011 report “Consumer Health Apps for Apple’s iPhone,” there were 9,000 health apps for the
iPhone in September 2011, and it forecasts there will be more than 13,000 by July 2012. 16 The largest
percentage – 16.36% - are cardio-fitness (e.g., running) apps, with diet apps at 14.15%, stress and relaxation at
11.44% and a variety of other categories exist, such as medication adherence, women’s health, chronic
conditions, smoking cessation, etc. 17 Many of these apps are either allowing users to link to their existing social
media networks, in order to share their results, or they facilitate building a new social network of app users that
can connect and share with each other. 18
Blogs
The term “blog,” short for “web log,” is used to refer to sites maintained by one person (most common) or one
organization/company for the purpose of sharing thoughts describing the author’s life, or focused on a
particular topic or suite of topics. As an example, executives of major corporations may blog externally to the
public, or internally to their employees, to promote transparency and communicate/educate. A blog author
may allow or disallow comments from readers, or put comments through an approval process. Blogs that are
both interesting and informative tend to gain followers. The newest blog “post” (entry) appears first, putting all
the posts in reverse chronological order, in what some would call an “online diary.” Users may also subscribe to
blogs through RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which will bring the new content into either an RSS-enabled
browser or RSS feeder, allowing the blog reader to easily know when new entries are posted. 19 Video blogs
may also be used (a video of the blogger sharing their thoughts) – storing the videos in a content community like
YouTube or Vimeo.
Blogs have become popular for individuals (e.g., physicians, e-patients, hospital CEOs), as well as organizations
(e.g., Health Information Technology [HIT] companies, hospitals), but do require regular attention and
interesting content to retain readership. The number of hospital blogs in the U.S. was estimated at 149 by Ed
Bennett in October of 2011. 20
Collaborative Projects (e.g., Wikipedia) 21
Collaborative Projects are most commonly thought of as “wikis,” but also include sites like Delicious, which
allows users to share Internet bookmarks (links to Internet sites) with each other, categorized by topic or
project. A wiki, on the other hand, is typically a website that allows users to collaborate in a text-based fashion
on a given topic. Wikis can be internal to organizations, such as to enhance hospital employee collaboration and
16
Dolan, Brian. “13k iPhone Consumer Health Apps in 2012.” Mobihealthnews.com. 2011 09 22. Web. 2012 01 30.
http://mobihealthnews.com/13368/report-13k-iphone-consumer-health-apps-in-2012/
17
ibid
18
Turner, Adam. “Smartphone Fitness Apps.” The Sydney Morning Herald. 2011 10 03. Web. 2012 01 30. http://www.smh.com.au/executivestyle/gadgets/smartphone-fitness-apps-20111004-1l66c.html
19
O’Reilly, Tim. “What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software.” Weblog. O’Reilly: Spreading the
Knowledge of Innovators. 2005 09 30. 2012 01 10. http://oreilly.com/pub/a/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=1
20
Bennett, Ed. “Three Years Later.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10 27. Web.
01 20 2012. http://ebennett.org
21
Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. “Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media.” Business Horizons
53 (1): 59–68. Web. 2011 November 8. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309001232
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 6 of 34
communication, or public – such as the descriptions of heart failure, remote patient monitoring, electronic
health records, or bios of prominent individuals that appear in Wikipedia (a user-generated, online
encyclopedia). 22 In a wiki, the community of users typically works to ensure the quality of content, so that the
wiki can continue to be a trustworthy source of up-to-date information.
Content Communities (e.g., YouTube)
True to their category, content communities are applications or platforms for sharing a wide range of media
types among users/viewers. 23 The content can range from text (e.g., BookCrossing) to photos (e.g., Flickr),
videos (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo), PowerPoint presentations (e.g. Slideshare), and images users have found and
“collected” from the Web (e.g., Pinterest). Very little personal or organizational information is shared on a
profile page – the point is to share information via the media. Hospitals, physicians, other organizations and
individuals can often have their own “channels,” such as in YouTube, where all the content they upload is
available – and in many cases others can become “followers” to be notified when new content is uploaded.
As of October 2011, Ed Bennett reported that 575 U.S. hospitals had established YouTube channels. 24 Hospital
use includes general (patient) education, education on specific procedures, promotion of new capabilities or
events and interviews with patients and physicians.
Crowdsourcing
Associated with collaborative projects is a process called “crowdsourcing,” which Jeff Howe (who coined the
term in a Wired Magazine article in 2006) has referred to as “Wikipedia with everything.” 25 More formally, he
says, “Crowdsourcing is when a company takes a job that was once performed by employees and outsources it
in the form of an open call to a large, undefined group of people, generally using the Internet.” 26 Think of
America’s Funniest Home Videos as a precursor to this concept, by requesting viewers to send in videos and then
selecting the best ones to use for the show’s content (the term “TV 2.0” is now reflective of several elements,
including producing a TV show with such “user generated content”). 27 The application of crowdsourcing to
medicine is just beginning. One informal example is the process of a patient sharing their symptoms with
friends (who may include physicians) on Facebook in order to aid in finding a diagnosis. 28 A more formal project,
however, was funded at Harvard by the National Institutes of Health, to see if new ideas for curing Type 1
diabetes could be generated by crowdsourcing. 29 Alongside organizations like NASA and The Economist,
Cleveland Clinic has set up a “pavilion” within the crowdsourcing portal produced by Innocentive to promote
22
ibid
Kaplan, Andreas M., and Michael Haenlein. “Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media.” Business Horizons
53 (1): 59–68. Web. 2011 November 8. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681309001232
24
Bennett, Ed. “Three Years Later.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10 27. Web.
01 20 2012. http://ebennett.org
25
Howe, Jeff. “Jeff Howe – Crowdsourcing.” YouTube.com. 2008 07 28. Web Video. 2012 02 01. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0UtNg3ots
26
ibid
27
“TV 2.0: Winning the Battle for Viewers.” TMNG Global. Web. 2012 02 01. http://www.tmng.com/knowledge-center/insights/tv-winning-thebattle-for-viewers
28
Herper, Matthew. “Diagnosis by Facebook: Can We Crowdsource Medicine?” Forbes. 2011 07 14. Web. 2012 02 01.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2011/07/14/diagnosis-by-facebook-can-we-crowdsource-medicine/
29
Van Buskirk, Eliot. “Harvard-Based Crowdsource Project Seeks New Diabetes Answers – and Questions.” Wired Magazine. 2010 02 03. Web.
2012 02 01. http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/02/crowdsourcing-rewires-harvard-medical-researchers-brain/
23
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 7 of 34
specific challenges, with rewards for the best ideas. 30 A Cleveland Clinic challenge open from November 2011
to February 2012 was to “Pinpoint the location for airway collapse in sleeping individuals,” with a reward of
$20,000. Time will tell how well crowdsourcing can serve as a catalyst for engaging consumers in the search for
cures for disease, the design of better consumer medical products and services (such as Personal Health
Records), or other areas in need of a little healthy disruption.
Devices (mobile/portable)
Devices that combine body metrics, WiFi and social media sharing are catching on, as well. France-based
Withings began offering its Tweet-posting WiFi Body Scale in the U.S. back in November 2009. 31 Several
bloggers have since been reporting their attempts to lose weight using the scale. 32 33
Inspired by adult diabetics’ use of the International Diabetes Foundation’s “Blue Circle” in their Twitter avatars,
as well their tweeting of their blood sugar levels (for accountability), Dr. Joseph Cafazzo of the University of
Toronto decided that a microblogging community for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes might positively impact
their compliance. 34 After building an app called “Bant,” incorporating wireless digital glucometers, and a
rewards mechanism (ability to buy music and games through iTunes), the daily average frequency of blood
glucose measurement went up 49.6%, and a large percentage of the children indicated they wanted to continue
the program. 35 Such success will certainly encourage additional innovations combining devices and social media
to achieve better health outcomes.
Regarding use of social media by medical device manufacturers outside of their device operations, Schwartz MSL
(a PR firm that works with medical device companies) says that while some medical device companies have
“jumped right in” to use social media, others have been waiting for FDA guidance. 36 The reasons device
manufacturers now use social media vary from building brand awareness (73%) to attracting new employees
(27%) to communicating during a crisis (9%). 37
On December 27, 2011, the FDA did release draft guidance for “Responding to Unsolicited Requests for OffLabel Information about Prescription Drugs and Medical Devices,” which appears to require device and
30
“InnoCentive Challenges.” InnoCentive.com. Web. 2012 02 01. https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/browse
Flatley, Joseph L. “Withings Body Scale Integrates Twitter, Launches in the U.S.” Engadget.com. 2009 11 11. Web. 2012 01 22.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/11/withings-wifi-body-scale-integrates-twitter-launches-in-the-us/
32
Barros, Mark. “Automatically Measure and Record Your Weight with the Withings – Wi-Fi Body Scale.” The Mad Hermit. 2011 08 11. Web.
2012 01 30. http://www.themadhermit.net/automatically-measure-and-record-your-weight-with-the-withings-wifi-body-scale-video-review/
33
Ken’s Weight Loss Journey. http://kenweightloss.blogspot.com/
34
Cafazzo, Joseph A. “Innovation in the Medical Home: How Mobile and Social Technologies Can
Accelerate Health Behavior Changes.” Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative. Webinar. 2012 01 26.
35
Ibid.
36
“Social Media Working Group for Medical Device Companies.” Schwartz Communications PRx Blog. 2012 01 31. Web. 2012 01 02.
http://www.schwartzmsl.com/prx/2012/01/social_media_working_group.php
37
“Social Media for Healthcare: Tips for Device Marketers to Engage While FDA Guidelines Lag.” Schwarz Communications. eBook. 2011. Web.
2012 02 02.
31
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 8 of 34
pharmaceutical manufacturers to respond privately to questions that may be posed in public – thus potentially
limiting some social media uses. 38
To keep the public informed, the FDA utilizes a variety of social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter,
blogs, a YouTube channel and Flickr. It also has podcast series, and provides both widgets and buttons for
organizations to embed on their websites. 39 As of February 2, 2011, the @FDADeviceInfo Twitter account has
approximately 14,309 followers and has pushed out 864 tweets. 40
Enterprise Social Media
Enterprise Social Media is most often the utilization of social media technologies in a private, behind-thefirewall, corporate or organizational setting. But on the inside of the organization, “enterprise social” (as it is
often called) enables organizations to overcome traditional siloes of communication, based on geography or
work shifts or corporate structure, and achieve the benefits of enhanced collaboration, awareness, recognition,
(human) resource utilization and ultimately, value. This leads to the creation of what Mark McDonald, a Group
Vice President and Fellow at Gartner, calls “the social organization.” 41 McDonald goes on to say, “A social
organization is one that is able to bring together all the talents, interests, experience, insights, knowledge of
their people in ways that are independent of the vertical top to bottom hierarchy or end to end process
orientation to create sustained value.” 42
The term “Enterprise 2.0” is also being used to describe both the systems of technologies of a social organization
– especially enterprise social media – and the use of those systems. Andrew McAfee of Harvard and MIT coined
the term Enterprise 2.0 in 2006, and has authored a book on the subject. 43 McAfee describes Enterprise 2.0 as
“the use of emergent social software platforms within companies, or between companies and their partners or
customers.” 44
The application of enterprise social media to healthcare is very nascent. Some examples will be noted later in
this paper, but existing applications include closed environments for hospital staff to discuss policies and
procedures and other issues, leading to a reduction in conference calls and inclusion of those in other shifts.
Near-future applications are considered to include collaboration by medical staff around a patient’s care – or
even extending the “wall” to include the patient (or patients) – in a closed, private, and secure virtual
community, such as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), or even an Accountable Care Organization
(ACO).
38
Anderson, Patricia. “FDASM: Initial Draft Guidelines Focus on Social Media Requests for Off-Label Uses.” Emerging Technologies Librarian.
2012 01 11. Web. 2012 02 01. http://etechlib.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/fdasm-initial-draft-guidelines-focus-on-social-media-requests-foroff-label-uses/
39
“Interactive Media.” FDA.gov. Web. 2012 02 02. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/InteractiveMedia/default.htm#buttons
40
@FDADeviceInfo. Twitter. https://twitter.com/#!/FDADeviceInfo
41
Brito, Michael. “Gartner’s Definition of the Social Organization.” Social Business News. 2012 01 27. Web. 2012 02 02.
42
ibid
43
“Andrew McAfee Author Biography.” Amazon. Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-McAfee/e/B002A51606
44
McAfee, Andrew. “Enterprise 2.0, version 2.0.” Andrew McAfee’s Blog: the Business Impact of IT. 2006 05 16. Web. 2012 02 06.
http://andrewmcafee.org/2006/05/enterprise_20_version_20/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 9 of 34
Joel Selzer, co-founder and CEO of Ozmosis, provider of a social enterprise software platform to hospitals and
health systems, says that, “Social media is a powerful tool for healthcare. We have already seen how patients
and providers use a variety of social platforms and private online communities to interact and share treatment
options. As we look to the future, social tools will provide the communication and coordination framework
needed for new collaborative care models to ultimately succeed.” 45
Games / Exergames / Virtual Game Worlds
Gaming platforms like Sony’s Playstation, Nintendo’s DS and Wii, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 have already begun
(or plan) to incorporate social networking. For some time, “gamers” (game users) have been able to play against
each other across geographic boundaries – perhaps one of the most popular currently being the game “Words
with Friends.” Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 and Wii already have games that require activity and track body
movements. Many believe the future will allow users of these platforms to join “virtual gyms,” exercising in the
privacy of their own home with others from across the world with whom they share common goals, fitness or
disease states. 46 Digital games that combine exercise with game play are now referred to as “exergames.” 47 By
connecting these devices to Personal Health Records, it has been suggested physicians could better track
patients’ suggested activity levels.
Insurance companies like Humana and Aetna have already launched their own online games and virtual game
worlds to promote health and wellness. Some of these games combine connecting activity-monitoring devices
and competing with family and friends for virtual and real-life rewards. 48 49
There is also a “blurring” between the virtual worlds, such as Second Life, with virtual game worlds, as games
and game-based learning experiences can be built by users inside virtual worlds. (If virtual worlds lack predefined goals for the users, they are not considered games themselves.) 50 51
Location-Based Sites/Apps
In the past few years, with the rise of smart phone use, the use of location-based applications, also known as
“geo-social apps,” has also increased. These are mobile apps that allow users to “check in” when they visit a
physical location, like a city, restaurant – or a hospital. Users can inform friends of their location, share photos,
and also share “tips” with others who may visit the same location in the future (e.g., “Even if you're not sick,
make the trip because the cafeteria food is fantastic and great value!”; “The valet service is wonderful. They
45
Selzer, Joel. Personal Interview. 2012 02 06.
Galanis, Christina. Personal Interview. 2012 01 19.
47
Staiano, Amanda E, Sandra L. Calvert. “Exergames for Physical Education Courses: Physical, Social and Cognitive Benefits. Child Development
Perspectives. 5: 2 (2011), 93-98. Web. 2012 01 22.
48
HG4H. Humana Games for Health. Web. 2012 01 22. http://www.humanagames.com
46
49
Health IT News Staff. “Aetna encourages health through online gaming.” Healthcare IT News. 2011 03 04. Web. 2012 01 22.
Toro-Troconis, Maria, AND Kamel Boulos. “Musings on the State of ‘3-D Virtual Worlds for Health and Healthcare’ in 2009.” Journal of Virtual
Worlds Research. 2 26; Mar 2009. Web. 2012 01 22.
51
Livingstone, Daniel., J. Kemp. “Learning support in multi-user virtual environments.” Proceedings of the European Conference on Game-Based
Learning. Paisley: University of Paisley (Scotland). 25-26 October 2007.
50
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 10 of 34
waive the five dollar charge if you have a handicap plate or placard.”; “Remember to bring a jacket when you
come, too. Main lobbies and halls are very chilly.”; “Art Tour. Do it!”).
The number of geo-social apps is growing, but the most popular app is currently Foursquare. Foursquare
incorporates gaming by giving badges each time a user visits a location. The person who visits the location the
largest number of times wins the title of “Mayor of…” until they are unseated. Businesses can “claim” their
listing (verifying that they are the location the users have identified), and access user data such as number of
check-ins, male-to-female ratio, days and times when most Foursquare users check in, etc. 52 53
In January 2011, a survey indicated that there were 787 hospitals that had been identified and “checked in” to
by Foursquare users – but less than 10% of these hospitals have claimed their listing. 54
mHIMSS
In recognition of the great potential for mobile health apps and devices to transform healthcare for all
stakeholders, HIMSS has launched “mHIMSS.” It is an initiative that focuses on driving transformational change
in healthcare by “convening stakeholders, sharing knowledge, providing world-class education, public policy,
research and content - entirely focused on mobile technologies, workflow, and data exchange.” 55
Microblogs (e.g., Twitter)
Christina Thielst describes microblogs as “real-time tools for posting comments from a computer or handheld
device.” 56 There is often a character limitation, possibly combined with a photo or audio clip. Twitter is the
most popular microblog at this time, with 100 million users as of September 8, 2011. 57 The number of hospitals
with Twitter accounts grew from 284 in 2009 to 814 in October 2011. 58 Many use Twitter to monitor (follow)
individuals and organizations that post industry developments, but it can also be used for communication during
disasters, sharing upbeat messages and reminders, and links to websites, blogs, and videos.
Though Twitter is by far the most popular microblogging site, there are others, such as Tumblr (41 million blogs
as of 1/20/12) – which the NY Times says, “…makes blogging blissfully easy,” and allows short, direct blogs using
text, photos, links, music and videos. 59 Instagram, a photo-sharing microblogging site, was named “App of the
Year” by Apple in 2011, having attracted 5 million users in its first 8 months.
52
Clifford, Stephanie. “Linking Customer Loyalty with Social Networking.” The New York Times. 2010 04 28. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/29/business/media/29adco.html
53
Riggle, Jenn. “Foursquare in Healthcare?” TheBuzzBin. 2010 05 27. Web. 2012 01 21. http://www.crttbuzzbin.com/2010/05/27/foursquarein-healthcare/
54
Bennett, Ed. “Hospitals on Foursquare – A National Survey.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed
Bennett. 2011 02 06. Web. 2012 01 21. http://ebennett.org/hospitals-on-foursquare/
55
“About Us.” mHimss.org. Web. 2012 01 30. www.mhimss.org
56
Thielst, Christina Beach. Social Media in Healthcare: Connect, Communicate, Collaborate. Chicago: Health Administration Press. 2010. Print.
57
Tsukayama, Hayley. “Twitter hits 100 million active users.” Washington Post with Bloomberg Business. 2011 09 09. Web. 2012 01 20.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/faster-forward/post/twitter-hits-100-million-active-users/2011/09/09/gIQAs9QjEK_blog.html
58
Bennett, Ed. “Three Years Later.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10 27. Web.
01 20 2012. http://ebennett.org
59
Boutin, Paul. “Tumblr Makes Blogging Blissfully Easy.” The New York Times Gadgetwise. New York Times. 2009 03 13. Web. 2012 0120.
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/tumblr-makes-blogging-blissfully-easy/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 11 of 34
Many healthcare conversations happen through Twitter. Tweet chats bring together individuals to discuss a set
of questions. Tweet chats use a hashtag to organize the dialogue. A popular tweet chat is #HCSM, which stands
for Healthcare Communications & Social Media. #HCSM is a weekly chat held every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m.,
Central. The conversation includes doctors, patients, lawyers, communicators, for-profits, non-profits, hospitals,
health systems, insurers, and many other interested individuals. Tweet chats are a great way to connect with
other professionals and discuss current happenings in health care.
Provider Rating Sites
Websites that not only facilitate finding a physician or hospital, but also viewing other patients’ experiences with
those providers, are now much easier to find than sites that purport to rate providers based on evidence-based
measures, according to a study done by the American Journal of Medical Quality. 60 Websites such as
RateMDs.com, Vitals.com, and Yelp.com (which also rates restaurants) were some of the easiest to find, all of
which facilitate patient reviews of physicians. 61 Interestingly, a new physician rating website, DrScore.com,
started by a physician who believes ratings based on anecdotes and comments might result in more negative
reviews, facilitates ratings by subjecting patients to a consistent quality survey – not dissimilar to the Health &
Human Services (HHS) Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (though the latter is
distributed in a consistent manner, while the DrScore website and its survey are “discovered” by interested
patients). 62 CMS, meanwhile, will be expanding its own “Physician Compare” directory to include quality data by
2013 (required by PPACA). 63 The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes such “official” national or regional
quality reporting sites actually increase the quality of care, emphasizing the “catalytic power” of public reporting
(best practices for regional quality reporting propose including physicians in developing the process). 64
In spite of provider fears that these sites generate more negative than positive reviews, a brief study by Dr. Tara
Lagu of Tufts University School of Medicine indicated that most of the reviews are positive. 65 Dr. Lagu believes
that “Patients value their relationship with their clinicians, and I think they respect their healthcare providers
and are reluctant to portray them in a negative light.” 66 Still, some provider rating sites seek to engage
physicians in the process. Vitals.com encourages physicians to log in to their rating profile, verify office
information, add a photo (which increases click-through rates), and even hand out customizable comment cards
to patients, which might possibly increasing their positive ratings. 67
Social Networking Sites
Perhaps because of their popularity, when most people think of social media, they think of popular social
networking sites – most especially Facebook. The personal (or organizational, work group, event) profile page is
60
O’Reilly, Kevin B. “Patient Rating websites top Google Searches for best doctors.” American Medical News. The American Medical Association.
2011 01 28. Web. 2012 01 30. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/11/28/prsb1128.htm
61
Ibid.
62
O’Reilly, Kevin B. “Physicians Earn Nearly Perfect Ratings From Most Patients.” American Medical news. The American Medical Association.
2011 12 26. Web. 2012 01 30. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/12/26/prsc1226.htm
63
“Reform in Action: Can Measuring Physician Performance Improve Health Care Quality?” The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. 2011 10.
Web. 2012 01 30.
64
ibid
65
Atoji, Cindy. “Understanding Online Physician Rating Sites.” The Progressive Physician. 2011 05 10. Web. 2012 01 30.
http://theprogressivephysician.com/practice-management/understanding-online-physician-rating-sites.html
66
ibid
67
ibid
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 12 of 34
the heart of the social networking site, which allows the user to share information such as their location,
interests, musical tastes, favorite sports teams, and possibly political and religious views, and then invite friends
and colleagues who may already have joined (or invite those who haven’t joined to register) to view their
profile, become a friend, or to “like” their page. The profile most often can include text or blogs, photos,
videos, documents, or audio files.
Organizations can also put a Facebook “like” link on non-Facebook pages, such as home pages, blogs, press
releases and articles. When an individual “likes” an organizational page, they may receive automatic updates
when the page changes in their own profile’s “newsfeed” (posts from their “friends” and “likes”), as well as gain
access to a deeper level of information on the organization’s Facebook page.
Google launched its Google Plus social networking site in mid-2011, announcing it had reached 40 million users
by October 2011. 68 Debates are occurring online as to whether or not hospitals should proceed with
establishing Google Plus accounts as part of their social media strategies. 69
Other social networking sites may be focused on allowing patients with shared disease states to connect for
support and education (e.g., Patients Like Me), physicians to connect with each other (e.g., Sermo), healthcare
organizations to connect internally (e.g., Ozmosis), nurses or those interested in nursing to connect with each
other (e.g., NurseTogether), and recently a site being categorized by the College of Healthcare Information
Management Executives (CHIME; representing hospital CIOs) as an “engagement platform” called StateNet has
been relaunched – allowing a hospital CIO to serve as a “state coordinator” for convening statewide discussions
around HIT and Health Information Exchange (HIE). 70 LinkedIn is also an extremely popular social networking
tool (120 million members), primarily to enhance professional-to-professional communication, visibility, and
marketing (e.g., self branding), but increasingly used for recruitment, identifying potential business partners and
customers, and advertising. 71
According to Ed Bennett’s website, he has identified 1,068 hospital Facebook pages. 72 UbiCare has developed
an “Engagement Quotient” for hospitals on Facebook, using data Facebook provides regarding numbers of
“Likes,” fan posts, comments, clicks, etc. 73 It should be noted that with under 25% of hospitals having a
Facebook page, some hospitals discover that others have already created a page for them – in some cases
patients who are looking to connect with other patients.
Tools (RSS, Widgets)
A number of additional tools are available to facilitate a user’s interaction with social media platforms. These
include:
68
Associated Press. “Google Revamps Search Formula to Include More Personal Information.” FoxNews.com. 2012 01 10. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/10/google-revamps-search-formula-to-include-more-personal-information/
69
Pollard, Brett. “Should Hospitals Add Google+ to their Social Mix?” AlertPresence.com. 2011 08 02. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://www.alertpresence.com/2011/08/02/should-hospitals-add-google-to-their-social-mix/
70
Versel, Neil. “Hospital CIOs turn to Social Media.” InformationWeek HealthcCare. 2011 11 01. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/leadership/231902064
71
“What is LinkedIn?” LinkedIn.com Learning Center. Web. Accessed 2012 01 22. http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/
72
Bennett, Ed. “Hospital Social Network List.” Found in Cache – Social Media Resources for Health Care Professionals from Ed Bennett. 2011 10
09. Web. 2012 01 21. http://ebennett.org/hsnl/
73
UbiCare. “Using the Engagement Chart.” UbiCare.com.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 13 of 34
RSS. An abbreviation for “Really Simple Syndication,” RSS feeds send updates from online resources,
such as blogs, wikis and websites to desktops and mobile devices. RSS feeds may be accumulated and
read within Microsoft Outlook, any number of standalone RSS (news) reader applications, or an RSSenabled Internet browser.
Widgets. Christina Thielst defines widgets as “chunks of code or mini applications that perform a
specific function and enhance the content of the site. Widgets can conduct short surveys, present slide
shows, or map activities or conditions on websites, blogs or other social media sites. Buttons and badges
are graphical code that link to another site or page.” 74 Organizations often create widgets using their
logo, and place it on blogs and other social networking sites to link back to the organization’s website. 75
Advanced User Tools. For those who are serious about using or monitoring social media, there are tools
such as Tweetdeck, which allows the user to monitor and manage multiple Twitter accounts, follow their
own and others’ accounts simultaneously, apply filters, schedule tweets, and more. 76 Another tool is
Social Bakers, which allows the user to monitor their own and others’ (e.g. , competitors’) Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, and YouTube statistics –such as which content is most popular, who are
the influencers, and how fans are interacting with an organization’s site. 77 Over 3 million people use yet
another social media management tool/dashboard called HootSuite to monitor, post, and provide
analytics on multiple social media sites. 78 There are many other advanced tools currently available, with
new ones coming to market regularly.
Virtual Social Worlds (e.g. SecondLife)
Virtual social worlds, where participants can choose an avatar to represent them, and use keyboard controls to
walk, run, fly, turn, speak, text, and meet with others in a three-dimensional animated, web-based “world” has
actually been one area where healthcare is breaking new ground and even leading new developments. The
numbers of users of such sites as SecondLife are not as great as social networking sites (reported number of
SecondLife users is 1 million), largely due to the complexity of learning to participate, but the advantage of being
able to “bring people together” for virtual meetings, physician and other health professional education, or to
use for producing educational videos starring avatars has attracted major healthcare educational institutions,
health insurance companies, provider associations, the U.S. military and Health Information Exchanges. 79 80
74
Thielst, Christina. Telehealth Guide for Social Media. Billings: Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center. 2011. Web. 2012 01 20.
http://thielst.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/09/social-media-toolkit-for-telehealth-professionals-and-programs.html
75
Thielst, Christina Beach. Social media in Healthcare: Connect, Communicate, Collaborate. Chicago: Health Administration Press. 2010. Print.
76
Tweetdeck. Web. 2012 02 07. http://www.tweetdeck.com/
77
“Engagement Analytics Pro.” Social Bakers. Web. 2012 02 07. http://analytics.socialbakers.com/?ref=www-top-bar
78
HootSuite. Web. 2012 02 07. http://hootsuite.com/
79
Hardy, Quentin. “Bit by Bit, Work Exchange Site Aims to Get Jobs Done.” The New York Times. 2011 11 06. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/technology/coffee-and-power-site-aims-to-get-jobs-done-bit-by-bit.html?_r=1
80
Galanis, Christina. Personal Interview. 2012 01 19.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 14 of 34
Current Social Media Practices
The following section will describe a variety of social media uses in healthcare today – emphasizing again that it
is a snapshot in time of an area that is continually evolving. From providers connecting to consumers, to
consumers connecting with consumers, public health agencies connecting with consumers, and many more
categories, there are many exciting and valuable stories that both educate and inspire.
Provider-Consumer
Just two years ago, few physicians or hospitals were active in social media. Today, many are engaged using
Twitter, Facebook, and blogs to connect with patients and others in the healthcare community. Two early social
media pioneers are Dr. Bryan Vartabedian and Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson. Dr. Vartabedian has an independent
blog and Dr. Swanson has a blog affiliated with Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Bryan Vartabedian. Dr. Vartabedian, better known as “@Doctor_V” on Twitter, writes a popular blog at
33Charts.com. He is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and an
attending physician at Texas Children’s Hospital. Dr. Vartabedian started communicating with patients through a
book titled “Colic Solved.”
He became an active blogger in 2006. Dr. Vartabedian’s current blog is focused on a wide range of healthcare
topics with a strong emphasis on providing guidance on how to use and leverage social media in healthcare. A
perfect example of this is his popular post titled, “When Patients Contact You via Social Media – 9 Pointers.” 81
Dr. Vartabedian’s approach can be best summarized in his statement: “As physicians, we have an obligation to
be a part of this [online] conversation. We need to be creating content.” 82
Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson. Dr. Swanson, better known as “@SeattleMamaDoc” on Twitter, takes a slightly
different course. Her blog is affiliated with the Seattle Children’s Hospital website. 83 Her blog originally targeted
parents but has expanded to include physicians as well. It is part of a larger community, mixing social media
advice, healthcare experiences, and health and wellness topics. Her topics can be personal stories and
connection points to what she hears from people around her. She provided a great example of her writing
inspirations:
“To give you an example, yesterday I saw 26 patients and in that time I learned a lot about what families
are worried about, what they are hearing in the community and on the news and the questions that
81
“When Patients Contact You via Social Media – 9 Pointers.” 2009 10 12. Web. 2012 01 15. http://33charts.com/2009/10/9-things-to-considerwhen-patients-contact-you-via-social-media
82
“Dr. Bryan Vartabedian – The MDigitalLife Interview,” 2011 01 11. Web. 2012 01 15. http://blog.wcgworld.com/2012/01/dr-bryanvartabedian-the-mdigitallife-interview-3
83
Seattle Mama Doc™ blog. Seattle Children’s Hospital. Web. http://seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 15 of 34
they have. That’s where I get food for my writing and it is how I keep in touch with the sincere concerns
of families, patients and families.” 84
@Doctor_V and @SeattleMomaDoc are two physicians in a growing healthcare social media community.
Though many more examples are available, these two physicians are considered leaders even by other
healthcare bloggers. Ultimately, social media participation is about developing relationships by offering insights
and guidance and providing a platform for a meaningful discussion between physicians and patients.
Dr. Jen Brull - Rural Family Physician does Friend Patients. Dr. Jen Brull, a family physician from rural Kansas
(also the first Kansas physician to attest to the Meaningful Use Incentive Program), comes from such a close-knit
community that friending some patients from her personal Facebook account seems natural, though she does so
only with people with whom she has existing offline friendships, and who are cognizant of boundaries. 85
According to Dr. Brull, there are myriad benefits as a result of these online relationships, such as catching the
occasional symptom (sent to her through the FB messaging function) that may be much more serious than the
patient realized, patients recognizing why she may not be in the office this week (e.g., business travel or
vacation), and receiving feedback that can be copied into their chart (e.g., “Thank you for the medication. I’m
sleeping much better.”). “Patients can legally disclose their own protected health information (PHI) without
violating HIPAA, but if a conversation heads that direction, we quickly move them to another communication
channel, such as the telephone or secure email.” 86 Aside from her personal account, her practice has its own
Facebook account, with a link to the practice blog. Dr. Brull has also been working with the leadership of the
Kansas Academy of Family Physicians to engage the next generation of physicians through social media. 87
Hospital Emergency Management and the Fort Hood Shooting: Scott & White Hospital (Temple, TX). Scott
and White Hospital was the primary intake center for the Fort Hood shooting victims on November 5, 2009. As
the community learned of this tragedy, the phone lines were jammed with inquiries from media, families of
service members, and citizens wanting to help. 88 Fortunately, the hospital had several months of Twitter and
YouTube channel use, had just implemented a Facebook page and two blogs in the weeks prior, and had
predetermined which staff would be Tweeting and providing updates in the event of a disaster. 89 Their initial
intention in launching the social media channels was “to go where the people are.” 90 When the shooting
occurred, the hospital immediately began using Twitter to notify the community that they were monitoring the
situation, incorporating hashtags that were already in use (e.g., #FtHood), and eventually informing people that
the hospital had become a secured environment, asking that blood donations occur at the main hospital only,
posting links to a YouTube press conference video featuring the chief of surgery, providing estimated wait times
to donate blood, etc. Hospital staff said, “Twitter really became the most valuable tool for us,” though they also
84
“Wendy Sue Swanson and the How To’s of a Successful Physician Blog,” MedCrunch. 2011 12 08. Web. 2012 01 15.
http://www.medcrunch.net/wendy-sue-swanson-tos-successful-physician-blog/
85
Brull, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 2011 01 11.
86
ibid
87
ibid
88
Holtz, Shel. “Hospital Social Media Best Practices.” . Health Care Social Media Summit. Mayo Clinic. Rochester, MN. 2011 10 17.
89
Holtz, Shel. “FIR Interview: Steve Widmann and Aaron Hughling, Scott & White Healthcare.” NevilleHobson.com 2010 01 23. Podcast. 2012
01 31.
90
Ibid
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 16 of 34
utilized their YouTube channel, Facebook page and community blog for disaster-related communications. 91
Scott and White subsequently has also considered adding an enterprise social media platform, specifically for
internal use and collaboration during crises.
An article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated, “Clearly, social media are changing the way people
communicate not only in their day-to-day lives, but also during disasters that threaten public health. Engaging
with and using emerging social media may well place the emergency-management community, including
medical and public health professionals, in a better position to respond to disasters.” 92
Social Media on a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Budget. Bill Kennedy, Marketing Director for Jamestown
Regional Medical Center (JRMC) in North Dakota, has shown not only the usefulness of social media to their
Critical Access Hospital (CAH; 25 bed hospital with 24-hour emergency care), but proven it can be accomplished
on a small budget and with few staff. 93 As the sole member of the marketing department in 2009, he launched
JRMC’s social media efforts, utilizing Flickr, YouTube, and Facebook. 94 Flickr was initiated first to communicate
externally and internally photos of their new hospital site, then grew to follow the construction, recognize
employees and share JRMC news. As of September 2011, JRMC had 183,801 views of their 1,487 Flickr images;
209,969 views of their 89 YouTube videos (one video has 64,850 views), and 2,051 monthly users of the JRMC
Facebook page – pretty significant for a hospital serving 55,000 people. 95 Mr. Kennedy recommends,
“Collaboration is the key to success in a CAH social media program,” crediting their own success to both internal
hospital staff and external community organizations and citizens. 96 In 2010, Bill Kennedy hired an assistant to
provide support in social media and communication efforts.
Consumer-Consumer (Patient Support Groups)
Consumer-to-Consumer social media is vast and vibrant. Consumers can be patients, families, or caregivers, and
they use social media to learn more about their conditions, drugs or healthcare providers, to share information
with others and to give and get emotional support. Hospitals and healthcare providers should expect an
increasing number of patients participating in social media and should be ready to support the patients’ needs
for additional information and emotional support via social media.
Susannah Fox from the Pew Internet Research Center (which undertook a national survey regarding online
activity and health information) notes, “The most striking finding of the national survey is the extent of
peer‐to‐peer help among people living with chronic conditions. One in four internet users living with high blood
pressure, diabetes, heart conditions, lung conditions, cancer, or some other chronic ailment (23%) say they have
gone online to find others with similar health concerns. By contrast, 15% of internet users who report no chronic
conditions have sought such help online.” 97 The Bipartisan Policy Center, which includes a variety of healthcare
stakeholders, released a report in late January 2012 stating that “(s)ocial media platforms for online dialogue
91
ibid
Merchant, Raina. Stacy Elmer, and Nicole Lurie. “Integrating Social Media into Emergency Preparedness Efforts.” The New England Journal of
Medicine. 2011; 365: 289-291. 2011 07 28. Web. 2012 02 01. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1103591
93
Kennedy, Bill. “Social Media in a Small Rural Hospital Budget?” Health Care Social Media Summit. Mayo Clinic. Rochester, MN. 2011 10 19.
94
Ibid
95
“About Us.” Jamestown Regional Medical Center. Web. 2012 01 31. http://www.jamestownhospital.com/getpage.php?name=aboutindex&child=About+Us
96
Kennedy, Bill .”Social Media in a Small Rural Hospital Budget?” Health Care Social Media Summit. Mayo Clinic. Rochester, MN. 2011 10 19.
97
Fox, Susannah. “Peer to Peer Healthcare.“ Pew Internet and American Life Project. 2011 02 11. Web. 2012 01 24.
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/P2PHealthcare.aspx
92
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 17 of 34
and support among individuals with common conditions, needs or interests ‘support’ prevention, wellness and
healthy behaviors.” 98
A few examples on how patients use social media to communicate with other patients:
- Reading blogs written by other patients, and writing blogs themselves. For example, Kerri Morrone
Sparling was one of the first patients to blog about her experience with Type I Diabetes. 99
- Dr. John Halamka, the CIO of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in
Boston, started writing about his wife’s journey with cancer on his blog in order to help other patients
learn from their path. 100
- Sharing stories on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. A story appeared in the news in 2011
about a mother that shared her son’s condition with friends and was prompted by one of the readers to
go to the ER immediately. 101
- Trisha Torrey, who was independently diagnosed with cancer by two laboratories, but discovered due to
her own persistence, personal research, and consultation with other providers that she indeed did not
have cancer – just weeks short of starting chemotherapy. She began an online forum called
AdvoConnection to connect patients with patient advocates, and also moderates a patient
empowerment forum on About.com. 102 103
The expansion of social media inspired various entrepreneurs to build applications to support this need for
patient-to-patient discussions. A sample of community web sites and applications:
- Communities for specific diseases:
o Association of Cancer Online Resources (acor.org) is a community of cancer patients offering
information and support. 104
o Cancer101 105
o TuDiabetes - community for patients with diabetes, including separate forums for Type 1, Type
2, and LADA/”Type 1.5.” 106
- Health stories video sharing: MyHealthStory allows patients, families and caregivers to learn from each
other’s healthcare experiences 107
- Communities that track treatments and side effects, intending to share outcome-based experiences
include PatientsLikeMe and CureTogether 108 109
98
“Transforming Health Care: The Role of Health IT.” The Bipartisan Policy Center. 2012 01 27. Web. 2012 02 09.
http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/BPC%20Health%20IT%20report%20Jan%202012.pdf
99
Kerri Sparling. Six Until Me. http://sixuntilme.com/
100
John Halamka, MD, MS. The Life of a Healthcare CIO. December 2011. http://geekdoctor.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-have-cancer.html
101
Deborah Kogan. How Facebook Saved my Son’s Life. July 2011.
http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2011/07/how_facebook_saved_my_sons_life.html
102
Torrey, Trisha. “Bio.” About.com Patient Empowerment. Web. http://patients.about.com/bio/Trisha-Torrey-35320.htm
103
Torrey, Trisha. “Welcome to the Patient Empowerment Forum.” About.com Patient Empowerment. Web.
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-patients&lgnF=y
104
Association of Cancer Online Resources. Web. 2012 01 24. http://www.acor.org/
105
Cancer 101: Basics for the Diagnosed. Web. 2012 01 24. http://www.cancer101.org/index.cfm
106
Tudiabetes.org The Diabetes Hands Foundation. Web. 2012 01 24. http://www.tudiabetes.org/
107
“About MyHealthStory.” MyHealthStory.me. Web. 2012 01 24. http://www.myhealthstory.me/page/2/about-myhealthstory-beta.html
108
“About Us: Patients Like Me.” PatientsLikeMe. Web. 2012 01 24. http://www.patientslikeme.com/about
109
“About CureTogether.” CureTogether. Web. 2012 01 24. http://curetogether.com/blog/about/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 18 of 34
-
-
Inspire has helped 75 national advocacy organizations build over 180 disease-specific communities with
200,000 members, offering services to help patients, life sciences companies and advocacy
organizations to connect online. 110
Devices, apps and games that help patients get healthy, exercise or maintain healthy habits and share
them with family and friends, like FitBit, the suite of MapMyFitness apps and HealthMonth. 111 112 113
Some hospitals are seeking to use social media to enable patients to become better advocates for their care.
Mayo Clinic shares its own social media philosophy as the following:
“Mayo Clinic believes individuals have the right and responsibility to advocate for their own health, and
that it is our responsibility to help them use social media tools to get the best information, connect with
providers and with each other, and inspire healthy choices. We intend to lead the health care
community in applying these revolutionary tools to spread knowledge and encourage collaboration
among providers, improving health care quality everywhere.” 114
Children’s Hospital Boston (Children’s) and other hospitals provide education and tools for patients to create
their own free websites and connect with family and friends through CarePages. 115 Children’s also created an
application that lets members of the TuDiabetes social network track, share and compare their diabetes data
across the world. 116 117
e-Patient Dave offers the following advice those getting started in social media, which is especially applicable to
consumers/patients entering these peer-to-peer environments: “You can participate at first in social media as a
reader/listener, browsing and subscribing as you see fit. When you decide to say something, it’s easiest to just
reply to somebody else. And when you have enough to say yourself, you can start speaking up as a more active
voice.” 118
Life Sciences
According to McKinsey, in 2011, 74% of pharmaceutical companies surveyed were using at least one social
media platform, greater than the percentages in retailing (69%), healthcare/social services (67%) and financial
services (64%). 119 IT consulting and services firm Cognizant suggests that pharmaceutical companies can take
advantage of their strengths in data collection and analysis, and apply the same “adaptive design” concept used
in clinical trials (modifying the trial based on information gathered thus far, without affective the trial’s integrity)
110
“Life Science Organizations: Overview.” Inspire. Web. 2012 02 04. http://corp.inspire.com/life-science-organizations/
“About the Company.” Fitbit. Web. 2012 01 23. http://www.fitbit.com/company
112
“Home.” MapMyFitness. Web. 2012 02 14. http://www.mapmyfitness.com/
113
HealthMonth, the Game. Web. 2012 01 24. http://healthmonth.com/
114
“About.” Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. Web. 2012 02 04. http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/about-3/
115
“For Patients and Families.” Children’s Hospital Boston. Web. 2012 02 04.
http://childrenshospital.org/patientsfamilies/Site1393/mainpageS1393P150.html
116
Boston Children’s Hospital. TuDiabetes and Children's Hospital Boston launch online effort to map U.S. diabetes metrics. May 19, 2010.
http://childrenshospital.org/newsroom/Site1339/mainpageS1339P630.html
117
http://tuanalyze.org/
118
deBronkart, Dave. Personal Interview. 2012 02 06.
119
Bughin, Jacques, Angela Hung Byers and Michael Chui. “How Social Technologies are Extending the Organization.” McKinsey Global Institute.
2011 11. Web. 2012 02 01.
111
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 19 of 34
to make social media a key ally. 120 As mentioned elsewhere under the Provider-Provider category, life sciences
companies are actively monitoring and engaging physicians via the Sermo platform, and there are many other
Provider-Provider communities that facilitate life sciences company involvement in the U.S., Canada, Europe and
other markets. 121
Life sciences companies are facilitating consumer engagement through their sponsorship of disease-specific
educational and social networking communities. Children With Diabetes (CWD), an online community
supporting families with diabetic children, began in 1995, and grew tremendously in both its online population
(25,000 daily, as of 2008) and attendance at offline events. Requiring more resources to sustain its growth, CWD
became part of the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies in early 2008. 122
Life sciences manufacturers, specifically in the pharmaceutical arena, have also begun using the e-Advocacy
concept to facilitate recalls, to provide references to articles in various publications, as well as to provide
support of favorable (or opposition to less favorable) legislation being considered during congressional sessions,
using tools such as Twitter. 123
The FDA regulation of pharmaceutical companies, specifically the law requiring “fair balance” – that the content
and presentation of a drug’s most important risks must be similar to the content and presentation of the drug’s
benefits – has made these companies cautious in their social media activities. 124 125 Facebook originally
accommodated pharmaceutical companies’ desires to have pages that did not allow comments – as consumers’
comments could mention off-label uses or perceived benefits, without the ability for the company to provide for
“fair balance.” 126 When Facebook changed its policy, and required the allowance of comments without
blocking, several Facebook pages originally sponsored by pharmaceutical companies disappeared, including
“Take On Depression,” “ADHD Moms,” and “Epilepsy Advocate.”
Tony Jewell, the Senior Director of External Communications at AstraZeneca, has been recognized by many as a
leader in life sciences’ use of social media, specifically for making AstraZeneca the first to host a Twitter chat,
but also for stating that the company would keep its primary Facebook page active in spite of Facebook’s change
in its commenting policy. 127 128
120
“Adaptive Social Media In Life Sciences.” Cognizant 20/20 Insights. 2012 01. Web. 2012 02 01.
http://www.cognizant.com/InsightsWhitepapers/Adaptive-Social-Media-in-Life-Sciences.pdf
121
Starnes, Len. “Healthcare Social Networking: Is Pharma Ready to Join the Conversation?” Slideshare. 2008 12 26. Web. 2012 02 01.
http://www.slideshare.net/lenstarnes/healthcare-social-networking-is-pharma-ready-to-join-the-conversation-presentation
122
Hitchcock, Jeffrey. “Open Letter to the CWD Community.” Children With Diabetes. 2008 03 28. Web. 2012 02 01.
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/OpenLetter.htm
123
Senak, Mark. “The Growing Role of e-Advocacy in Healthcare.” Eye on FDA. 2011 09 28. Web. 2012 01 30.
http://www.eyeonfda.com/eye_on_fda/2011/09/the-growing-role-of-e-advocacy-in-healthcare.html
124
Shute, Nancy. “Why Drug Companies Are Shy About Sharing on Facebook.” NPR Blogs. 2011 08 22. Web. 2012 02 25.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/22/139859210/why-drug-companies-are-shy-about-sharing-on-facebook
125
“Drug Advertising: A Glossary of Terms.” FDA.gov Web. 2012 02 15.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/PrescriptionDrugAdvertising/ucm072025.htm#F
126
Shute, Nancy. “Why Drug Companies Are Shy About Sharing on Facebook.” NPR Blogs. 2011 08 22. Web. 2012 02 25.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/08/22/139859210/why-drug-companies-are-shy-about-sharing-on-facebook
127
nd
Mack, John. “AZ’s Tony Jewell Receives 2 Annual Pharmaguy Social Media Pioneering Award.” Pharma Marketing Blog. 2011 10 19. Web.
2012 02 05. http://pharmamkting.blogspot.com/2011/10/azs-tony-jewell-receives-2nd-annual.html
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 20 of 34
As mentioned earlier in this paper, under “Devices,” life sciences companies are awaiting further guidance from
the FDA regarding social media use, though draft guidance on off-label uses was issued in late 2011, which
promotes the idea of “private answers” provided to consumers who ask a “public question,” presumably
through channels such a social media. 129 Many believe the FDA’s establishing of the boundaries will encourage
life sciences companies that have been cautiously avoiding overstepping a boundary they cannot see to jump in
and use their resources to their fullest, as guided by regulation. Translation: we have yet to see what life
sciences companies can really do on social media.
Advocacy Group – Consumer
With the explosion of social media technologies (webs, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) consumers now have
more information – specifically healthcare information – at their fingertips than ever before. This has not gone
unrecognized by advocacy groups who seek to engage these consumers, especially at the community and
grassroots levels. 130 As Jason Brandt of Zemoga, a digital innovation firm, commented, “Grassroots is getting
easier, and the fertilizer is social media.” 131
The American Heart Association has a very active social media presence with 20,541 Twitter followers and 4,919
tweets; over 145,000 “Likes” on its primary Facebook page (with several additional campaign-specific pages, like
“Go Red for Women,” and “You’re the Cure”); over 1.5 million views of their 138 YouTube videos; and active
Google Plus and LinkedIn accounts. 132 133 134 135
Autism Speaks, which seeks to draw attention to undiagnosed autism, established a long-term promotional
partnership with Toys “R” Us that was utilized to draw attention to its annual “Light It Up Blue” campaign in
April 2011. Using the combined Facebook pages of the two organizations, they were able to engage over two
million people (1.4 million Toys “R” Us fans and 770,000 Autism Speaks fans). 136 Autism Speaks has over
992,000 Facebook fans as of February 4, 2012, and has 14 different social media channels – including a patient
community using Ning.com and revenues from rec.fm, which allows people to recommend products to their
Facebook friends and Twitter followers, with a portion of products sales going to the organization (also used by
the American Red Cross and National Foundation for Cancer Research, and others). 137 138 139
128
Jewell, Tony. “AstraZeneca is staying on Facebook.” AZ Health Connections: A Blog for AstraZeneca’s US Business. 2011 08 15. Web. 2012
02 05. http://azhealthconnections.com/2011/08/15/astrazeneca-is-staying-on-facebook/
129
Anderson, Patricia. “FDASM: Initial Draft Guidelines Focus on Social Media Requests for Off-Label Uses.” Emerging Technologies Librarian.
2012 01 11. Web. 2012 02 01. http://etechlib.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/fdasm-initial-draft-guidelines-focus-on-social-media-requests-foroff-label-uses/
130
Brandt, Jason. “The Changing World of Patient Advocacy.” Pixels & Pills: New Directions in Digital Pharma. 2011 04 04. Web. 2012 02 04.
http://www.pixelsandpills.com/2011/04/04/changing-world-patient-advocacy/
131
ibid
132
Home page. American Heart Association. Web. 2012 02 04. www.heart.org
133
@American_Heart. Twitter.com. Web. 2012 02 04. https://twitter.com/#!/american_heart
134
The American Heart Association. Facebook.com. Web. 2012 02 04. http://www.facebook.com/AmericanHeart
135
American Heart Association. YouTube.com. Web. 2012 02 04. http://www.youtube.com/user/americanheartassoc/videos
136
Brandt, Jason. “The Changing World of Patient Advocacy.”
137
Autism Speaks. Facebook. Web. 2012 02 04. https://www.facebook.com/autismspeaks
138
“Social Networks.” Autism Speaks. Web. 2012 02 04. http://www.autismspeaks.org/about-us/social-networks
139
“How it works.” Rec.fm. Web. 2012 02 04. http://rec.fm/help/howitworks
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 21 of 34
Regardless of how consumer advocacy organizations use social media as a tool for attaining their goals, there
should be full acknowledgement and respect for what Grace-Sonia Melanio of Community Health Partnership
calls “The 3 Es of Advocacy: education, empowerment and engagement.” 140
This may be producing an interesting phenomenon. Social media actually is facilitating the creation of new
advocacy organizations – and perhaps broadening the very definition of an advocacy organization (though many
traditional organizations are still referred to as “voluntary health agencies,” and are incorporated as non-profit
organizations). 141 Patient communities, for example, though perhaps not advocating politically for their
members, are educating, empowering and engaging their members. One thing is for certain – any organization
that seeks to represent people will benefit from engaging those people where they are: on social media.
Provider – Provider
Providers are connecting with each other through a variety of online platforms. This includes use of general
social media like Twitter and Facebook to physician-only sites like Sermo, and the launching of enterprise social
media platforms – that are limited often only to members of a specific hospital or organization (enterprise).
One use of social media by physicians is to keep track of developments in their field. As pediatric
endocrinologist and HIT entrepreneur Dr. Jennifer Shine Dyer reports, “I’m much more well-read now that I’m
on social media. Twitter reminds me of skimming journals for the things that interest us.” 142 Dr. Philip Glick,
vice chairman and professor at the University at Buffalo, also promotes Twitter as an educational tool: “A
surgeon’s greatest legacy is his or her trainees. And a lot of the training consists of passing on information,
lessons learned and wisdom to the next generation. Twitter allows us to dramatically scale up our ability to do
this. When I post something on Twitter, all the pediatric surgeons, trainees and colleagues in the country and
the world can see it instantly.” 143 According an American College of Surgeons survey in 2011, 20 percent of
surgeons were on Twitter, while 64 percent were on Facebook – both above the U.S. general population
averages. 144
Dr. Jen Brull, a family physician practicing in the small rural community of Plainville, Kansas, is an avid Facebook
user, and suggests that social media can be used as a way to keep in touch with medical students once they
finish their family medicine clerkships. “You establish this teacher-student relationship while they’re on
rotation, and then you usually lose touch with them afterwards,” she says. But now, she hears, “Oh, you’re on
Facebook!” and that enables them to continue the mentoring relationship virtually, even after they finish their
clerkship. 145
Sermo is an online network for physicians (stating it has over 125,000 physicians from 65 specialties), which
states it has a robust physician-authentication process (to verify users are physicians) and describes itself as
140
Melanio, Grace-Sonia. “The Three Es of E-Advocacy.” Community Health Partnership. 2011 12 16. Web. 2012 01 30.
http://www.chpscc.org/_blog/Access_to_All/post/The_Three_Es_of_E-Advocacy/
141
“Membership Directory.” National Health Council. Web. 2012 02 04. http://www.nationalhealthcouncil.org/pages/member-roster.php
142
Shine Dyer, Jennifer. Physician Panel. Health Care Social Media Summit. Mayo Clinic. Rochester, MN. 2011 10 17.
143
“Surgeons, Start Tweeting! Embrace Social Media, UB Professor Tells Peers.” University at Buffalo. The State University of New York. 2011 09
30. Web. 2012 01 22.
144
Peregrin, Tony. “Time to Tweet: Social Networking for surgeons.” Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. 96: 2. (2011). Web. 2012 01
22. http://www.facs.org/fellows_info/bulletin/2011/peregrin0211.pdf
145
Brull, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 2012 01 11.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 22 of 34
follows: “Physicians in all 50 US states spend 35,000 hours per month on Sermo’s social media platform
discussing drugs, medical products and procedures as well as exchanging clinical insights on difficult cases.” 146
Physicians participate for free, can choose to participate anonymously (many apparently do) and may participate
in surveys and focus groups for honoraria. Sermo can obtain revenue from life sciences companies and others
that wish to benefit from the surveys, focus groups, and mining of the conversations (which the company states
are anonymous). 147 Multiple authors have described Sermo chats as frank and passionate, though also hinted
that the chats can sometimes be less than professional. 148
Texas Health Resources, a 24-hospital system in North Texas, has engaged the enterprise social networking
platform Yammer to promote the adoption of EHRs, share internal messages, how-to videos, and more between
and among physicians, project managers, and other system employees. This enables the hospital system to
control the security and privacy of an internal social media platform, while fostering enhanced collaboration and
communication. 149 Additional tools are being developed by firms like Informative Graphics, to enable
establishing a “bridge” between hospital document management and imaging systems and enterprise social
media, to create enhanced, auditable collaboration. 150
In December 2011, the organization Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Health Care launched, led by Executive
Director and Health IT veteran Janet Marchibroda. 151 Promoting the transformation of health care through
Health IT, it describes itself as follows:
“Through this non-profit, collaborative, social media effort, physicians are sharing their experiences and
insights—through videos, audio programs, stories and blog posts—about why they decided to adopt
health IT, the initial challenges they faced and the strategies they used to overcome them, the impact on
their practices or organizations, and their lessons learned—to support other physicians as they make the
transition to a health IT-enabled health care system that delivers better health and health care.” 152
Promoting Social Media use among/by providers: Mayo Clinic has not only taken social media seriously for its
own use, but has also established an industry-wide Social Media Health Network, described as “a service of the
Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, (that) provides tools, resources and guidance to organizations and
individuals wanting to apply social media in health and health care.” 153 Mayo Clinic also sponsors an annual
Health Care Social Media Summit, bringing together providers and others to share best practices. In 2011, Mayo
146
“Conduct Research and Promote Your Products with Social Media.” Sermo.com Client Solutions. Web. 2012 01 22.
http://clients.sermo.com/Home?show=surveys
147
Hage, Joe. “The Twitter Chat that killed Sermo.” Medical Marcom. Web. 2012 01 22. http://www.medicalmarcom.com/medical-devicemarketing/twitter-chat-that-killed-sermo-meddevice/
148
Eytan, Ted. “Do doctors see social media in their practice future? My conversation with fellow physicians on Sermo.com.” Ted Eytan, MD.
Web. 2012 01 22. http://www.tedeytan.com/2011/03/18/7864
149
“20 Hospitals with Inspiring Social Media Strategies.” Medical Billing & Coding. 2012 01 11. Web. 2012 01 18.
http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/blog/20-hospitals-with-inspiring-social-media-strategies/
150
“Informative Graphics Corporation Builds Yammer Integration for Secure, Collaborative Document Review.” Informative Graphics. 2011 10
03. Web. 2012 01 23. http://www.infograph.com/press/Yammer.asp
151
"Collaborative Effort Launched to Facilitate Doctors Helping Doctors Through Health IT: First Area of Focus is Health IT.” Doctors Helping
Doctors Transform Healthcare: News About Us. 2011 12 01. Web. 2012 02 09. http://doctorshelpingdoctorstransformhealthcare.org/doctorshelping-doctors-news/
152
“Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Healthcare: At a Glance.” Doctors Helping Doctors Transform Health Care. Print. 2012 02 09.
153
Social Media Health Network. Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. Web. 2012 01 22. http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/network/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 23 of 34
Clinic also held its first two-day Social Media Residency, combining self-study with faculty presentations and
mentorship opportunities to further promote social media use by providers. 154
Health Information Exchange (HIE) – Consumer
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)-funded Health Information Security and Privacy
Collaborative (HISPC) provided many public domain educational tools for Health Information Exchange, such as
customizable ads, and videos, but this was before social media became commonly used. HHS has followed up by
creating its own YouTube channel, and producing a variety of informative videos on HIT and HIE. Some Health
Information Organizations (also known as HIEs) are also making a jump into the use of social media for
education and engagement.
Christina Galanis, Executive Director of Southern Tier HealthLink New York (a Health Information Organization
covering five counties around Binghamton), uses not only Twitter and Facebook to engage residents and
promote their patient portal, but also is a leading advocate of the use of virtual worlds for education. Ms.
Galanis and her team have created “NY Healthscape in SecondLife,” which is “delivering virtual education for
electronic health information exchange.” She has also found the medium helpful for creation of new
educational videos describing HIE and Personal Health Records (PHRs), which can also be uploaded and shared
via YouTube. Topics for education have also expanded beyond Health IT subjects to promotion of breast cancer
self-checks and creation of a unique and highly educational autism awareness center. 155
Telehealth – Consumer
Christina Thielst, a healthcare administrator, consultant and author, works especially with the areas of
telehealth and social media, and produced the “Social Media Toolkit for Telehealth Professionals and Programs.”
This toolkit includes the Telehealth Guide for Social Media. In this guide, Ms. Thielst provides examples of
telehealth networks and organizations using social media to increase their provider and consumer engagement,
such as the Utah Telehealth Network’s placing of “widgets” on their e-newsletter to help enable recipients to
more easily share the content on social media channels.
In late 2011, the Swedish Telehealth Program in Seattle produced a number of videos on its YouTube channel addressing telehealth generally , as well as providing focused overviews on many of its programs (TeleSleep,
Inpatient Teleneurology, TeleICU, Acute Telestroke, Teleneurosurgery and TeleEEG). 156 Swedish Medical Center
is a regional leader in telehealth program development with the first and largest telestroke network in
Washington State. According to Tammy Cress, the Director of Telehealth at Swedish, “We recognized that there
is tremendous value in creating videos which in a few short minutes allow patients/families, health care
providers or administrators to quickly get a relatively deep understanding about what we are focusing on and
creating - the development of robust infrastructures and required processes to bring care via telemedicine to
154
Social Media Residency Details. Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. Web. 2012 01 22. http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/2011/09/13/socialmedia-residency-details/
155
Galanis, Christina. Personal Interview. 2012 01 19.
156
“Swedish Telehealth Program.” Swedishseattle YouTube Channel. 2011 12 15. Web. 2012 01 27.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P65n0h0f6w4
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 24 of 34
patients in their communities. These videos allow us to cast a wide net and efficiently educate those interested
in learning about telehealth and the real possibilities." 157
PHR – Consumer
Some Personal Health Records (PHRs) and related systems are taking advantage of social media’s success in
engaging consumers, and adopting some of the functionality. Jim Hansen, Executive Director of the non-profit
Dossia Consortium stated, “Contextual social media, gamification and a substitutable app marketplace played
key roles in the evolution of our product from a PHR to the Dossia Personal Health Management System (PHMS)
– where engagement comes naturally from bringing one's longitudinal data to life.” 158
Providers are also looking for social media functionality as they review and select PHR systems. Centerstone,
the largest non-profit behavioral health provider in the U.S., stated the following regarding their selection of
SPINNphr, which has already integrated social media components:
“Centerstone is dedicated to helping people who face the challenge of substance abuse. Too often the
stigma associated with seeking treatment combined with limited access to recovery centers means that
the opportunity for up-front treatment that is aligned with prevention or early-stage intervention is lost,
leading to devastating outcomes and back-loaded treatment that could have been avoided. Social
media offers the opportunity to lower the barriers to seeking help by allowing people to find assistance
at their own pace using the tools that are a part of how they live so many other aspects of their lives.
Social media, both as a point of entry and as a tool to support recovery, is rapidly becoming a key
component of our coaching strategy." 159
Public Health-Provider/Consumer
Access to millions of citizens in seconds via social media such as Facebook and Twitter allow public
health officials the ability to communicate more effectively than ever. For instance, the fastest way to
broadcast a threat of an influenza outbreak, or terrorist attack involving chemical/biological/radiological
weapons, is through these media, though they are also being used on a day-to-day basis for community
education, promotion (e.g., flu shots), and more.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is very active on social media, but also promotes
using social media to state and local public health agencies. The CDC’s presence includes 35 Twitter
accounts (having held several popular Twitter chats), 12 Facebook profiles, a YouTube channel (over 4.3
million upload views), Flickr, and 21 blog categories. 160 The CDC also makes over 41 widgets available on
topics such as “the Flu” to be inserted on your webpage or blog as a public health service. 161 For the
benefit of other public health agencies, the CDC has also now released its second edition of the wellorganized “Health Communicator's Social Media Toolkit,” which even features a chart to help agencies
determine which social media channels are best for them. 162 163
157
Cress, Tammy. Personal Interview. 2012 02 01.
Hansen, Jim. Personal Interview. 2012 01 23.
159
Grove-Paul, Linda. Personal Interview. 2012 01 24.
160
“Social Media at CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/
161
“CDC.gov Widgets and Gadgets.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.cdc.gov/widgets/
162
“Social Media at CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/
158
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 25 of 34
Likewise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also very active on social media, with 10
subject-specific Twitter accounts, a YouTube channel, Facebook page, the “FDA Voice” and
“Transparency” blogs and Flickr. 164 The FDA tweets regularly regarding health advisories and recalls on
foods and drugs.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) sets a very good example for a state’s public health
department social media activity. In addition to very actively updated Twitter and Facebook accounts,
its YouTube channel boasts 4,727,000 views (Arizona’s population is about 6.5 million), and it has four
blogs: a director’s blog (posting almost every day), a behavioral health services blog, a chronic disease
blog and a Tobacco Free Arizona blog. 165 When a shooting occurred in Tucson on January 8, 2011, killing
six people and injuring twelve others (including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords), ADHS Director
Will Humble blogged to inform both citizens and state employees where they could call if they needed
counseling, or had questions or issues. 166
Regarding the use of social media, Director Humble specifically posted, "Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube... all
these social media outlets are changing the way people communicate... with their friends, co workers, and even
about breaking news. ... We've been at the front of the movement to use social media to get out our public
health messages." 167
ADHS believes that their social media success is the result of teamwork throughout the department and
exemplary support from the executive team. ADHS' Web & New Media Manager, Jennifer Tweedy, says "[The
Executive Team] understands the importance of connecting with others where those individuals choose to be.
Social media amplifies our messaging, expands our online community and creates sustainable value. It allows us
to make a cogent connection—one that may not have been effected with traditional media. Director Will
Humble promotes a culture of transparency, and we use the product of that socially. Interactions from original
blog content, videos, tweets, Facebook posts, and online forums communicate our message and allow us to hear
what people want—to feel the pulse of their concerns—and to respond accordingly. We realize the power of
social media in those conversations." 168
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department (combined City of Springfield and Greene County,
Missouri) has active Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts and posts – including a weekly exercise
video on YouTube. Other videos focus on trash maintenance, vaccinations, general education on health
education and public health, and an introduction to the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program.
However, they have also taken a lead in educating other local public health agencies through
presentations and a guide entitled Creating and Connecting with an Online Community: A Social Media
Guide for Local Public Health Agencies. 169 170
163
“The Health Communicators Social Media Toolkit.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2011 07. Web. 2012 02 06. Social Media at
CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 2012 02 06.
http://www.cdc.gov/socialmedia/Tools/guidelines/pdf/SocialMediaToolkit_BM.pdf
164
“Interactive Media. The Food and Drug Administration. Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/InteractiveMedia/default.htm
165
“Stay Connected with ADHS.” Arizona Department of Public Health. Web. 2012 01 31. http://www.azdhs.gov/socialmedia.htm
166
Humble, Will. “Tucson Response.” Arizona Department of Health Services. 2011 01 11. Web. 2012 02 02.
http://directorsblog.health.azdhs.gov/?p=1003
167
Humble, Will. “Director’s Blog.” Arizona Department of Health Services. 2011 08 08. Web. 2012 02 01.
http://directorsblog.health.azdhs.gov/?p=1726
168
Tweedy, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 2012 02 02.
169
Springfield-Greene County Health Department. Web. 2012 01 31 http://health.springfieldmo.gov/
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 26 of 34
Things to be Considered
Privacy of Protected Health Information (PHI)
As the popularity of social media increases, so too does the challenge of safeguarding the privacy of PHI.
Hospitals and physicians recognize the great potential of these online tools to build reputations, collaborate with
other professionals and communicate with their patients, but in a litigious society the specter of privacy
violations (malicious and inadvertent) currently looms just as large. 171 172 Privacy laws have teeth. The tenacity
with which PHI retains its privilege makes it hard for a doctor to conduct a meaningful online dialogue with a
patient. HIPAA lists 18 different categories that must be stripped from a patient’s record to de-identify it. 173
Even a patient’s self-identification online demands a cautious approach. The general public has the freedom to
post as much of its own personal health information as it pleases, but a person listing facts about her condition
on Facebook does not implicitly give a care provider permission to reiterate or elaborate on them. 174
Security through Policy and Education
With respect to employees, hospitals can adopt a manageable solution to mitigate exposure to the risk of
patient privacy violations. Rather than avoiding or prohibiting employee use of social media at work, hospitals
should consider encouraging employee responsibility online. Prohibitive company firewalls and policies banning
personal cellphones only funnel employee use of social media into a dark place. 175 Clear social media policies are
needed. They can come in two parts. Part one includes company values, citation of patient privacy rights and
advice on the appropriate use of online disclaimers. Part two gives employees best practices on how to provide
realistic value to their readers through accuracy, accountability and professionalism. 176 Hospitals managing their
own image and ambitions in social media need only start small and begin carefully leveraging these tools with
the understanding that patients talk back and talk to each other.
170
“Social Media Guide for Local Public Health Agencies.” Slideshare. 2011 07 27. Web. 2012 01 31.
http://www.slideshare.net/allisonkline445/social-media-guide-for-local-public-health-agencies
171
Lee, Jason S.; Lorincz, Caitlin; Drazen, Erica; Mayberry, Tracey; Ricca, Linda. “Should Healthcare Organizations Use Social Media?” CSC Insights.
Web. October 2011.
http://www.csc.com/health_services/insights/72849-should_healthcare_organizations_use_social_media
172
Lewis, Nicole. “More Patient Data Risks, Lawsuits Predicted in 2012.” Information Week. Web. January 9, 2012.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/security-privacy/232301516
173
Ibid.
174
Harlow, David. “Healthcare Social Media – How to Engage Online Without Getting into Trouble (Part I).” Healthblawg. Web. January 3, 2012.
http://healthblawg.typepad.com/healthblawg/2012/01/health-care-social-media-how-to-engage-online-without-getting-into-trouble-part-i.html
175
Levy, Paul. “Shutting Down Social Media? Not here.” Not Running a Hospital. Web. October 13, 2009.
http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2009/10/shutting-down-social-media-not-here.html
176
Kaiser Permanente Social Media Policy. Kaiser Permanente. Web. April 30, 2009.
http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter/media/downloads/socialmediapolicy_091609.pdf
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 27 of 34
Physician Participation and the Validity of Data
Many physicians use social media to connect with each other. Exclusive sites promoting networking and
collaboration are becoming popular online destinations for doctors. 177 Physicians wanting to connect with their
patients through social media face the task of separating their personal and professional personae online. Some
abstain from professional online engagement altogether, as no presence means less risk of misinterpretation. 178
However, for some doctors in rural markets, joining the same social media sites frequented by their patients is
paramount to maintaining those relationships. 179 The looming reality is that in an environment that by definition
is the common meeting place for all parties, the masses have already arrived and are awaiting the significant
presence of healthcare professionals. In some cases, doctors are pleased to treat patients educated online about
their health and better able to question and discuss it in person. However, surveys already show that some
patients trust the words of peers who share a health-related experience over that of their physicians or of
pharmaceutical companies. 180
Social Media Return on Investment (ROI)
Healthcare organizations that consider social media an extension of their marketing and public relations
activities may wish to determine how “valuable” their social media efforts are from a bottom-line perspective:
What is their social media Return on Investment?
There are many activities on social media that can be measured. In fact, David Berkowitz has identified “100
Ways to Measure Social Media,” which includes the number of followers, friends or customers assisted, or the
impact on online sales. 181 Well-known brands have focused on a single, most important element to measure –
an element which in turn impacts the bottom line. Examples include Ford’s emphasis on brand perception,
Comcast’s obsession with customer satisfaction, and Dell’s interest in increasing customer loyalty. 182
Healthcare marketing expert and consultant Chris Bevolo, however, has written extensively on the topic, and
says social media ROI measurement shouldn’t differ from any other marketing ROI measurement:
Social Media ROI reflects any other marketing-related ROI: the net financial revenue to the organization
from the effort, after having accounted for the effort's costs. 183
177
Lee, Jason S.; Lorincz, Caitlin; Drazen, Erica; Mayberry, Tracey; Ricca, Linda. “Should Healthcare Organizations Use Social Media?” CSC Insights.
Web. October 2011.
http://www.csc.com/health_services/insights/72849-should_healthcare_organizations_use_social_media
178
Interview with Erin Perkey, DO. Columbus, OH. January 14, 2012.
179
Brull, Jennifer. Personal Interview. 2012 01 11.
180
Keckley, Paul H., PhD; Hoffman Michelle, PhD. “Social Networks in Health Care: Communication, collaboration, insights.” Deloitte Center for
Health Solutions - Insights. 2010.
181
Berkowitz, David. “100 Ways to Measure Social Media.” Marketer’s Studio – David Berkowitz’s Marketing Blog. Web. 2009 11 17. 2012 01
20. http://www.marketersstudio.com/2009/11/100-ways-to-measure-social-media-.html
182
Defren, Todd. “How Top Brands Measure Social Media Success.” PR Squared. Web. 2011 10 19. 2012 01 20. http://www.prsquared.com/index.php/2011/10/how-top-brands-measure-social-media-success
183
Bevolo, Chris. A Marketer’s Guide to Measuring Results: Prove the Impact of New Media and Traditional Healthcare Marketing Efforts.
Marblehead: HCPro. 2010. Print.
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 28 of 34
Formula: [(Net revenue - marketing expenses) / marketing expenses] x 100
Example: [($5,000 - $5,000)/$5,000] x 100 = 0% (or break-even) 184
Many variables can play into net revenue from social media efforts. In order to be more specific, some suggest
monitoring and measuring the process of conversion – tracking those individuals that are initially engaged
through social media and eventually become consumers of the hospital, physician practice or other institution’s
services and products.
“At the end of the day, any marketing initiative needs to have a call to action with some sort of value.
There needs to be a conversion – a click-through, a phone call, an email – whatever. It may differ from
business to business, from organization to organization, or by type of initiative. But we have to
determine that Return on Investment.” - Janyer Dominguez, E-Marketing Manager at Mount Sinai
Medical Center, Miami, Florida 185
Chris Boyer, Director of Digital Marketing and Communications at Inova Health System, and a consultant to over
100 hospitals and physician practices, speaks often on the topic of ROI, and recommends use of a Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) program to enable this tracking. Boyer says, “We use a CRM database to track
patients’ engagement along the path from social media interactions, newsletter opt-ins or event signups, to
becoming a patient (and eventually, generating revenue).” 186
What better way to emphasize this point, however, than to hear what a hospital CEO has to say? Sara Criger,
CEO at St. Joseph’s in St. Paul, Minnesota stated, “More and more in healthcare, there are increased demands
on financial resources. Within marketing, there are so many opportunities that are possible; we must look at
evidence of what works best to decide where to invest.” 187 To get to the point of knowing what works best, it
may take some experimentation, starting with a creative approach, until the science of ROI can be applied. Or,
as technology solutions firm CSC puts it, “Start now but start small and monitor outcomes.” 188
184
Bevolo, Chris. “The Last Link in the ROI Chain.” ChrisBevolo.com. 2011 05 16. Web. 2012 01 20. http://www.chrisbevolo.com/2011/05/thelast-link-in-the-roi-chain/
185
ibid
186
Boyer, Christopher. “The ROI of Social Media.” The Thought Leaders Project: Hospital Marketing. (Kindle Locations 491-492). Minneapolis:
Bierbaum Publishing, LLC. 2011. Kindle Edition.
187
Bevolo, Chris. A Marketer’s Guide to Measuring Results: Prove the Impact of New Media and Traditional Healthcare Marketing Efforts.
Marblehead: HCPro. 2010. Print.
188
Lee, Jason S.; Lorincz, Caitlin; Drazen, Erica; Mayberry, Tracey; Ricca, Linda. “Should Healthcare Organizations Use Social Media?” CSC Insights.
Web. October 2011. http://assets1.csc.com/health_services/downloads/CSC_Should_Healthcare_Organizations_Use_Social_Media.pdf
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 29 of 34
Advice to Providers
Nearly 90% of physicians are now using social media for personal use. Some experience is being gained with the
new communication channels, and it is beginning to appear in professional use, too. A recent QuantiaMD study
found, “over 65% of physicians use some form of social media for professional purposes.” 189 Physician social
media participation is happening between physicians and, to a lesser degree, with patients. In either case, it is
important to remember a few key points as your participation unfolds:
•
Determine your goals for participating in social media channels. What is motivating you to establish a
digital presence? Examples could be managing and monitoring your online reputation, gaining new
patients, contributing to selected health care conversations, etc.
•
Determine your social media channels to participate in. There are various avenues including blogging,
Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and the list is growing. Select where you want to participate and be
consistent in your contributions. If you do not have a website, start by putting one in place and then add
from this point. Having a core platform is essential. Then add in a social media channel that you feel
most comfortable with.
•
Be yourself, meaning your social media conversations should reflect your personality, style and voice.
Authenticity is recognized and appreciated by community members.
•
Attend training sessions or conferences where social media practices are discussed. The Mayo Clinic
Center for Social Media is a great starting point, but there are also local conferences and resources
available. 190
•
Know your boundaries when it comes to socially interacting with your patients on social media. The
American Medical Association (AMA) 191 discourages this practice. The AMA states, “Using social media
can help physicians create a professional presence online, express their personal views and foster
relationships, but it can also create new challenges for the patient-physician relationship.” Friending
patients on Facebook, for example, is not common in the physician community (33% of U.S. physicians
have received Facebook friend requests from patients; 75% of them declined the invitations). 192
189
Doctors, Patients & Social Media, QuantiaMD and CareContinuum Alliance, September 2011. Web. 2012 01 24.
http://www.quantiamd.com/q-qcp/doctorspatientsocialmedia.pdf
190
Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. Mayo Clinic. http://socialmedia.mayoclinic.org/
191
“New AMA Policy Helps Guide Physicians’ Use of Social Media.” American Medical Association. 2010 11 08. Web. 2012 01 24.
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/news/news/social-media-policy.page
192
“Nearly All U.S. Doctors Are Now on Social Media.” American Medical News. 2011 09 26. Web. 2012 01 20. http://www.amaassn.org/amednews/2011/09/26/bil20926.htm
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 30 of 34
Advice to Consumers (Patients and Families)
A recent study found that 16% of those surveyed use social media sites as a source of health care information. 193
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were the most common channels used. With information readily available
within a simple Internet search, patients have access at their fingertips. The upside to this is patients can get
more involved in their health care and gain information to discuss issues or questions with their physicians. 194 In
many circles, they are called “engaged patients,” “empowered patients” or “e-patients.”
The goal of the e-patient movement is not to undermine the experience or training of the physician. Instead, it is
intended to give the patient information that may be helpful in forming a true partnership with his/her physician
to aid in determining the proper diagnosis, if the condition is not immediately evident. Additionally, knowing
where to find good health information can simply give the patient peace of mind about the diagnosis received
and more information that may help to improve the outcome.
As patients leverage social media to be more active in their health care, outlined below are a few questions to
consider.
• Do you want your name on what you share? If you are sharing information that you may not want
others to know about, then consider how you are sharing the information. Privacy is something to think
through.
•
What do you want to share? Consider the community you are participating in and how much
information you want to share within that community. Once the information is on the Internet (e.g.,
Facebook, Twitter, blog), it should be considered public information.
•
Are there established, reputable communities for specific types of health information you are
researching? Today, there are many specialized health communities centered on certain illnesses,
conditions and other issues. Research the communities and find one that best fits you. There are many
communities in which people are sharing their experiences, so it is highly probably for you to find
patients like you.
•
Do you trust the information you found? It is important to consider the sources of the information.
Even with the information found, it should be used to prepare you for a discussion with your physician.
•
Is your physician involved in social media? Ask your physician whether she is involved in any social
media communities or writes a blog. A secondary question may be “How important is it for your
physician to have a social media presence?” Connecting with the advice and stories your physician
writes may be a good starting point and may lead to other exchanges of viewpoints and experiences.
Social media is an enabling channel for patients. It delivers information and connections to communities that are
sharing similar experiences. As an e-patient, the objectives should be to strengthen the ownership in your health
and foster more meaningful conversations with your physicians. 195
193
“Patients Social Media Use Raises Practical Issues for Doctors.“ American Medical News. 2011 03 28. Web. 2012 01 20. http://www.amaassn.org/amednews/2011/03/28/bil20328.htm
194
Chen, Pauline. “Getting Patients to Take Charge of Their Health.” New York Times. 2012 01 12. Web. 2012 01 21.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/getting-patients-to-take-charge-of-their-health/
195
Society for Participatory Medicine. Web. 2012 01 21. http://participatorymedicine.org
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 31 of 34
Summing IT up:
Healthcare + Social Media = Social Health
This paper has described social media tools and shown many of the current uses of social media in healthcare.
But where does it lead? Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of social media company Reddit says, "Consider just putting
social in front of whatever industry you want to change.” 196 What if the industry began talking about “social
health” for the next several years? Would all of the stakeholders become more engaged – more social? Would
better outcomes be achieved? At least one company believes so, and has already made that leap – EmpowHER.
EmpowHER describes itself as a “social health company for women” – featuring an online health and wellness
content library, as well as a community for women to engage and discuss health issues. It was founded by
women’s health advocate Michelle King Robson, who started the company when she was working through her
own serious health issues that had pushed her to the point of considering suicide. Ultimately, taking personal
responsibility for her own health, she endured and succeeded in her search for a cure through the right doctor
and treatment, and is now passionate about helping other women with the same journey. Through its various
communications channels and syndication, EmpowHER reached 60 million women in 2011, and anticipates
reaching 250 million women in 2012. 197 198
When asked to describe “social health,” and what the future should look like, EmpowHER President and COO
Thom Brodeur described it as follows:
“At EmpowHER, we describe Social Health as a 21st century movement where health care practitioners and
providers, health and wellness brands, and consumers are coming together using social media tools and social
networking platforms to improve health, change and save lives. We define Social Health as health and wellness
by the people, for the people. We have learned a lot about the tens of millions of female health consumers who
come to us every year for answers to their health questions. They visit our peer health community to join
women like them, and consume advocacy resources that help them take charge of their own health and
wellness. In fact nearly a hundred thousand have asked a question, shared a story or made a comment on a
relevant bit of news.
“Every day we work to create a world-class social health platform for women and their families. One where they
can come to find the help, validation, support and resources they need to live their healthiest, best lives. One
where they can take charge of their own health, become a better partner with their providers and caregivers,
one where they can drive their own health and wellness. It is empowering health – socially.” 199
196
Frommer, Dan , Jen Ortiz. “The Future of Social Media Is…” Business Insider. 2011 11 01. Web. 2012 02 07.
http://www.businessinsider.com/future-of-social-media-2011-11#alexis-ohanian-co-founder-of-reddit-18
197
“Michelle’s Story.” EmpowHER.com Web. 2012 02 06. http://www.empowher.com/content/michelles-story
“EmpowHER Media Encourages Women to ‘Spread the Health’ With New Social Media Campaign.” EmpowHER.com
2012 02 10. Web. 2012 02 10.
http://press.empowher.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=2A0EF87C5CB486AC&version=live&prid=850394&releasejsp=cu
stom_130
199
Brodeur, Thom. Personal Interview. 2012 02 07
198
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 32 of 34
When Business Insider asked 19 successful social media entrepreneurs and experts to complete the sentence,
“The Future of Social Media is…,” a common theme was that social media would become commonplace, and the
world “social” would eventually disappear. (The same has occurred with the “e” in “e-government”; citizens now
expect to interact with government agencies online.)
Dennis Crowley, co-founder and CEO of Foursquare stated, “The future of social media... is that the social graph
becomes so ubiquitous in everything we do that we stop using the term 'social media'.” 200
Vimeo CEO Dae Mellencamp’s response echoed Crowley’s. “The future of social media is the loss of the
distinction between media and social interaction online. Mass media and social media will be seamlessly
integrated across devices and platforms to offer relevant, dynamic, personalized experiences for people
anywhere.” 201
So, IF Healthcare + Social Media = Social Health (today),
THEN Social Health (today) = Health (future)
What better incentive for healthcare stakeholders to get more involved in social media today, than to ensure
that they are still involved in healthcare in the future? It is clear from both the statistics and the current uses
that there is no returning to a pre-social media healthcare, and that healthcare will continue to move forward
and incorporate more uses of social media. The only question is, “Will you?”
As Lee Aase, Director of the Social Media Center for the Mayo Clinic advises, “Take some baby steps and get into
the shallow end of the pool as soon as possible. The great strategic ideas will probably come after you have
some experience in the social media world.” 202
200
Frommer, Dan , Jen Ortiz. “The Future of Social Media Is…” Business Insider. 2011 11 01. Web. 2012 02 07.
http://www.businessinsider.com/future-of-social-media-2011-11#dennis-crowley-co-founder-and-ceo-of-foursquare-1
201
Ibid. http://www.businessinsider.com/future-of-social-media-2011-11#dae-mellencamp-ceo-of-vimeo-9#ixzz1lrdU8j00
202
“6 tips from Lee Aase About Getting Involved with Social Media.” Ragan’s Health Care Communication News. 2010 04 4. Web. 2012 02 09.
http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/Main/Articles/6_tips_from_Lee_Aase_about_getting_involved_with_s_5049.aspx
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 33 of 34
Acknowledgements
Ileana Balcu, MS, Dulcian, Inc.
Mike Gomez, Bon Secours Kentucky
Jon Mertz, Core Point Health
Josh Perkey, HSM Consulting
Robin Poirier, MBA
Pranjal Shah, MSIE, Memorial Healthcare
Brad Tritle, CIPP, CPHIT, Informative Graphics
Daniel Webster Jr., MBA, 2nd Opinion
Mary P. Griskewicz, Senior Director, Healthcare IS, HIMSS
Valerie Knoke, Senior Associate, Ambulatory IS, HIMSS
For additional questions, please contact:
Mary Griskewicz at [email protected]
Brad Tritle at [email protected]
This paper was authored by the HIMSS Social Networking Work Group of the HIMSS Personal Health Information Technology Task Force
©2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
Page 34 of 34