Social Networking: how to make a positive impact on your practice and healthcare

optimawomenshealthcare.com
drjerath.com

Krause CPA Konnect | October 24, 2012
Social Media Doctor
Doctor heads to social media to find patients
9News Video
Profile story by Cheryl Preheim
November 4, 2011

Vandna Jerath, MD, FACOG
 FACOG - Board-Certified
 Private practice - 14 years
 Previously in Westminster/Thornton
 Recently relocated to Parker Adventist Hospital
 Full-scope obstetrics & gynecology
 Enjoy education and community outreach
 Disclosure – no affiliations
 Not a social media expert – just decided to try it
 Now active user and advocate
 Now a local pioneer, expert, and resource
 Presentations/Consulting
 DMS, PAH, 4corners MGMA, colleagues, practice managers, case studies
 drjerath.com

Optima Women’s Healthcare
Services
 Low and high risk obstetrics
 Minimally invasive gynecologic surgery
 Novasure and Thermachoice Endometrial ablation
 Essure sterilization
 Family planning and infertility
 Menopause and hormone replacement therapy
 Bladder retraining and incontinence surgery
Women’s health resource/expert
Female empowerment
Spa-like setting
Individualized, personalized, and compassionate care
optimawomenshealthcare.com

Objectives
Discuss social media, the variety of platforms, and why
it is so important
Discuss how social media impacts healthcare and how
to benefit from social networking.
Discuss how to grow a practice (or promote other
healthcare objectives) via word of mouse.

What is Social Media?
A cocktail party or networking event
Microblogging or “small talk”
Collaborative online networking and communication
Starting a conversation
Developing a relationship
Maintaining communication
60-90% people use internet for health related information
Usage
Personal vs professional
Here to stay – NOT A TREND
Strong growth and future
Time to get on board

Inspiration
“Profits are like oxygen. You need it to survive, but ultimately
what matters is passion, growth, and a higher purpose.”
@zappos – Tony Hsieh, CEO
 “Transparency & Values: Twitter constantly reminds me of who I
want to be, and what I want Zappos to stand for”
 “Reframing Reality: Twitter encourages me to search for ways to
view reality in a funnier and/or more positive way”
 “Helping Others: Twitter makes me think about how to make a
positive impact on other people’s lives”
 “Gratitude: Twitter helps me notice and appreciate the little things
in life”

Growth and Reach of Social Media
 To reach 50 million users
 Radio - 38 years
 TV - 13 years
 Internet - 4 years
 Facebook – less than 6 months
 Social Media Now
 Facebook - 1 billion users
 Twitter - 500 million users
 Linked In - 175 million users
 YouTube - 800 million users
 Google+ - 100 million users
 Pinterest – 20 million users
 Blogs - 150 million
 Other - My Space, Flickr, Yelp, Yammer
 Medical – Sermo, Medpedia, PPT

A Day In the Internet
Infographic
Demonstrates the power and reach of the internet

Hospital Usage
U.S. Hospitals that use Social Networking tools
1,501 Hospitals total
 695 YouTube Channels
 1264 Facebook pages
 967 Twitter Accounts
 651 LinkedIn Accounts
 1116 Four Square
 185 Blogs
 55 Google + Circle
6,379 Hospital Social Networking Sites
Sources:

Types of Social Media
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Linked In
 YouTube
 Google +
 Pinterest
 Four Square
 My Space
 Flickr
 Tumblr
 Yelp
 Yammer
 Blog
 Website
 Medical
 Sermo
 Medpedia
 PPT

Why Use Social Media?
My Top Ten Reasons
Branding
Marketing/Growth
Patient and Self -Education
Community Outreach
Transparency/Credibility
Loyalty
Interest/Interaction/Engagement
Networking/Messaging
Direct Access
Innovation

My Social Media Usage
 Facebook
 Facebook.com/drjerath
 Facebook.com/optimawhc
 Twitter
 Twitter.com/drjerath
 Twitter.com/optimawhc
 YouTube
 Youtube.com/doctorjerath
 Linked In
 Linkedin.com/in/drjerath
 Google +
 Gplus.to/drjerath
 Gplus.to/optimawhc
 Pinterest
 Pinterest.com/drjerath
 Pinterest.com/optimawhc
 Blog
 Drjerath.com
 Website
 Optimawomenshealthcare.com

My Content
 Women’s health
 My ob/gyn practice
 Baby photos (with patient consent)
 Pregnancy tips
 Medical issue in the news
 General medicine
 Healthcare reform
 Health awareness promotion
 Trivia – OptimaWHC Healthe-Challenge
 Polls
 Contests
 Sports
 Politics
 World news
 Fashion

My Costs & Investment
FREE
Time is money
Time investment
Full-time ob/gyn, patients come first
3 months solid to get started
Maintenance 1-2 hours/week
Minimal website and blog hosting fee
< $20/month
Marketing
Most practices 5-10% of revenue
I spend < $1000/year

My Success One of the first physicians locally with extensive social media involvement
 Over 5000 social media connections
 New physician in new market/community
 Marketing and growth opportunity
 New patients
 Creating a brand and credibility
 Develop and maintain loyalty
 Provide transparency
 Patient and community outreach and education
 Ability to be a resource
 Patient interaction and word of mouse
 Direct physician access
 Positive image
 Exponential growth
 Increased online visibility
 Higher SEO
 Network with other colleagues
 New opportunities
 Considered a local #hcsm expert and pioneer
 Writing articles, interviews, blogs, presentations, consulting
 Staff involvement
 FUN

My ROI
25
10
40
25
Patient Referral Sources
COG Patients
Print/Other
Referrals
Social Media

Facebook.com/greenwaymedical

Doctors and Social Media: should
the two mix?

Doctors and Social Media: should
the two mix?
 Another local doctor that tweets frequently is Dr. Vandna Jerath, MD of
Optima Women's Healthcare. She tweets both about what's going on in the
women's health field locally and on a more global scale, showing that she keeps
up-to-date with current medical knowledge. She also engages people on a
personal level, whether they are patients or not. For example, awhile back a
rather touchy, and often considered controversial, subject came up. When
differing points of view were presented, she didn't attack or say anything
resembling "I'm a doctor so what I say is the only thing that matters," like many
doctors I have encountered. She addressed each point of view from an honest
perspective and even acknowledged that, in some cases, what is right for one
family may not be right for another. I admit that I was very impressed by this.
I'm not a patient of either of these doctors but I follow them, regardless, as the
information that they share can be helpful, especially in the case of Dr. Jerath.

Facebook Tips for Doctors’ Offices
and Medical Practices

Facebook Tips for Doctors’ Offices
and Medical Practices
 Be a source of health tips or medical news
 Answer a medical question in general terms, suggest an appointment
 Answer common questions coming in to the office
 Answer a patient billing complaint
 Always thank patients for endorsements(it encourages more)
 Show benefits and answer questions about a therapy
 Show a specificexpertise
 Show a new or improved piece of technology
 Show an educational video
 Introduceor recognize doctors and staff
 Introduceor recognize doctors and staff
 Show some personality of your office
 Offeran educational or inspirational contest on Facebook
 Ask a question with Facebook’s polling function
 Make a seasonal or short-timeoffer
 Promoteyour patient portal or blog
 Show communityspirit — let your page be a neighborhood bulletin board

Physician Social Media Users Say
ROI is Real -

Facebook.com/drjerath

Facebook.com/optimawhc

Twitter.com/drjerath

Twitter.com/optimawhc

Linkedin.com/in/drjerath

Youtube.com/doctorjerath

Gplus.to/drjerath

Gplus.to/optimawhc

Pinterest.com/drjerath

Drjerath.com

Optimawomenshealthcare.com

Getting Started
 Getting started
 Challenging
 Overwhelming
 Can be done on your own
 Inexpensive
 Investment of time
 Use local resources
 Social Media 101 workshop
 Professional internet, SEO, marketing companies
 Read blogs and advice on the internet
 Try it, experiment and learn
 Keep learning
 Work in progress
 Have fun – it is NOT a chore

Simple Steps
 Set-up Google alert
 Set-up Google analytics
 Set-up website
 Identify who can manage your social media
 Have a social media policy
 Encourage the physicians to participate
 Start with a facebook practice page and tell your patients
 Expand from there
 Rotate content on your sites
 Engage your audience

Advertise your Social Media
Business Cards
Marketing
Tell patients
Newsletters
Emails
Postcards
Brochures
Patient Portal
Flyers
Encourage participation
Encourage staff
Create engagement and interaction

Email Signature

Brochure

Your Concerns
HIPAA compliance
Patient interaction
Patient consent
Boundaries
Medical Advice
Ethical Standards
Time consumption
Management of social media
Getting started

Future of healthcare social media
 More physician involvement
 More hospital involvement
 More patient interaction and communication
 More collaborative networking
 Telemedicine
 Medical and Healthcare Apps
 Direct healthcare and medical advice
 Medical news
 Medical surveys
 Medical marketing
 Referrals
 Emergency and Disaster Information

My Top Ten Tips
Be yourself and be personable
Share, share, and share
Keep professional and ethical boundaries
Know why you are doing this and what your goals are
Know your audience
Engage your fans, patients, followers, supporters, & friends
Be a resource, leader, and expert
Listen, ask, acknowledge, and respond (don’t be self-
absorbed) – keep learning
Keep branding and marketing
ALWAYS stay positive

My Favorite Resources
Socialmedia.mayoclinic.org
Smedio.com
Socialmediaexaminer.com
Blog.Hubspot.com
Healthissocial.com
Business.twitter.com
Chrisbrogan.com
Problogger.com
Copyblogger.com
Ebennett.org
Mashable.com
Kevinmd.com

Facebook Page Timeline Cheat
Sheet - Infographic
Everything you need to know to get started with or
manage a business facebook timeline page
6 steps from Hubspot
Read more:

Facebook Page Timeline Cheat Sheet

Contact Information
Vandna Jerath, MD
Optima Women’s Healthcare
Sierra Medical Office Building
Parker Adventist Hospital Campus
9399 Crown Crest Blvd, Suite 450
Parker, CO 80138
303.805.1807 P | 303.595.5390 F
optimawomenshealthcare.com
drjerath.com
Email - vjerathmd@optimawomenshealthcare.com

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