Hospitals and Social Media Ed Bennett, Director of Web Strategy University of Maryland Medical System A Survey of Best Practices

What is Social Media? It’s a conversation, not a lecture It’s an extension of everyday interaction It’s group driven, not top-down It’s messy, disorganized & hard to control It’s a tool, not an end-point But most of all…

It’s a conversation, not a lecture

It’s an extension of everyday interaction

It’s group driven, not top-down

It’s messy, disorganized & hard to control

It’s a tool, not an end-point

But most of all…

It’s a bunch of Web Sites with very silly names

Web / Health 2.0 as a Disruptive Force Source: John Sharp - ehealth.johnwsharp.com Uses licenses with few restrictions Intellectual Property is closely guarded Quick deployment Long deployment lead times Information from trusted networks Information from authoritative sources Risk Taking Risk Adverse Web / Health 2.0 Values Health Care Values

How can a Hospital use Social Media? A. How do they use this tool?

A. How do they use this tool?

How can a Hospital use Social Media? Customer Service: Contact point for our customers, catch problems early. Community Outreach: The people in our physical community are on these sites. Patient Education: Natural extension of efforts to reach & teach. Public Relations: The media is there looking for stories & sources. Crisis Communications: Take control of the message, and keep community updated in real-time.

Customer Service: Contact point for our customers, catch problems early.

Community Outreach: The people in our physical community are on these sites.

Patient Education: Natural extension of efforts to reach & teach.

Public Relations: The media is there looking for stories & sources.

Crisis Communications: Take control of the message, and keep community updated in real-time.

Social Media Adoption Curve education observation broadcast participation relationships collaboration 1-way -> 2-way take value -> add value social media experience mixtmediastrategies.com

Hospital Social Networking Accounts Data as of May 3, 2009 - Source: ebennett.org/data 131 YouTube 250 U.S. Hospitals: 24 Blogs 160 Twitter 94 Facebook

Social Media at the University of Maryland Medical System Univ. Of Maryland Medical Center University Of Maryland Medical System Nine hospital system App. 2,000 beds www.umms.org 669 Beds 32,000 inpatients / 300,000 outpatients A partner with the Univ. of Md. School of Medicine Home of the Shock Trauma Center www.umm.edu www.umms.org

University Of Maryland Medical System

Nine hospital system

App. 2,000 beds

669 Beds

32,000 inpatients / 300,000 outpatients

A partner with the Univ. of Md. School of Medicine

Home of the Shock Trauma Center

YouTube One of largest Social Media sites # 2 Search Engine Easiest / Safest for Hospitals Transition between push and collaborative models www.youtube.com/ummc

One of largest Social Media sites

# 2 Search Engine

Easiest / Safest for Hospitals

Transition between push and collaborative models

UMMC YouTube Videos Over 100 videos Duplicates umm.edu site content Based on educational cable TV show www.youtube.com/ummc

Over 100 videos

Duplicates umm.edu site content

Based on educational cable TV show

The "Secret Sauce" for getting viewers: Detailed Descriptions

The "Secret Sauce" for getting viewers:

Detailed Descriptions

YouTube Traffic Our hospital site gets over 75,000 visitors / day 1,500 watch a video on www.umm.edu YouTube Videos are watched 600 times / day These are new visitors – new exposure UMM Video Consumption 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 60,000 70,000 80,000 Sep-08 Oct-08 Nov-08 Dec-08 Jan-09 Feb-09 Mar-09 Umm.edu YouTube

Our hospital site gets over 75,000

visitors / day

1,500 watch a video on www.umm.edu

YouTube Videos are watched 600

times / day

Facebook The largest Social Network with 200 million active users. Demographics shifting to match population Patients want to share their stories We are still learning, Facebook can be a confusing place It’s blocked at our hospital! www.umm.edu/fb

Facebook

The largest Social Network with 200 million active users.

Demographics shifting to match population

Patients want to share their stories

We are still learning, Facebook can be a confusing place

It’s blocked at our hospital!

Twitter The new kid on the block, with lots of media attention Fastest acceptance by Hospitals Simple to understand & to start using A long-term commitment Best used for conversations not push www.twitter.com/ummc

The new kid on the block, with lots of media attention

Fastest acceptance by Hospitals

Simple to understand & to start using

A long-term commitment

Best used for conversations not push

RT @UMMC A good measure of engagement Do people like what we post? Rule of Thirds - don't always talk about yourself Note - only story on this ReTweet list that’s about UMMC

A good measure of engagement

Do people like what we post?

Rule of Thirds - don't always talk about yourself

Twitter, UMMS and the AP Early December 2008, an AP Reporter sees this conversation on Twitter Media Engagement

Early December 2008, an AP Reporter sees this conversation on Twitter

The story makes it appear we are doing furloughs. After showing AP the original Tweets, they issue a clarification. Twitter, UMMC and the AP Media Engagement "If they do it once, I think it's easier for them to try to do it again," said Carrie Swartout, who researches traumatic brain injuries at the University of Maryland Medical Center . Maryland is requiring unpaid time off for 67,000 of its 80,000 employees as it struggles with a budget crisis.

The story makes it appear we are doing furloughs.

After showing AP the original Tweets, they issue a clarification.

Best Practices at other Hospitals Community Engagement Real-time education Referring Physician Outreach Coordinated Social Media Programs Customer Service Crisis Communications

Community Engagement

Real-time education

Referring Physician Outreach

Coordinated Social Media Programs

Customer Service

Crisis Communications

Community Outreach Sutter Eden Medical Engages the local community about hospital building plans with this blog and a Twitter feed. suttermedicalcentercastrovalley.org twitter.com/SutterEdenMed

Sutter Eden Medical

Engages the local community about hospital building plans with this blog and a Twitter feed.

Real-time Education Henry Ford Health Series of Live Surgical Twitter-casts Q and A with Surgeons Updates in real-time Seen as an educational tool first / Promotional tool second HFH received national press coverage Estimate 500+ followed in real-time twitter.com/HenryFordNews Tumor resection is almost over! This is better than any episode of ER, Grey's, etc! Great videos. Thanks to the amazingness of the patient for letting us see this! This is a fantastic tool to help patients get comfortable with a procedure ahead of time

Henry Ford Health

Series of Live Surgical Twitter-casts

Q and A with Surgeons

Updates in real-time

Seen as an educational tool first / Promotional tool second

HFH received national press coverage

Estimate 500+ followed in real-time

Referring Physician Outreach MD Anderson Cancer Center Using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote use of Referring Physician Portals Builds Patient volume and physician loyalty 9.5% increase in registrations twitter.com/PhysRelations

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Using Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to promote use of Referring Physician Portals

Builds Patient volume and physician loyalty

9.5% increase in registrations

Coordinated Social Media Programs "Sharing" blog is hub for: Facebook YouTube Twitter Clear guidelines for employees and blog submissions Employees seen as brand ambassadors sharing.mayoclinic.org

"Sharing" blog is hub for:

Facebook

YouTube

Twitter

Clear guidelines for employees and blog submissions

Employees seen as

brand ambassadors

Customer Service Scripps Health: Monitors Social Networks for the Scripps name Steps in to help & resolve problems twitter.com/Scrippshealth

Innovis Health Fargo, North Dakota Used a Blog and Twitter during the recent floods. Created the blog and had first update posted in one hour Decreased Media demands & freed phone lines during the emergency Took control of their message Crisis Communications

How can your organization use Social Media? These examples could apply to any public facing organization Any communication function should be considered Ask your customers / Look at your competition Where does your community live?

Thank You Edward Bennett Director, Web Strategy University of Maryland Medical System 410-328-0771 [email_address] http://ebennett.org