1. Social Media in Health Care:
A Mayo Clinic Progress Update
MHSCN
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
July 23, 2009

2. Agenda
• Updating a Previous MHSCN
Presentation
• The MacGyver Mindset
• Examining the Toolbox
• Health Care Penetration & Examples
• Mayo Clinic’s Experience
• Case Study
2

3. About Lee Aase - @LeeAase
• B.S. Political Science
• 14 years in politics and government at
local, state, national levels
• Mayo Clinic since April 2000
• Media relations consultant
• Manager since 2004
• Media Relations/Research Comm
• Syndication and Social Media
3

4. The power of Facebook...
• Evelyn’s existence
• Videos from Grand Rapids
4

5. Disclaimers
• These results not typical
• Use as directed
• Read and follow label directions
• Side effects may include vertigo, watery
eyes, crackberry thumb and iPhone
application addiction
• Social media tools are an essential part of a
balanced communications diet
• If insufficient media coverage persists,
consult your communications doctor
• Your mileage may vary
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6. The Most Important Word (and
Book Recommendation) in Web 2.0
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7. Star Tribune Values and The
Changing Media Landscape
• 1998 $1.2 Billion
• 2006: $530 Million
• Today: Bankruptcy
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8. 8

9. The MacGyver Mindset
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10. Overview of FREE Tools
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• RSS
• Social Networks
• Wikis
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Updates: Slideshare, uStream, Skype
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11. Intro to Blogs
• Just an easy-to-publish Web site that
allows comments
• Blogs in Plain English - Lee LeFever
11

12. RSS = Really Simple Syndication
• Lets you easily track dozens of blogs
or other Web sites without surfing
• Truly opt-in “email”
• RSS “baked in” to IE 7, Safari
• Google Reader a free Web option
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13. Podcasts
• TiVo for Audio (and now video)
• Don’t need an iPod to use
• Series of segments to which you can
subscribe via RSS
• iTunes free for PC or Mac
• Create your own FREE podcast
(listed in iTunes) through SMUG
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14. Social Networking Sites
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15. Wikis
• Collaborative editing tools
• Wikipedia the most famous
• 2.9 million articles in English
• Definitive stories quickly on
• 35W Bridge Collapse
• Virginia Tech shooting
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16. 16

17. YouTube
• World’s second largest search
engine
• Google bought for $1.65 Billion
• “The world has voted, and we want
to watch videos on YouTube.” - Andy
Sernovitz, Blog Council
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18. 18

19. Other Important Platforms
• Slideshare.net: YouTube for
PowerPoint and Keynote
• uStream.tv: Your own global
television channel
• Skype: Audio and Videoconferencing
• Mix and Match
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21. 21

22. Twitter Case Study #1: Listening
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23. Ensuing Conversation
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24. Twitter Case Study #2: “Tweetup”
in Baltimore
Me: Are you based in Baltimore?
Me: I’m going to be there Tuesday for this conference.
(asae.center.or/hcc) on a panel RU available late pm?
Me: I’m flying out Tues at 6:45 p.m. Any avail in the later
afternoon? I think my panel is done about 2:30
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25. Twitter Case Study #3:
Journalist Interactions
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26. 26

27. Hospitals Using Social Media
(via @EdBennett)
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28. Growth of YouTube vs. Twitter
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30. 30

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32. 32

33. 33

34. Mayo Clinic’s Social Media
Experience
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35. Mayo Clinic’s Origin
http://tinyurl.com/32xbjx

36. Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
2006 Study
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100
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37. Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications
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38. Mayo Clinic Social Media Progression
• Reach people directly
• Started with Medical Edge
• Produce economically to fit medium
• Provide platforms for sharing
• Create outposts on popular sites
• Energize word of mouth
• Leverage social media with mass media
and vice versa
• Sharing Mayo Clinic
38

39. First Foray in New Media
• Existing Medical Edge radio mp3s
• Launched Sept. ‘05; Downloads up
8,217 percent Oct. vs. Aug.

40. Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts
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42. 42

43. 43

44. 44

45. Total Cost for Mayo Clinic
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
$0.00
45

46. Key Tool: Flip Video Camera*
• Affordable for all campuses (and you)
• Recording interviews (with tripod)
improves existing processes
• Authenticity without writer’s cramp
• Provides potential blog resources
• Audio of full interview
• Video excerpts
• Limited group of video editors to
ease adoption, ensure quality
46

47. Cost for a Standard Definition Flip
Video Camera
$150.00
HD available for an additional $80
47

48. HD: Worth the Investment
48

49. podcasts.mayoclinic.org
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50. newsblog.mayoclinic.org
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51. Next Step: Launched 1/22/2009
Sharing Mayo Clinic
• Gathering global Mayo community
• Patients telling their stories
• Employee bloggers recruited from
throughout organization
• Video profiles of patients/staff
• Hub to integrate Mayo social media
• Interactive companion to print edition
• sharing.mayoclinic.org
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52. sharing.mayoclinic.org
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53. Benefits of Comment Threads
• Patient stories most popular on .org
• Outlet for grateful patients who want
to tell their stories
• Prompts patients to think about
sharing stories
• Alerts us to great stories we may
want to feature in publications,
Medical Edge, media pitches
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54. Where Sharing Mayo Clinic Fits
• News Blog - Breaking research news;
“Hard” news - Like U.S News, Time
• Podcast Blog - Evergreen “news you
can use” - Like Prevention
• Sharing Mayo Clinic - Features;
behind the scenes at Mayo Clinic,
and stories from patients in their own
words - Like People
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55. Other Blogs...
• Health Policy Center Blog
• Physician Update Blog - For referring
MDs but not limited to them
• Diversity in Education Blog
• Advancing the Science - Medical
science blog - our medical version of
Scientific American
55

56. Yearly Cost for a
Customized Blog
$75.00
56

57. Old-Style Online Newsroom vs.
MacGyver Online Newsroom
• Web 1.0 Online Newsroom
• Typically purchased from a Vendor
• Costly - up to $10,000 + monthly fee
• Password-Protected Access
• MacGyver Online Newsroom
• DIY
• $45/year or $0.12/day
• Open to customers/patients/links
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58. Overcoming Objections
• “But what about the cost in staff time
to maintain all of these social media
platforms? They’re not really free!”
• AT&T free phone service in 1969
• Pitney Bowes free fax machines
and supplies in 1989
• YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
free in 2009
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59. Sharing Some Stories...
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60. 60

61. Affirming our Employees
Dear staff,
This 4 minute video actually made me tear
up…the patients mentioning our Judd
Sessions, classes and pamphlets…in relation
to their satisfaction with their care. How
wonderful to hear.
The patient/family testimonials reminded me
how we are making a difference through patient
education in the lives of our patients/families.
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62. Two Case Studies of Mainstream
Media Facilitated by Social Media
• Wall Street Journal Health Blog
• Pitched via Facebook
• Previewed on News Blog
• Embedded from YouTube
• CBS Radio Network
• Flip audio downloaded from news
blog made national network air
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63. Don’t (just) pitch the media.
Be the media.
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64. Enhancing Distribution of
Patient-Generated Content
• Alerted to interesting video of elderly
couple playing piano in Gonda atrium
• Embedded in Sharing Mayo Clinic,
posted to Facebook, Tweeted on 4/7/09
• Video had been seen 1,005 times in six
preceding months since upload
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65. The next day...
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66. Six days later...
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67. April 22
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68. Sunday, May 3
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69. 69

70. 70

71. May 4
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72. Cinco de Mayo
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73. May 6
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74. Thursday, May 7
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75. May 10
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76. 76

77. May 11
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78. May 12
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79. A sampling of the comments...
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80. May 15
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81. Early Morning May 26
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82. May 26, 2009: Live in Studio
Good Morning America
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83. May 28, 2009
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84. Results to Date
• More than 4 million views on
YouTube
• Before posting to Sharing Mayo
Clinic: 1,000 views in six months
• After posting, Facebooking and
Tweeting: 5,000 views per hour
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85. Lessons
• Your mileage may vary, but...
• You’ll go a lot farther if you get a car.
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86. Summary
• Twitter, Facebook, YouTube: $0
• Sharing Mayo Clinic blog: $75
• Bringing joy to the world
through music: Priceless
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87. Immense Potential
• Marketing we couldn’t buy
• 500,000 annual unique patients,
50,000 employees as ambassadors
• More efficient care delivery
• Patient support groups
• Chronic disease management
• Workplace Collaboration
• Free versions let you prove concept,
gauge readiness
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88. “Your kids aren’t
smarter than you are.
They’re just not
afraid to look dumb.”
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89. Six Personal Steps to Explore
• Establish a permanent personal email
• Get profiles in Facebook, LinkedIn
• Get a Twitter account
• Get a Flip camera (or iPhone 3GS?)
• Create a personal YouTube account
• Start a personal Blog
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90. Four Starter Steps for Institutions
• Claim your organization’s Twitter
“handle”
• Create a Facebook “fan” page
• Create a YouTube channel
• For Extra Credit: If you have
organizational commitment, create a
multi-author blog
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