1. Why Social Media are Essential
to Healthcare’s Future
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
Social Media in Healthcare Conference
Zurich
January 26, 2010

8. Agenda
• Why is a traditional organization like
Mayo Clinic involved in social media?
• How did this happen?
• Why must will use of social tools
become more widespread in healthcare?
• Nine theses plus World Premiere of 36th

10. Thesis #1: Air was the
original social medium

15. Mayo Clinic and Word of Mouth
• 91 percent of patients surveyed say
they have said “good things” to an
average of 40 people after a Mayo visit
• 85 percent say they recommended
Mayo to a friend
− Advised an average of 16 to come
− 5 actually came

16. Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100

17. #2: Electronic tools merely
facilitate broader, more
efficient transmission by
overcoming inertia and
friction

19. #4: Social media are the
third millennium’s defining
communications trend

21. #9: Mass media will remain
powerful levers that move --
and are moved by -- social
media buzz.

27. Follow the adventure/research
• #Xmedicine
• bit.ly/Xmedicine

28. #12: Failure to understand
social media = media
malpractice

29. #17: Social media are free in
any ordinary sense of the
word (or at least ridiculously
inexpensive)

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

33. In England, based on current
exchange rates:
£0,00

34. In the European Union:
€0,00

35. Cost for a Standard Definition
Flip Video Camera
$149.99
HD available for an additional $50

36. podcasts.mayoclinic.org

37. newsblog.mayoclinic.org

38. sharing.mayoclinic.org

39. Yearly Cost for a
Customized Blog
$75.00

40. #18: As I approaches zero,
ROI approaches infinity

42. Getting the right patient to the
right doctor at the right time

43. #19: MacGyver is the model
for social media success

44. The MacGyver Mindset

45. Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications

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

47. Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts

49. #20: Social media enable
authentic communication if
you don’t purposefully
complicate things

50. 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

51. Case Study: Simple Storytelling
• 8:45 a.m. Colleague mentions article
coming off embargo at 3 p.m.
• Interviewed M.D. via Flip at 10:20
• Edited video and had password-
protected post on blog by 11:55 for
pitching
• Uploaded files to YouTube channel
• WSJ Health Blog used video

53. What’s Next?

54. Personalized Medicine and
Personalized Media

55. High Impact Public Health and
Disease Management
• From reach/frequency to engagement
• From public service announcement to
personal relevance
• “The only person who is with the
patient all the time is the patient.”

56. Treating Medically-Induced PTSD

57. Pre-Visit Preparatory Videos

58. The 36th Thesis
If your organization can’t find a way to
constructively use free tools that enable
deep, two-way communication with
anyone, anywhere, anytime, your real
problem is lack of imagination.

60. Basic Social Media “Food Groups”

61. Contact me by...
• Googling Lee Aase or SMUG U
• @LeeAase on Twitter
• aase.lee@mayo.edu