9 Actionable
Healthcare Tweets
from
HIMSS 2015
Buddy Scalera
Content Strategist
BuddyScalera.com
WordsPicturesWeb.com
Buddy@buddyscalera.com
Marilyn E. Cox
Marketing Principal
Industry Center of Excellence
Oracle Marketing Cloud Industry
Solutions
Marilyn.e.cox@oracle.com

Introduction to HIMSS 2015
• The HIMSS Annual Conference is the largest health
IT event in the industry.
• This year over 41,000 individuals attended.
• Healthcare professionals, clinicians and executives
from around the world gathered to explore the value
of health IT through education, networking and
solutions.
• Every attendee leaves having discovered new ways
to advance innovation, make a greater impact and
improve outcomes.
#HIMSS2015
#HCMKTNG
HIMSS.org/

Marilyn E. Cox
@MarilynECox
Oracle.com
BusinessIsChildsPlay.com
The Authors
Buddy Scalera
@MarketingBuddy
WordsPicturesWeb.com
BuddyScalera.com
Check out Marilyn’s Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/AmericanRegistry

Actionable Insights
At the Healthcare Information and Management Systems
Society (HIMSS) 2015 conference, Marilyn E. Cox tweeted her
notes and observations. She shared 100+ tweets with the
#HIMSS2015 hashtag.
Following the conference, Marilyn and Buddy Scalera prepared
these Action Items for healthcare marketers and content
strategists.
The views expressed in this presentation by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views and position of their employers.
@MarilynECox

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #24: Design with patient and caregiver in mind.
Understand their wants, what they’ll use, and provide support
Insight
According to stats from the CDC,
"The typical caregiver is a 46 year
old woman with some college
experience and provides more
than 20 hours of care each week
to her mother."
Action Item
Serving patients effectively often
means support for caregivers.
Consider patient-education
materials and compliance
resources that can be utilized by
caregivers. Note that certain
caregivers may offer support
remotely.
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/facts.htm
1

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #60: Empower patients to actively manage health
and partner in their health care through secure access to info.
Insight
According to a survey conducted
online by Harris Poll, 37% of
people who use a wearable
device/fitness tracker wear it every
day. And 78% of those using
wearable devices/fitness trackers
more than once a month feel it is
useful for their doctors to have
access to that information.
Action Item
Facilitate a 2-way conversation
between patients/caregivers and
HCP/wellness teams. Provide
access to the information required
for managed healthcare, and
provide that information across the
channels preferred by the patient.
Don’t take a one-size-fits-all
approach.
Source: https://www.eclinicalworks.com/pr-harris-poll-patient-engagement-survey/
2

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #51: Focus on whole-person goals & promote
shared decision-making to improve care experience and quality of life
Insight
According to the CDC, measuring
Health-Related Quality of Life
(HRQOL) “can help determine the
burden of preventable disease,
injuries, and disabilities, and it can
provide valuable new insights into
the relationships between HRQOL
and risk factors.”
Action Item
Healthcare has become focused
on specialty medicine, which is
essential for advanced treatment.
However, every healthcare
professional must be aware of the
whole patient and consider all
relevant HRQOL factors during
diagnosis, treatment, and beyond.
More on HCQOL from the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/concept.htm
Source: http://www.cdc.gov/hrqol/concept.htm
3

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #43: when designing healthcare app consider
patient, care team, friends and family, channel, devices, language.
Insight
There are 43,700+ medical apps in the
Apple store alone. However, not all
medical apps are genuine healthcare
apps. 69% are intended for consumers
and patients, while 31% are intended for
clinical use.
The majority of apps intended for
consumers are simplistic in design, and
do little more than provide information.
Only 159 have the ability to track or
capture data entered by the user, and
fewer than 50 provide calculators or tools
to measure their vitals.
Action Item
Leverage medical apps to collect
insights to better service your
audience and guide the direction
of new content creation. Deliver
interactive content that promotes
healthy lifestyles, medication
adherence, and empowers all
individuals to self-educate and
become their own advocate.
4

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #25: Consider multichannel. Integrate check-in
kiosks with patient portals for faster check-in and bill payment.
Insight
According to data from Vitals.com,
wait times for doctors has
increased by one minute every
year with average wait times
hovering around 17 minutes.
More on wait times:
http://www.vitals.com/about/posts/press-
center/press-releases/shortest-average-wait-time-
for-doctors-in-major-cities-increased-one-minute-
year-over-year
Action Item
Certain health practices are finding
ways to maximize the waiting-
room experience. Patients can
check in electronically and can fill
out update electronic health
records using secure mobile
devices. Healthcare professionals
can also use this time to share
important patient-education
materials to prepare for the exam-
room conversation.
5

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #15: By delivering targeted wellness content at
discharge you can reduce readmission costs. #hcsmIRL
Insight
In order to reduce readmissions,
hospitals are relying on technology
and content to focus on patient
activation, a patient’s
understanding of their condition,
increased compliance with care
plans, and increased support to
manage their condition before they
experience flare-ups.
Action Item
Deliver personalized wellness
content that addresses the patient
experience as well as the patient
lifestyle in order to manage their
condition.
6

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #14: Important to remember patients don’t just
consume, they experience a great deal in the journey. #hcsmIRL
Insight
According to the Industry Healthcheck 2014
report published by EyeForPharma, 85% of
respondents agree that patient-centricity is
the best route to future profitability. Many
companies are adjusting their strategy to
focus on that patient journey.
Each patient is unique in how their condition
changes over time. Healthcare and pharma
must align to communicate to the patient the
right information at the right stage of disease
progression.
Action Item
Ensure your key message meets the
needs of the patients at each specific
point in their disease progression.
Enable patients to self-educate about
impending condition experiences before
they occur.
Connect patients and caregivers with
information that helps and heals.
For more information:
https://community.oracle.com/community/topliners/in
dustry-solutions-center-of-excellence/health-and-life-
sciences/blog/2014/11/13/is-your-marketing-
strategy-designed-around-the-patient-journey-or-the-
patient-experience
Source: http://www.eyeforpharma.com/download/content-healthcheck.php
7

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #5: Care navigators can contribute to physician and
patient engagement and improve health outcomes. Consider it.
Insight
As healthcare becomes more
complex, healthcare advocates
and health navigators are
becoming increasingly important to
patients seeking care.
More on Health Navigators:
https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/navigator/
Action Item
Review the published guidelines
for health navigators and
healthcare advocates to provide
better resources that will help them
in their efforts to serve patients.
Their involvement can improve
patient outcomes and streamline
insurance and other financial
realities.
8

@MarilynECox
#HIMSS15 Tweetable Takeaway #21: Social media metrics must extend beyond
“likes” and follows. Pay attention to conversions.
Insight
According to Google, there are
four core ways to measure social
impact in their Google Analytics
cloud-based software. These
include Network Referrals,
Conversions, Landing Pages, and
Social Plugins.
https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/168397
1?rd=1
Action Item
Take a broader, more holistic view
of social engagement to measure
the impact of your social media
marketing efforts. Patients use
social media to discuss wellness,
illness, and everything in between,
so ensure that your content is
tagged for maximum engagement
and measurability.
9

Marilyn E. Cox
@MarilynECox
Marilyn.e.cox@oracle.com
http://www.slideshare.net/AmericanRegistry
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marilyncox
Contact Us!
Buddy Scalera
@MarketingBuddy
buddy@buddyscalera.com
http://www.slideshare.net/buddyscalera
https://www.linkedin.com/in/buddyscalera