Social media marketing for physicians

These days, even physicians are using social media to market their services, attract new patients, expand their referral base, and grow their practice. Several months ago, ZocDoc published a White Paper titled, "Marketing For Healthcare Providers" and you can get this free White Paper to learn how to leverage social media for marketing (you'll find comments from me on pages 3 and 6 in the White Paper). Get it here.

Speaking with physicians about social media here at the #ACPE Fall Institute

This weekend, I'm in Arizona speaking with physician executives about social media. I'm here with Dr. Kent Bottles (@kentbottles) at the ACPE Fall Institute and we're going to be continuing the social media conversation all day (and into dinner with small groups of physicians).

It's encouraging to see that physician executives who have never explored social media are willing to give it a try. They're signing up for Twitter accounts on their smartphones. They're joining the ACPE Group on LinkedIn. They're signing up for Doximity to have conversations with other physicians. They're creating Facebook pages for their practices.


Social media is a powerful tool that can connect physicians with knowledgeable and influential experts in many different domains of health care like health care reform, health IT, health policy, mobile health, etc.

Hope to see you at the ACPE Fall Institute

Want to go somewhere warm in November? The ACPE (American College of Physician Executives) Fall Institute is right around the corner and I hope to see you there. Kent Bottles, MD and I will be providing some hands-on training in social media, so visit us near the ACPE Information Center between Friday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 4.

 You can still register for some courses and attend the conference (Nov 2-6 in Scottsdale, AZ). More information can be found here.

In Chicago for the #ACPE Summer Institute

I'm traveling to Chicago to teach a social media course at the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) Summer Institute. You can follow updates on Twitter by following the #ACPE hashtag or the @ACPE account.

Mark your calendars for these upcoming ACPE conferences and I hope to see you at one of these events!


2012 Fall Institute
November 2–6, 2012 • Scottsdale, AZ

2013 Winter Institute
January 25–27, 2013 • Orlando, FL

2013 Annual Meeting & Spring Institute
April 26–30, 2013 • Hilton New York, New York City

There is still time to register for the ACPE 2012 Summer Institute

ACPE's 2012 Summer Institute offers a range of topics, from foundational knowledge on being a leader to creating new ways to think, manage and lead your team.

This year, I'll be teaching a one-day course on July 19 titled, "Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders." I look forward to seeing you in Chicago in a few weeks.

Join an online social network this summer

I encourage you to make the time to join an online social network this summer. Next month, I'm teaching a course to physicians about the appropriate use of social media. There are a number of professional (and personal) benefits associated with the appropriate use of social media, so start with the basics and learn about privacy and security issues. Then, jump in and get started with either an open social networking community like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., or go into a closed medical community (some of these are only for physicians) like Doximity, Sermo, or QuantiaMD.

I hope you'll join me for this course at the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) 2012 Summer Institute titled, "Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders." This course offers CME credit, so travel to Chicago this summer for this course while you attend the ACPE 2012 Summer Institute.

Learn about the relevance of social media to physician leaders

I'll be teaching a course this summer at the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) 2012 Summer Institute titled, "Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders." This course offers CME credit, so you can tap into your CME budget (if you have one) to travel to Chicago this summer for the ACPE 2012 Summer Institute.

I hope you'll be able to join me in Chicago this July as we discover the relevance of social media for you as a physician leader:

• professional development and lifelong learning
• marketing your practice/hospital
• communicating with patients
• advocating and building community

Examine key examples from health care systems. Identify the rules of engagement with respect to HIPPA, privacy and security. Dive in to some mainstream social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and take a look at popular online medical communities. Take away practical tips for you and your staff around the appropriate uses of social media and where it can add value to your organization.

Learn more and register for this ACPE course on social media here.

More information about the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) 2012 Summer Institute can be found here.

Sign up for the 2012 ACPE Summer Meeting before May 2 to save

I hope you will join me in Chicago this summer as I teach the course "Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders" at the 2012 ACPE Summer Meeting.

Here is the announcement from the American College of Physician Executives:

Time is running out: Sign up for the 2012 ACPE Summer Meeting before May 2 and save $25-$75 per course!

Four days, up to 42 CME credits, one great location: ACPE's Summer Institute offers you maximum impact in minimal time.

We know how precious a physician leader's time is. That's why we designed our 2012 Summer Institute to deliver as much impact as possible in just four days. Take advantage of the shorter blended learning format, which mixes in-person and distance learning. This means you'll get valuable interaction with faculty with minimal time away from home. Plus, if you register before May 2, you'll qualify for our early registration discount. Choose from these terrific courses:

• Social Media: Relevance and Appropriate Use for Physician Leaders
• Essentials of Health Law
• MetaLeadership: Removing Barriers & Building Bridges
• Physician in Management: Weekend Seminar
• Techniques of Financial Decision Making
• Solve This! Breakthrough Thinking for Physician Executives

Plus, it all happens in beautiful downtown Chicago, one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in America. Bring the family and visit the Museum of Science and Industry, the Art Institute of Chicago or the John Hancock Center. Career-boosting learning for you, a memorable vacation for all.

Don't delay. Go to acpe.org/summer or call (800) 562-8088 and talk to an ACPE staff member.

Now is the time to join the Doximity community

If you have an interest in a non-clinical career or supplemental income opportunities, leverage the Internet and join the Doximity community. This platform provides a great way to market your professional skills and achievements to potential organizations that may want to tap into your expertise.

• Connect with over 567,000 US physician colleagues in 87 specialties, including former or current medical school classmates and residents.
• Exchange HIPAA-secure messages, share private phone lists, back lines and pagers with physician colleagues you select and confirm.

Create a professional online profile where you can showcase your achievements. Leverage the social networking aspect of a growing physician community to find new career opportunities.

www.Doximity.com

Disclosure: I serve on the medical advisory board for Doximity.

Ways to improve your digital literacy

In today's high-tech world, business executives are expected to have a certain level of "digital literacy" that continues to evolve every year. It's assumed that you already know how to operate a computer and a smartphone. However, how well do you understand the evolving world of social media and new digital communication technologies? Do you tweet? Do you know how to Tweet? If you don't, how do you intend to learn? There are formal and informal ways to learn how to use social media in an effective and meaningful way. If you're interested in learning more about the use of Twitter in a professional capacity, read this NY Times story titled, "If Twitter Is a Work Necessity." Thanks to Dr. Wen Dombrowski (@HealthcareWen) for bringing that story to my attention.

Healthcare Executive Career Management in a Web 2.0 Era

Here's an upcoming webinar that may be of interest:

Healthcare Executive Career Management in a Web 2.0 Era

Tuesday, February 21, 2012
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM (Central Time)

American College of Healthcare Executives Panel Discussion on, "Healthcare Executive Career Management in a Web 2.0 Era." Healthcare Executive Panelist from Central Illinois ACHE Education Committee and B.E. Smith.

Doximity quickly becoming the professional LinkedIn for physicians

A few days ago, TechCrunch reported that "With 30K U.S. Doctors Now On Board, Doximity Is Fast Becoming The LinkedIn For Physicians."

Doximity gives physicians a private network through which to connect and collaborate on patient treatment or identify experts for patient referrals.

I'd have to agree. Doximity is led by Jeff Tangney, co-founder and former President & COO of Epocrates.

When I first heard about Doximity, I said to myself, "why another social network for physicians? I don't get it." Then, I got to meet some folks at Doximity and started learning more about the concept and vision. I also got invited to join the Doximity Medical Advisory Board and I witnessed the evolution of the platform and saw new features pop up like iRounds, DocNews, and DocText. I began to really understand and appreciate the value that Doximity offers.

If you care about your online reputation and you're looking for an effective way to market yourself online, then take a look at Doximity. It's free to join, but you'll need to use your real name (no aliases or screen names please). Plus, you'll want to have a professional photo. Sounds like LinkedIn, doesn't it? If you're a physician, you may not be familiar with LinkedIn. So, think about a professional Facebook where you are interacting with other physicians purely for professional purposes. You're providing clinical insights, sharing ideas, referring patients, and discussing relevant clinical and non-clinical topics. Since you're using your real name, you're accountable to what you say, so you're probably going to avoid nonsensical rants and raves, strong political debates, or highly-controversial and sensitive discussions around religion/sex/etc.

Today, when there are so many physician rating sites like HealthGrades, RateMDs, Vitals, and others, physicians care about online reputations and rankings. They like to be listed in "Top Doctors" or "Best Doctor" lists. Patients also like seeing their doctors on these lists and in airplane magazines.

Doximity helps you promote yourself online.

Take a look at Rafael Lugo, MD. He's a surgeon in Texas and you'll see that he has a "Patient's Choice 2010" badge next to his name here:
https://www.doximity.com/pub/rafael-lugo-md

Here's another example: Howard Luks, MD. He's an orthopedic surgeon in NY and he has several badges: Top Doctor, Most Compassionate Doctor, and Patient's Choice 2010.
https://www.doximity.com/pub/howard-luks-md

So, whether you're in an academic center or in private practice, consider how you can leverage the Internet to build your online reputation. If you've been awarded some type of "Top Doctor" recognition or reward, share that information online using a professional platform like Doximity. Plus, if you're still building your practice, Doximity can help you get more patients and more referrals.

On Doximity, you can also have public or private discussions with other physicians. You can have an open dialogue through iRounds (similar to a Facebook wall at this point), or you can send a private HIPAA-compliant messaging system called DocText (a free secure SMS service if you're using a mobile device).

Finally, remember that Doximity is still in beta, so there are a number of features that haven't been released yet. Plus, you can expect to see ongoing changes, updates, revisions, enhancements, etc.

Full Disclosure: I serve on the Doximity Medical Advisory Board. The opinions shared above are my own. I was not paid to write this article. I am not paid to refer physicians to join Doximity. I have no relevant financial relationships with LinkedIn or physician rating websites.

Expand your social network this holiday season

Every winter, I encourage people to expand their social networks. You're probably going to be spending time with people who may be able to help you directly or indirectly. Hence, it's to your benefit to expand your network by telling family members and trusted friends about your career goals and your plans for the future.

This holiday season, make sure to connect with people on online social networks like LinkedIn. You may be surprised to discover that some close friends and family members may be connected to people who might be able to help you transition into a new job or who might be willing to provide you with more information about a different industry. Don't be shy of sites like Facebook (great for staying in touch with close friends and family).

Physician leaders learning about social media #ACPEfall2011

I'm in Arizona attending the 2011 ACPE Fall Institute and today, I attended a new session titled, "Social Media and mHealth Care." The room was full of physician leaders who are eager to learn about social media. How well do you understand social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.)? This new digital technology is here to stay and we're seeing a growing number of patients and health care professionals using social media. Therefore, it's important to understand the evolving trends around social media.

The speaker for this course was Ari Lightman, BS, MS, MBA, from Carnegie Mellon University. Ari is a Practice Professor, Digital Media and Marketing at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.  Ari teaches classes focused on assessing and measuring the impact of emerging technologies. Ari has over 15 years of experience in new technology development and commercialization.  He is the founder of Broadside Consulting, which provides consulting services to companies/organizations around collaboration, innovation and new technology development.  Earlier in his career, Ari was a member of several successful entrepreneurial high tech ventures where he was integral in raising over $60 M in venture financing, securing key partnerships and sales, and spearheading several initiatives from product management to business development.

I'm speaking today about social media and medicine at Connected Health #CHS11

I'm now in Boston attending the 2011 Connected Health Symposium. I'll be speaking this afternoon about social media and medicine. The panel discussion is titled, "Facebooking Health: Scouting Out the Latest Trends in Online Patient Communities and Social Media." It's at 2:10 pm on Thurs and I hope to see you there!

Growing opportunities to consult for health IT and mobile health startup companies

There are a growing number of opportunities to provide consulting services for health information technology (health IT) and mobile health (mHealth) startup companies looking to make an impact in the world of health care. We know that the government is pushing billions of dollars towards health IT innovation and implementation. The use of electronic health records (EHRs) and computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems is only the beginning. Doctors are using iPads and iPhones, but most are not using mobile devices to their fullest potential. Patients are also becoming empowered about their own health and they're using digital tools to quantify their biometrics. Plus, social media is becoming an integral part of health care and many organizations are looking for clinicians who understand and actively use social media.

This is an exciting time to be in the health care industry and I am constantly encountering startup companies that have innovative ideas and concepts that will transform the health care landscape. To learn more about some of these organizations, make sure to follow my other sites where I regularly write about startup companies, venture contests, conferences, and more! Make sure to follow these other sites:

I hope to see you in Boston next week for the Connected Health Symposium

I'm going back to Boston next week! I hope to see you at the 2011 Connected Health Symposium - Boston October 20-21. I'm speaking on a panel titled, "Expert panel #5: Facebooking Health: Scouting Out the Latest Trends in Online Patient Communities and Social Media"

Moderator: Lisa Gualtieri, PhD, Assistant Professor, Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
- John Brownstein, PhD, Research Faculty, Children's Hospital Boston; Director, Computational Epidemiology Group, Informatics Program, Children's Hospital Boston
- Chris Cartter, General Manager, MeYou Health
- Tara Cousineau, PhD, Founder and CEO, BodiMojo
- Joseph Kim, MD, President of Medical Communications Media

I'm in Boston speaking in hospitals for Grand Rounds

I'm in Boston speaking in hospitals for Grand Rounds at Hallmark Health. I'll be speaking at Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in Melrose. My presentation is focused around social media and mobile health (mHealth) and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to return to Boston in several weeks to speak at the 2011 Connected Health Symposium (Oct 19-21).

While I'm here, I'll be revisiting MIT and walking around very familiar parts of Boston. It will be nice to catch up with some friends as well. Every year, my wife and I usually take a trip to Boston to revisit MIT. This year, I'm the only one coming to Boston, but I'm sure we'll be here next year with the whole family.

Connecting with other physicians at the Medicine 2.0 conference at Stanford #med2

Over the weekend, I was at Stanford attending the Medicine 2.0 conference and the Stanford Summit. It was great to connect with physicians who are involved in social media or mobile health. Here are some of the physicians I met at Medicine 2.0:

• Kelly Choi, MD, Vice President of Innovation and Customer Solutions, QuantiaMD
• Bryan Vartabedian, MD FAAP, Baylor College of Medicine
• Homero Rivas, MD, MBA, FACS, Stanford University
• Larry Chu, MD, MS, Stanford University
• Jennifer Shine Dyer MD, MPH, EndoGoddess, and eProximiti
• Bertalan Meskó, MD, Webicina.com
• Ramez Ethnasios, MD, UCLA
• And others...

It was also great to spend some time with Enoch Choi, MD. I learned that he used Segway to commute to work. Now I really want one!

At Medicine 2.0, attendees were actively using social media during the conference. People were sending Tweets using the #med2 Twitter hashtag, posting updates on Facebook, sharing information on LinkedIn, and blogging.

Next year, the Medicine 2.0 conference will be in Boston at Harvard Medical School. I hope to see you there!

I'm on my way to Stanford today for the Medicine 2.0 conference

I'm flying out to Stanford today to speak at the Medicine 2.0 conference (not to be confused with the Health 2.0 conference). I'm really looking forward to this event and you can follow my other blog (http://www.medicineandtechnology.com) for updates from the Medicine 2.0 conference which focuses on the use of social media in medicine.

Medicine 2.0'11 (Stanford University, USA)
Stanford University
September 16, 2011 – September 18, 2011
http://www.medicine20congress.com

This year, I'm speaking about social media and CME (continuing medical education). I'm weaving those two topics together into a concise, 20-minute presentation where I will talk about some of the ways we're using social media to enhance CME.