Keep your Clinic Relevant with Social Media
Did you know that more than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health? No doubt about it, the way we access, process and utilize information is rapidly changing and those who don’t jump on the wagon are going to be left behind. Many healthcare professionals have been avoiding social media because of the possible HIPAA implications, but we’re here to tell you that you’re making a mistake.
Avoiding social media because you’re afraid of violating HIPAA is not only doing a disservice to your clinic, it’s also doing a disservice to your patients. In this day and age, health care professionals have an obligation to educate their patients in a way they find easy to find and digest: i.e. via social media. Whether or not you provide content online or not, your patients ARE getting information in this manner. Wouldn’t you rather they were getting accurate information from you as opposed to potentially misleading information from somewhere else?
Social Media is Where Your Patients Are Finding Information
Even if you aren’t actively using social media, your patients (and potential patients) can still find information about you online—and it’s definitely affecting their healthcare decisions. In fact, 41% of people said social media would affect their choice of a specific doctor, hospital or medical facility. What does this mean? It means that if you aren’t actively managing your clinic’s online reputation through content creation, review management and more, you’re letting others dictate how you appear online. Negative reviews of your clinic (whether fair or not) or competitors who are consistently providing good educational content online are ways that you can passively lose patients or miss out on new patients due to lack of participation in social media.
Social Media for Your Staff
Social media is not just about the patients, either. Your entire staff can benefit from utilizing this powerful tool. Did you know that 31% of healthcare professionals use social media for professional networking? Professional development is a huge component of social media and can help your team connect with educational sources, reach out to others in the industry who can help with professional questions or concerns or get out in the community to help bolster your clinic’s image. If you’re not encouraging your staff to utilize social media, you can bet your competitors are—and that they will reap benefits that will be unavailable to you.
Of course, we don’t want to ignore the fact that fear of violating HIPAA is a very valid concern. Yes, you need to be careful when you utilize social media in the healthcare realm—usually more careful than those in any other industry. However, if you educate your staff on how to properly utilize it, you can avoid costly social media mistakes. 31% of healthcare organizations have specific social media guidelines in writing and we highly recommend you join their ranks. It’s one thing to tell your team what is and is not acceptable when it comes to posting on social media, but if you have ironclad, written guidelines, your staff will be much more likely to know the rules—and follow them!
The benefits of social media for your clinic or undeniable. In this new digital age, you have an obligation to become more than just a place where your patients can come when they need a check-up or are ill. By staying current on HIPAA regulations and guidelines and continually training your staff on the proper use of social media, you can make sure your business stays competitive and relevant.
