If you haven’t noticed, the healthcare industry, whether pharmaceuticals, doctors, hospitals, etc., is experimenting quite a bit in the social media space and with all the changes occurring, it is worth highlighting some recent trends from the past month.
- Healthcare-focused eCoupons
Move over spas and restaurants and say hello to luxurious teeth cleaning! Last month, popular deal site Groupon reported that approximately 15 percent of the site deals nationwide were solely for health care services such as eye exam and teeth cleaning services. It seems that doctors are not only “getting” the mobile space (check out my blog post titled What Mobility Means for Your Medical Professional) to maximize their efficiency but are willing to experiment in social media as a whole, and that includes Facebook, Twitter, blogs and even unconventional opportunities like eCoupons to provide quality and affordable healthcare services. Check out more on this trend at this Baltimore Sun story.
- American Medical Association Policy:
Last week the American Medical Association (AMA) announced AMA social media policy to help physicians navigate the healthcare social media space. While general and less “guidelines on dialogue” than “rules on engagement”, this policy is a decent starting point for physicians on how they should approach this space. For the full social media policy, click here.
- Hospital Social Media Managers
If you think the social media space is just reserved for patients, Pharma and physicians, you should consider doing your homework! According to the AMA, not only are social media policies important to an organization but having someone instill those policies, advocate for social media, and deepen relationships through this avenue is just as important. That is why we are seeing the rise of desirable positions like the Social Media Manager, specifically for hospitals. According to American Medical News, hospitals are finding that having this specialist can help “strengthen its connections with stakeholders, which include the physicians who refer patients through their doors.” For more information on this trend, check out this American Medical News post.
In sum, it seems that healthcare is experiencing a bit of a “social media fever” (pun intended) and while some guidelines and policies have been created, and others are in the process, we can expect this type of experimental growth to continue as social media continues to play a large role in communication and engagement for all industries alike.
With that said, these are just a few healthcare trends that seemed worth noting. Are there any other trends in the healthcare social media space you think are worth highlighting? Tell us below in the comments section!
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