How Facebook Timeline Will Affect Social Media in Health Care

It was announced today that Facebook will be offering business pages the opportunity to segue over to Timeline, the new format of Facebook starting tomorrow.  Personal profiles have had this capability since December of 2011 and now businesses will have their chance to test-drive this layout before it becomes standard.  Changes on Facebook always bring about mixed reviews, however we think Timeline means great things for businesses, especially health care practices. 

The concept of creating an online scrapbook of sorts with Facebook Timeline allows for a richer engagement experience for visitors to your practice’s page.  A study conducted by Mashable, the web’s authority on all things social media, states that the new layout attracts visitors eyes towards the items that are more helpful to them.

After completing the study, it was found that the new format enabled the following:

-       Personalized Facebook Ads are noticed 20% more by potential customers with the new placements

-       The cover photo is the first thing noticed and is easily interchanged

-       The profile picture is the second thing noticed, closely followed by the content, which is the portion that attracts visitors for the longest period of time

-       Fixation order has more of a systematic approach with an order that leads the visitor to take action on the page

-       Fans can easily view the most important historical details while gaining perspective of the company’sinteraction with the community

-       The layout is more engaging due to having more pertinent information readily presentable when visitors first land on the page

All of these items will lead to increased interaction between the visitor and the company.  The capabilities of communication will not change; rather it will be easier for the company to manage that communication and measure involvement with their page.  Of course, as with all new things, users should be aware of the challenges that might come along with implementing Facebook Timeline.  It might take some time to get used to, so make sure you make the transition when you have time to discover the format’s capabilities.  It is also important to know that Timeline might not be compatible with all current Facebook applications, so there might be some adjustments that need to be made.  Fortunately these issues are slim.

(our best guess at what our page will look like)

Aside from the aesthetic changes, Facebook Timeline will also transform the way companies interact with their fans.  It will now be significantly more interactive, which means great things for medical practices.  As a member of a practice, you can capitalize on the things that Timeline enables, like the ease of changing your cover photo, which can serve as your sites own personal billboard.  Of course the challenge with billboards is that you can’t change them, this doesn’t apply here. With this new step in healthcare social media, you can advertise lowered prices for the season, while still showing your logo in your profile picture, or having a picture of your staff while promoting a monthly deal.

We will be transitioning to Timeline as soon as it is available for businesses, and will be doing the same for all of our centers.  We think this will enable us to better express our company involvement in the community and present what makes our facilities the best, which is the patient experience and attention from the staff.

How To: Save Money On Your High Deductible Health Plans

The following blog post can be found originally on Save On Medical’s Blog:

High Deductible Health Plans (noun)

Definition- Health insurance option designed to save companies money on premiums, create “consumer-driven” health plans, often coupled with tax-exempt Health Savings Accounts.

Results in: patients paying heaps of money out-of-pocket, financed retirement plans, increased patient awareness of care, price shopping.
Statistics: 2008: 6.8 Million HDHP Accounts 2012: Over 10 Million HDHP Accounts

You ask for cheap MRIs and low cost mammograms, we tell you “no problem.”  We pride ourselves on our accurate yet innovative Docometer scoring system and the ability to provide patients with the best cash pay pricing options on the market, but what about that patient population with those High Deductible Health Plans, how do they Save On Medical?

We have laid out a number of tricks and “rules,” if you will, for you High Deductible Health Plan patients, with yourHealth Savings Accounts and price-sensitive emotions:

Rule 1 to Saving On Medical: Never Commoditize Your Care
Remember that just because your deductible is high, does not mean that you need to pick and choose the services you think you really need. Yes, you’re paying out of pocket, but no, that should not limit the capacity of your care.

Rule 2 to Saving On Medical: Shop Like You’re Paying Cash
Be aware of pricing transparency by price shopping as a cash pay patient. By understanding what those without insurance are paying up front for the service, you can evaluate your payment options with an open mind.

Rule 3 to Saving On Medical: Compare the Prices of Care
Never simply pick a location because they have a cheap MRI or low cost CT scan.  Take the time to review the other factors that contribute to the facilities Docometer score.  Ask yourself questions like, “Do I care that the radiologist isn’t on-site?” “This site has brand new technology but it is more expensive, does that matter?”

Rule 4 to Saving On Medical: Be An Informed Patient
The algorithm we have created for the Docometer score is reliable; however never blindly submit to any decision that can literally change your life.  Do the appropriate research so that when you are comparing the prices of care you make a decision based on the factors that are most important to you as a patient. Also, keep a record of your costs and be aware of where your money is going.

Rule 5 to Saving On Medical: Call Your Insurance Provider

The geniuses behind the High Deductible Health Plans can and will work with you if you reach out to them. Depending on the company, they might be able to provide specific claim forms and authorizations that will allow them to approve your cash-pay purchases and put them towards your deductible.  Whenever you are willing to pay upfront, the insurance company and the radiology facility are going to be itching to help you out.

Social Media in Health Care

In light of our recent focus on social media in health care, we thought we might share this hilarious, yet oddly succinct, breakdown of social media into terms we all know and understand. DONUTS.

Now we will break it down into other terms, not quite as yummy, but still understandable. MRI.

Twitter: Check out our discounted #MRI services, today only! http:linktoyourwebsiteaboutMRIs

Faceebook: We love MRIs and our patient feedback! Like Us and Our MRIs!

Foursquare: This is where we go for cheap MRIs and great patient care!

Instagram: Here’s a vintage photo of our staff at our MRI facility!

YouTube: Check out this video about our **NEW** MRI technology and the story of a woman whose life was saved because of it.

LinkedIn:All of our MRI technicians are a part of this indsutry group MRI Techs and their skills include the following…

Pinterest:Here are unique ways to decorate your MRI facility!

Last FM: Currently listening to songs about… MRIs… wait. This one doesn’t really apply.

Google+: Here is a circle of our Radiologists, here’s a circle of our referring physicians, here’s a circle of our top patients, here’s a circle of our techs, here’s a circle of our competitors… now I’m dizzy.

SaveOnMedical: Here is where you can shop for your MRI!

The Importance of Your Practice's Online Media Reputation

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, let’s discuss how your practice can appear more attractive to potential… admirers. There is a simple answer to the question, “How do I make my practice more appealing to referring physicians and new patients?” Improve your online media reputation. The best way to position yourself to new individuals is by creating a positive online persona and managing your web-utation.  Many might say that the return on investment would be minimal in comparrison to what goes into the process, however if a radiologist is referred to by one patient or physician a week by capturing them on their website, it is worth it. Now, say your friend sets you up with a blind date for Valentine’s Day, what’s your first thought? That’s right. You go online to check them out, the same way a patient or referring physician checks your practice out before committing to a relationship with you.  If you are not appealing online and have no way to showcase your positive features, then you just lost that lead. Probably the date too.  Let’s explore the importance of your web-utation:

Why is it so important to mange my reputation online?

The perception that referring physicians have of your practice comes from a number of things. Whether it was a past experience with poor turn-around time on a day you were short staffed or a face that a patient made in reaction to your name, the contributing factors that form their opinion of you, are uncontrollable.  Your online reputation is manageable, something you can organize in a system of uncontrollable determinants.

So, what does your website say about your practice?

Whether you have a website or not, your web presence, or lack there of is saying everything about your practice.  You could draw a parallel between your perception in the market to your presence online; either your non-existent, sub-par or advanced.  Your website doesn’t have to be Google or the newest, hottest thing online, as long as it is findable, clean and informative, you will be in a good place.

What goes into creating a “findable” website?

There are a number of steps to take in order to have your website optimized so that Google and other search engines will find it and rank it for visitors.  These steps are referred to as SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  It is important to have your website optimized with the appropriate keywords, which are the terms visitors would come to your website to learn more about.  For instance, if you sell puppies, you want to make sure the terms; puppy, puppies, dogs, dogs for sale in Tampa, are used throughout your website.  

So, You Want Informed Patients? Start With Physician Involvement

The demands of the health care industry have caused the patient experience to deteriorate over the past few years but the tides are turning and the control has been placed into the hands of the patients themselves.  Things like price-shopping and HCAHPS scores have paid a heavy toll on hospitals and independent physician practices alike, so what will it take to get “the flow back in tune,” as GE Healthcare calls it?

Eric Sharma, GE Healthcare Blogger focuses on the discordant “noise” in health care, that are upsetting the flow of success for patients and the things that are causing these “sounds.” The three main areas where practices and hospitals can improve are the following:

-       More effective scheduling processes to have seamless patient experiences

-       Updated technology to improve efficiency and accuracy

-       A fully focused staff (including the most important members of the staff… the physicians)

If these three concepts are implemented, the patient experience will be significantly improved, however the physicians’ engagement in the process is the water in the gravy, without them it’s all a big mess.  Blogger Stephen Wilkins, MPH brings up a valid point however.  How can physicians and the health care industry expect patients to be able to make educated decisions about their care and be fully engaged in the process, if the physician is not even engaged?  Now we are experiencing a very basic “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” debacle, because you cannot expect to see full commitment on either side without the involvement of both parties.

                                 

So, how can physicians get more involved in their own practice without taking too much away from their quality care?

-       Immerse themselves into the physician community by getting involved in a physician outreach program to develop a network of care.

-       Become involved in the online media reputation including blogging, social media and website activity, this means their own practice’s efforts as well as other influential leaders online.

-       Spend a little extra time face-to-face with patients in order to really HEAR them. Sir William Osler, said “listen to the patient they will tell you what’s wrong.”

(Photo from Patient Engagement Versus Physician Engagement – Which Comes First?)

The process isn’t rocket science.  If you want someone to be passionate about something, you have to first be the one to start the excitement.  You heard it here docs, get involved, your patients will thank you later.