Every Sunday night I participate in a Twitter chat with health care experts. Each is wrestling with the same question, can I or how can I be social and still be HIPAA compliant. The answer is found in what you say, not where you say it.
Medical knowledge, clinical competence and professional credentials are all important things that a physician brings to the doctor-patient relationship. They’re evidence of expertise. But for patients, it’s more often about the doctor’s ability to ask the right questions, listen carefully and convey health information in terms that are easy to understand.
In short, it’s about communication. And communicating in today’s culture includes connecting with the patient community including the friends and family members that help the patient use health information toward the best outcomes.
Pew Internet Research says that about 25 percent of patients are using social media as both a means for gathering health information and for evaluating the communication skills of prospective health care providers. My personal Facebook news feed would suggest that 25 percent is a modest number.
Either way, that makes social media interaction a vital part of any health care marketing and communications strategy. Yet, according to a May 2011 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, only 21 percent of hospitals are using social media. And separate reports indicate that even fewer practices and physicians are using it.
Why are so few participating? Some suggest it’s out of concern for HIPAA compliance. Others express a fear of negative feedback. It seems that they are being held back by the assumption that social media is risky.
So, what is the worst thing that could happen?
Today’s patients are more empowered and engaged than ever. They’re informed and involved. They look to health care providers to share information that enables them to manage medical conditions, control cost and find hope for the best possible health outcomes. They expect you’ll use common sense to avoid compromising their personal health info.
If the health information you provide revolves around those ideas and is presented in that context, you’re on your way to better connections. That’s a good thing, right?
Patients are also looking to others who suffer similar ailments for support.
If you’re moderating an occasional Twitter discussion that enables such dialogue or sharing it on your Facebook wall, you’re on your way to empowering a patient community. And, that’s okay, too – right?
Being absent from social media platforms means missing out the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to ask the right questions, listen carefully and convey meaningful health information in terms that are easy to understand. And since that is what patients value most, then not being there is the worst thing that could happen.
