“Hospitals engaging in social media have consistently grown in numbers of late. (Ed Bennett, who tracks hospitals using social media, saw his numbers jump by 79 in just six weeks time in January of this years.) Fear of HIPAA, lawsuits, and a lack of message control kept some hospitals out of social media for too long. But a recent Greystone.net report shows that even though social media is growing in hospitals, social media strategy is not growing as quickly – only one in three had a social media plan in place.
In addition to gradually supporting service lines through social media and improving communications with communities, hospitals need to get ready for the rise of what is being termed the “e-patient” and create and adjust social media plans accordingly. Currently, many hospitals are talking through social media channels but they are not necessarily listening well. And they are not alone.”
Article
Shawn Zehnder Lea, Social Media For Health Care, 27 February 2010
