Using Social Media and Mobile Apps to Drive Patient Engagement

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1 Using Social Media and Mobile Apps to Drive Patient Engagement Social media and mobile apps have become mainstream in healthcare. The most successful healthcare institutions use these tools as a means to an end for existing goals. This white paper is meant as a guide for using mobile apps and social media to drive patient engagement. FOUR THINGS YOU SHOULD DO ON ANY SOCIAL OR MOBILE PLATFORM 1. HUMANIZE THE INSTITUTION The Mayo Clinic offers Expert Blogs across a variety of frequentlysearched topics such as Living with cancer, Depression, and Nutrition-wise. Each blog is managed by one or more Mayo Clinic expert. The Nutrition-wise blog is written by Mayo Clinic nutritionists, Jennifer Nelson and Katherine Zeratsky. A recent post offering advice to parents on using the Halloween candy landslide as a teaching opportunity prompted more than a dozen readers to chime in with tips of their own. While Mayo Clinic s health library is arguably the best on the web, these blogs are an effective way of putting a human face on the institution. 2. ALLOW PATIENTS TO TELL THEIR STORIES Nebraska Medical Center has an extensive YouTube presence with 292 videos that have generated more than 400,000 views. Nebraska not only posts its corporate video collateral, but also showcases indvidual patient stories. For example, patient Christina Chambers tells her own story of battling with weight. The solution was a gastric sleeve surgery where the majority of her stomach was removed. In a little over 5 minutes, the Nebraska Medical Center turned an abstract and intimidating procedure into a real human story. 3. DISSEMINATE TIMELY INFORMATION Scott & White Healthcare saw a 78% jump in Twitter followers in the wake of the Ft. Hood shootings when it used social media to keep the community informed of the status of health resources such as ER access. Greater Baltimore Medical Center used Twitter to correct misinformation. In August 2010, a local news outlet incorrectly reported that an armed robber was in the hospital. GBMC reacted quickly on Twitter to establish the truth. 4. GET DIRECT FEEDBACK Scripps Hospital uses social media for customer service. At Scripps, there is a position that carries the title of Electronic Customer Service Representative. The ECSR responds to online views and tweets directed at the hospital. Scripps view is that reputations can be made and lost faster online than off and, left unattended, social media is a reputational risk.

2 5 STEPS TO SUCCESS ON FACEBOOK Most well-run healthcare organizations use a Facebook presence as a cost-effective means of connecting with their communities. That said, there is a wide range in quality. The least impressive sites are little more than directory listings. The best sites illustrate the personality of the institution with continuously updated content. Here are some examples of healthcare organizations that are doing it right: 1. LEVERAGE THE VIRAL NATURE OF FACEBOOK The newsfeed is the viral engine of Facebook. Offer timely promotions and contests that people are likely to share with their friends. Here is an example from Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington, KY: 3. LIKE RELATED ORGANIZATIONS All healthcare organizations operate within a value network of partners and complementary care providers. Illustrate the cohesive of this network to your patients. Here is an example from Atlanti- Care in Atlantic City, NJ: 2. EDUCATE Patients naturally look to their healthcare organizations for heath-related info. Don t train them to look elsewhere! Facebook is a great place to post articles, studies, and videos featuring your clinical staff. Here is an example from WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh, NC: 4. CAPTURE PATIENT GOODWILL Use recommendations to capture positive patient experiences with your institution. To that end, make sure your patient community knows that you are on Facebook. Advertise your Facebook presence within your waiting rooms, within your print publications, and on your newsletters. Here is a good example from Presbyterian / St. Luke s Medical Center in Denver, CO:

3 5. BE PLAYFUL Let s face it. Hospitals and healthcare organizations often present a humorless face to the world, which is a shame. Facebook is an opportunity to show that a healthcare organization can be a source of fun events. Here are examples from Raleigh s WakeMed and Denver s Presbyterian / St. Luke s. If you don t yet have a Facebook presence, start making plans to get one going today. The most important planning activity will be to establish clear ownership of who will keep the site updated on a regular basis. Once accountability is established then follow these steps and add in some of your own creativity. And watch your community of engaged patients grow.

4 5 STEPS TO TWITTER SUCCESS Twitter should be part of every health system s marketing strategy. When used correctly, it can be a valuable way to build patient engagement and patient loyalty. When used incorrectly, it can damage your brand. Here are 5 pitfalls to avoid: 1. DON T USE AN OBSCURE TWITTER HANDLE This should be obvious. Use the name that your community already identifies with you. If the vast majority of people know your organization as Smallville General Hospital, then don t name your Twitter handle something Unless you are willing to dedicate significant people and resources in building and maintaining a brand that is separate from your core identity. (This also applies to website URLs and smartphone app names.) 2. USE YOUR PROFILE & BACKGROUND TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND Your profile should communicate your market position. Is your health system the leading cancer center in your region? This is the place to promote the specific attributes that set your health system apart. And don t forget to link to your website or Facebook page within your profile. Your background doesn t need to be a showcase of artistry or exotic hacks. Simply match your background to your branding guidelines in terms of color and style. Design for minimum monitor sizes. And don t tile backgrounds. 3. FOLLOW & ENGAGE Twitter is more than a microphone for your organization. It is a community. And within that community are the people and organizations that influence, or are influenced by, your organization. Clinicians. Partners. Patients. Community leaders. Retweet them. Point to interesting things they are doing. Do this and watch your community engagement build (as well as your Twitter follower count). 4. DON T PROMOTE A POLITICAL AGENDA This shouldn t imply that healthcare organizations should avoid a point of view. For example, many healthcare institutions have a strong religious affiliation. Motivational tweets that arise from a specific belief system are fair game. It is when a health system starts grinding axes on topical political issues that the problems start to arise. Remember that you serve a community that represents a wide variety of political beliefs. Don t start a political flame war with your own patients. 5. DON T BE BORING This is the most egregious crime on the list. If you have an intern tweeting press releases and event announcements, then you are providing little value to your followers. Strive to become a source of helpful health information. It doesn t all need to come from your organization. Tweet interesting medical findings from around the world. Tweet about local health-related news. Tweet about some of the amazing stories of healing and recovery that happen within your organization every day. Tweet brain surgery. These mistakes can actually cause your patient engagement to decline. Don t make them. If you already have made one or more of these mistakes, the good news is that they are relatively easy to fix. The first step is holding someone accountable to managing Twitter. With some dedicated time and energy, social media can produce a community of engaged patients.

5 USING MOBILE APPS TO DRIVE PATIENT ENGAGEMENT The evidence is overwhelming. Mobile health is here. If you ve decided to launch a smartphone app at your hospital, should you buy or build? If you choose an outside vendor, how should you evaluate them? For many, navigating the mobile space can seem daunting. By focusing on a few key principles, you will be able to make the right decision for your hospital. THE BUY VS. BUILD DECISION WITH MOBILE APPS Should you use internal IT or use outside experts to build your mobile app? Answering these three questions will help you decide: 1. How many smartphone apps has your internal team produced? If the answer is one or more, move to question 2. If the answer is zero, move to the vendor evaluation section. 2. How do your internally-produced applications compare to the professionally-produced applications offered by peer institutions? Compare the look-and-feel and feature set of your internallyproduced applications to those offered by hospitals of a similar size and scope. 3. How fast can your internal IT department move? If you are not confident that your IT department can launch an app in the app store within 3-6 months, move on to the next section. EVALUATING APP VENDORS If you ve decided that outside expertise is the way to go, these questions will help you narrow down your vendor list: 1. Does the vendor have healthcare expertise? There are many vendors that offer mobile app development services across a wide range of industries. Why is it important to select a vendor focused on healthcare? The first version of the application will likely offer you a baseline set of functionality, but if the vendor does not have a specific healthcare focus, you may be stuck with a 1.0 version of the app that doesn t evolve over time. Which brings us to point # Does the vendor offer ongoing support and updates? There are two things to look out for here. The first is to determine if the vendor not only offers a support SLA, but also is committed to keeping the app updated to accommodate new releases from Apple and Android. The second is to determine if the vendor has a platform that allows YOU to make on-the-fly changes to the application without having to resubmit to the app store. 3. Are you buying a branded app or a just a listing in someone else s app? If your goal is to engage with your patients, you should have your own branded app. Having your hospital listed in another vendor s app -- such as those that list ER wait times for your area does not allow for true patient engagement. Consider the difference between your hospital s website and a yellow pages listing. The yellow pages listing may or may not provide value, but it doesn t take away the need for a website. The same is true with mobile listings vs. a mobile app. 4. Does the app offer ways for patients to manage their health? Some apps are pure information resources, which is great; however, the most successful apps are those that offer interactive tools for tracking medications, labs, and other health metrics. These are the features that will keep your patients coming back to your app. They are also a means of creating an ongoing connection between patients and providers. 5. Can the app integrate with your EHR? This option is important if you want to use your mobile app as a way for patients to retrieve their health records. A mobile PHR or a mobile patient portal offers convenience for patients and enables providers to prepare for Meaningful Use Stage 2. However you decide to develop a smartphone app for your hospital, the time to get started is now. Delaying the decision through endless stakeholder meetings may be costing you more than you know - especially if your competitors are moving aggressively into the mobile space. The key is to find a development solution that not only enables you to launch quickly with a solid smartphone app, but also ensures that your app will grow and improve over time.

6 SUMMARY The healthcare landscape has changed. Patients expect rich engagement with their healthcare providers. No longer are newsletters, billboards, and print ads sufficient for connecting with your patient community. By following these guidelines, your health system will be well on its way to driving an engaged and loyal patient community. ABOUT AXIAL EXCHANGE Axial Exchange is revolutionizing healthcare communication with mobile software. With Axial, hospitals are able to provide both patients and doctors with clinical information when they need it. The result is more effective care, more engaged patients, and dramatically lower overhead. Axial Exchange 510 Glenwood Ave, Suite 215 Raleigh, NC (919)