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The internet and specifically Web 2.0 has the potential to transform the healthcare industry by reducing traditional barriers associated with time and place. The same technologies that drive popular consumer sites such as Facebook, iGoogle and Amazon are changing the expectations of patients, physicians and even employees in the healthcare industry. “If I can book air travel, lodging, rental car and even golf from the comfort of my family room sofa, why must I still call back between 8am and 5pm, Monday through Friday to make an appointment, ask a question about a bill or request a refill on a prescription?” Evidence suggests that we are already in a state of transition as legacy application vendors promote new “web based” versions while other high end clinical information systems include extensive web based patient portal functionality as part of their packaged offerings.
Marketing Departments in most healthcare organizations find themselves in the eye of this transformational storm. Customer and user expectations have rapidly increased while most IT Departments have not adapted to the realities of these technologies – sadly many have not yet recognized that there is an issue. Web 2.0 is not a silver bullet, but it has great potential to enable organizations to respond rapidly to a wide range of needs.
What are you thoughts on leveraging web 2.0 technologies in healthcare? It is still largely under utilized from my perspective, but I’m sure the blog-o-sphere has some examples of successful uses.
Dan,
I read your post with great interest. I too believe that social media are poised to transform the healthcare conversation. Healthcare organizations in my experience are technology laggards. But with the potential gains in feedback and loyalty that these techologies offer, I don’t think the market can wait.
There are some interesting related points made in a popular Healthcare industry blog called “The Healthcare Blog.” In an April post the subject of “…Social Media In Health Care” was discussed:
http://www.thehealthcareblog.com/the_health_care_blog/2008/04/the-wisdom-of-p.html.
In it, the author cites a recent California HealthCare Foundation study touting the inclusion of the most important constituent group - Patients - and some of the forces driving this evolution.
Here is an excert from the abstract:
“According to the report, the growing demand for transparency will drive the evolution of social media in health. A growing array of tools will become available that are increasingly mobile, as well as personal health data storage in commercial products like Microsoft Health Vault, Google Health, and others. The author concludes that the ongoing demands of a consumer-driven health marketplace will inspire innovation in applications that integrate clinical, financial, and ratings information.”
My question is… What can you do Monday morning? How can an average healthcare provider begin this journey?
Because it’s a holiday weekend, the response to what to do on Monday is a bit out of synch… so what should you do tomorrow in the broad space related to Web 2.0 and Social Networks in healthcare?
Commission a road map exercise! Do it yourself or hire a trusted advisor, but quickly get your arms around current capabilities and furture state desires. It has been my recent experience that you will be amazed at the variety of factors that bubble up when you poll your constituents about their views on an expanded web presence for your organization.
Realize that departments such as Marketing and IT are fundamentally different in their orientation (a true Mars and Venus dichotomy) and that if left alone, they will dilligently proceed in polar opposite directions. Marketing is externally focused and driven by the urgency of new ideas and programs. IT for the most part must be more methodical and therefore by definition less nimble.
The target for the road map should be no longer than a 3 year plan, outlining component projects in a simple NOW/NEXT/LATER format. Expect one of those NOW projects to address a hybridized operating model of Marketing and IT talent to make small but rapid improvements. Look for another early project to establish an architectural framework that empowers functions like Marketing without risking the reliability of core IT.
Hi, the above article is really nice i have learned lot’s of things that how internet and specifically Web 2.0 is useful for health care industry.
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