From the May 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Of course, some of the reviews are positive and glowing for the hospital, but you will see some that may scare patients away or make them think twice about choosing that particular hospital. Fortunately, due to the instantaneous information presented on social media platforms, a health care company can respond directly to its consumers to shed light on the matter.
Patients entering your facility may be armed with social media as a weapon, but this interaction should ensure patients and family members that their criticism was heard and recognized by the provider. Health care systems should leverage marketing platforms as an inexpensive tool in building strong connections with its communities and increasing patient satisfaction. HAIs are seen as preventable infections and are often caused by unsatisfactory hospital conditions or human error, triggering the general public to be less forgiving to the individual employee in charge. Social media gives providers a chance to establish more efficient and open lines of communication with patients.
Although no one is immune from this virtual approach, a good way to handle these situations is to have someone monitoring posts and responding. Developing a list of concise responses that will direct social media posters to the health system’s customer service line, instead of publically displaying their negative comments online, can prepare and prevent hospitals from having to deal with a media crisis. It is important to act quickly since social medial is real-time communication. You can quickly dilute the impact of negative postings by proactively providing positive feedback in a timely manner.
About the author: Thom Wellington is the CEO and a stockholder in Infection Control University, a company that provides staff training programs and control processes for infectious microorganisms in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other health care-related institutions.Back to HCB News
