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BUSINESS ADVISOR
anything. Use a blog and social media accounts to push the personal
information and negative reviews down where people are much less
likely to find them.
Patients will expect answers to medical questions.
This concern manifests in 2 ways. One is a concern about the
legal ramifications of discussing medical conditions online (see my
next topic for my thoughts). The other aspect of this issue has more
to do with boundaries. Many doctors fear patients will contact them
through their sites or Twitter or Facebook and expect answers.
Worse, those patients would expect those answers quickly.
I think the question of boundaries for current patients is critical to
decide before you start. There can be many benefits to choosing to
interact with patients online. Examples include notifying patients of
changes in office address or hours, offering answers to frequently
asked questions and more. You might need to build in some kind of
security system and ensure information gets into the patients' medical
records. Many doctors and groups have their sites set up to allow this
interaction.
I choose not to use my blog or social media accounts for current
patients. I make that clear on my contact page and in any answers I
give if they do contact me. It is a personal decision that I feel is best for
what I want to do online. Again, answer that question from the start.
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Readers will ask for medical advice.
It's true. As your platform grows, readers will ask you medical
questions. I get 25 to 100 questions per week from all over the world.
Almost all of them have seen an orthopedic surgeon already, which
suggests we need to do a better job of explaining injuries and illnesses
in our offices.
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | S E P T E M B E R 2013
