Outliers: Forget mortality rates, let's see your 'like' stats

It may not quite rival Medicare's Hospital Compare for crunching data, but Facebook seems to have another measure for healthcare quality.

A recent study says that a hospital's number of Facebook “likes” may actually be a good indicator of clinical quality and patient satisfaction.

Published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, the study analyzed the number of Facebook “likes” for 40 hospitals in the New York City area. Using Hospital Compare data, researchers also examined hospitals' 30-day mortality rates from heart attack and performance on a satisfaction measure that gauges whether patients would recommend the hospital where they were treated.

The authors found a statistically strong relationship between hospitals' numbers of “likes” and their 30-day mortality rates, with each percentage point drop in mortality corresponding with nearly 93 more Facebook “likes.”

They also found a similar relationship—albeit not as strong—between a hospital's tally of “likes” and patients' willingness to recommend the facility to others.

Healthcare providers and policy experts may scoff at the notion of using Facebook data as a barometer of hospital quality, but the study's authors are advising just that.

“This study's analysis suggests that any hospital can start a Facebook page, but those with higher levels of quality and patient satisfaction are more likely to attract 'likes' to their page, all other things being equal,” they wrote in the study. “Public health researchers and hospitals can use Facebook 'likes' as a proxy for hospital quality and patient satisfaction—one that is especially attuned to those who take the initiative to 'like' a page.”