UMass uses social media to 'make life easier'

“Looking for connections and ways to make life easier” were the goals at UMass Memorial Medical Center when staff at a hospital in Worcester, Mass., began beefing up its social media presence.

That's what the hospital's social media manager, Rob Brogna, told the authors of a white paper released by ICF International that looks at how Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are utilized in healthcare.

UMass Memorial's Facebook page features photos and posts from former patients, event notices and timely videos (like tips during allergy season). Consumers don't want to be marketed to by the hospital's PR department, Brogna said. Patients want to see content from caregivers. “Ask the expert” segments help educate patients and builds familiarity with hospital facilities and staff. Brogna didn't provide tips, however, on how to convince busy caregivers to make a social media contribution.

The ICF white paper also mentions the state of Massachusetts' Twitter feed, which many residents turned to for updates in April after the Boston Marathon bombings. Even before the bombings, the state's Twitter feed had built up an audience with posts about healthy eating and maintaining a smoke-free workplace. The feed also will be helpful in alerting patients about registering for the state's health insurance exchange and other healthcare reform-related updates.

It's no secret that potential HIPAA privacy violations scare some healthcare administrators who may not be fully aware of the benefits of social media to their systems and patients. Brogna and others acknowledge those worries but say those fears shouldn't enough to discourage social media use. Privacy concerns could be addressed, for example, with basic training.

A key in successful use of social media by healthcare organizations is to avoid the temptation of over-sharing and overwhelming the consumer; there's no point in posting countless pictures of cafeteria food. Massachusetts Chief Information Officer John Letchford says it's about quality, not quantity: “You don't want to have a Twitter feed that's putting out spam 20 times a day.”

Follow Ashok Selvam on Twitter: @MH_aselvam