(by Patrick Talmadge Harris – CEO & Founder, PatEx)
As social media platforms become “the digital dashboards of our consumer lives,” I think it is important for organizations to become aware of what I call “critical mass” – a saturation level of followers/users and engagement opportunities for efforts to be beneficial for all – providers, payers, employees and patients. The link between the patient experience and social media platforms is critical and growing, but for organizations (big and small, linked and unlinked), meaningful engagement is key. There are a few basic principles all should follow such as posting relevant information targeted to a client base, frequent communication and multi-channel outreach. The technology is relatively new and should be a continuous process for engagement and better care. With this said, there is existing (and readily available and adopted) technology that can help social media engagement for long-term benefits.
