By Jennifer Maggiore
jennifer@redballooninc.com
Social Media is paving the way for consumer consideration and education, but only a third of organizations have documented guidelines, fewer provide training to avoid violations
The Internet is only a few years older than HIPAA (enacted in 1996), but as social media has grown in popularity with healthcare professionals in recent years, HIPAA has begun cracking down on privacy concerns that have come up on social platforms.
Healthcare organizations in many cases are scrambling to demonstrate proactive due diligence by documenting social media guidelines and providing training to prevent employees from posting protected health information.
Penalties can be stiff, according to U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, civil penalties result in fines of $100 to $50,000 (with a maximum of $1.5 million for identical provisions during a calendar year), and criminal penalties may result in up to 10 years jail time.
It’s important not to fear social media though, prevention and education are key. And it isn’t going away – it’s an increasingly important part of our personal and professional lives. For context, 85% of the world’s 7 billion+ people will have high-speed Internet access by 2017 says a new study by tech company Ericsson, and three quarters of those people are expected to participate in at least one form of social media.
It’s time to embrace social media as a positive tool for becoming providers of choice in consumers’ minds, and to encourage employees to share their valuable voices in an appropriate and positive way.
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Consumer behaviors have shifted
Patients aren’t waiting for you to interrupt their TV programs with a commercial anymore, they are actively looking for you on social sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or your blog or newsletter. The opportunity to connect with consumers before they need you is too big to overlook.
“Patients own a bigger portion of the cost of care, so the idea of ‘the doctor will see you now’ is shifting toward ‘the patient will see you now’. Consumers are more tech savvy, and have become acclimated to booking reservations, video communication, using social media as the new ‘word of mouth’ and healthcare systems are playing catch up with other industries” says Chris Pace, Director of Digital Strategy for Dignity Health Arizona.
While researching healthcare has become popular across the board, younger generations are researching healthcare organizations and providers online, much in the same way they’d research a restaurant or any other business before buying. 18-24 year olds are twice as likely to use social media for health related conversations than 45 to 54 year olds says AdWeek.com. The conversation is increasingly taking place online, and healthcare providers should be contributing valuable, accurate information to these conversations.
In a recent study by Mediabistro, 41% of consumers said that information found through social media channels affects the way they deal with their health. However, the information they get may range from a friend’s sensational worst-case scenario to unreliable information from a well-meaning family member.
Healthcare organizations have the opportunity, and more importantly, the responsibility to their communities to provide healthcare education. In fact, many physicians would like to be that voice when consumers are utilizing social media to research conditions and potential treatments. That same study found that 60% of physicians say they believe social media could improve the quality of care delivered to patients.
Healthcare we have a problem
There are numerous cases of healthcare professionals inadvertently violating HIPAA, like Michigan RN Cheryl James, who in 2010 posted about a shooter she’d treated in the ER. She’d written on her Facebook page that she wished he’d “rot in hell” because he’d killed a local police officer. Although many may have agreed with her sentiment, she unintentionally identified a patient, a major HIPAA violation.
Hospitals are beginning to embrace social media and understand that if they want to meet patients where they are, it means allowing organizations and professionals to meet them online. The Institute for Health found though, that only 31% of health care organizations have documented social media guidelines in place for employee use (by marketing staff for official use on behalf of the organization, and for all employees on personal profiles)– this is a huge problem.
The solution
All health care organizations should have documented guidelines for compliant, and professional social media usage. Choosing not to address the problem is like sticking your head in the sand; it solves nothing and leaves you in danger. Posts published to “official channels” by marketing staff, and by employees on personal profiles may have wide-ranging consequences for employees and employers alike. Social Media guidelines should be updated quarterly as needed, and reviewed with employees at least annually during training sessions.
Most healthcare systems are still catching up with social technologies, either because they haven’t nurtured internal expertise, haven’t identified an outside source for guidance, or are paralyzed by compliance concerns. Whatever the case, it’s clearer than ever that the winners are going to adopt a culture of educating employees and leadership, and maintaining social profiles to meet their patients where they are – on social media sites.
How is your organization using social media to reach and educate consumers? How are you educating your healthcare professionals to avoid violations when using social media? Share your experience in the comments.
Jennifer Maggiore is a nationally recognized social media consultant, author and speaker. She launched her company red balloon in 2005, quickly expanding her business as one of the country’s first social media consultants. Today, she and her team work with public and private companies throughout the United States, offering social media management, strategy and training services, including a specialty in HIPAA and NLRA consulting for healthcare organizations. red balloon was named a Top 10 Marketing Firm in her home state of Arizona, Jennifer was recognized as one of 35 Women Entrepreneurs in Arizona Under 35, and she was most recently interviewed for the show Roadtrip Nation.