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KevinMD on Enhancing a Physicians' Online Reputation

 |  By Marianne@example.com  
   February 06, 2013

Last fall, attentive readers of this space may recall, an unintentional encounter between a sharp kitchen knife and the tender flesh of my hand taught me a few things about the patient experience.

That episode also got me thinking about how physicians and hospitals appear to patients seeking information online.

I Googled my surgeon's name the moment I found out which physician would be performing my procedure. While the nurse on the phone was telling me pre-op information, I was reading the surgeon's credentials, skimming studies he'd published, and smirking at a photo of him with his dog.

These little insights into the career and life of this stranger who would be slicing me (further) open the next day gave me some comfort. He had attended the best universities. He had been at the hospital for 15 years. And in online reviews, patients seemed to like him.

My instant cyber-quest was not an anomaly. In fact, most Americans (54%) are going online to determine which physicians to see, what treatment to get, and what services a hospital or pharmacy might provide, according to Manhattan Research.

And the trend is still on the rise. The research firm found that 79% of patients diagnosed with a chronic disease in the previous three months, who were already active online, used the Internet to influence their care decisions compared with 53% who were diagnosed a year earlier.

This popular method of seeking information makes online reputation management all the more critical for physicians and hospitals. But for many, monitoring and actively updating their e-image is a major challenge.

Kevin Pho, MD, the ubiquitous social media guru known as KevinMD on the blogosphere and Twitter, has published a book to help physicians do just that. Establishing, Managing and Protecting Your Online Reputation: A Social Media Guide for Physicians and Medical Practices, gives tips on how to best represent themselves to the new generation of wired, empowered, and social patients.

In an interview, Pho discussed some of the biggest mistakes physicians make in regard to their online reputation – and explained how they can be rectified.

Mistake 1: Ignoring your online reputation
When it comes to a physician's online image, the first mistake he can make is to ignore it.

"When you consider how online reviews have affected other industries, like books, hotels, and restaurants, it's inevitable that this level of transparency will become the standard in healthcare," Pho says.

"So it's up to physicians to be aware of their online reputation, because if they aren't, patients and other entities will define them online."

Solution: Get Googling
"Most doctors' biggest fear is Googling their name, and having a negative online patient review show up," Pho says. "To prevent these situations, they not only need to be aware of their online reputation, they need to take steps to proactively protect it."

Physicians should create a Google news alert to notify them whenever their name or organization is mentioned in the press. They should also regularly enter their name and other relevant key words (John Smith, cardiologist, Atlanta) into search engines to keep an eye on the top results.

Mistake 2: Trying to censor negative online reviews
When the odd negative review does pop up online, many physicians panic and try to delete the comment. Most review sites don't allow for this and, even if they did, it's not a smart idea, Pho says.

"Many doctors ask me how to get rid of these sites, or take down negative reviews," he says. The short answer is, you can't. Transparency is here to stay."

Solution: Embrace review sites
Despite what most doctors think, studies show that the majority of physician reviews are positive.

"Most patients like their doctors," Pho says. "So encourage them to review you online.  Don't cherry-pick just the good ones—ask all your patients to do so.  Chances are, the majority of reviews will be better than most doctors would think, and can drown out outlying negative comments."

Mistake 3: Saying you don't have time
Even if a physician only has 10 free minutes a week, it is still possible to successfully monitor and manage their online reputation.

Solution: Start with a LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn, a professional social network, is the standard in online resumes. Patients view the site as a reliable information source and will likely check a physician's professional profile soon after their page on their practice or hospital's website.

Fortunately, LinkedIn profiles only take about 10 to 15 minutes to create and get ranked high on a Google search. 

"Best of all, you're in total control of that content, and thus, what patients see of you online," Pho says. "For doctors who are hesitant of having an online presence, LinkedIn is a great way to become more comfortable on the web."

Mistake 4: Shying away from social networking
For many physicians—particularly the less tech-savvy—the thought of managing multiple social accounts is daunting. But today, they can no longer be ignored.

Solution: Get comfortable on many social networks.
Once physicians are comfortable on LinkedIn, it's time to start exploring other social networks. For the next step, Pho suggests creating a Google profile or a Twitter account.

"Twitter is a great learning tool for doctors, because it can help filter the vast amount of information on the web," he says. "You don't even have to contribute content; just listen. If you follow people with similar interests, it act as a powerful online curation mechanism."

As an added bonus, Pho uses his Twitter feed as his daily reading his and has used the network to find some fascinating articles that he otherwise wouldn't have come across.

"The bottom line is that the more physicians are active in social media, the bigger their digital footprint will be," he says. "And that gives them more control over their online presence."

Marianne Aiello is a contributing writer at HealthLeaders Media.

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