Promoting Your Hospital's HIT Capabilities, Creatively

Promoting EHR with a microsite and social media

In the fall of 2010 Texas Health launched a microsite to inform the public about its EHR. The site was rolled out in conjunction with a system-wide branding initiative. It showcased five video vignettes featuring Ferdinand Velasco, MD, chief medical information officer, known as "Dr. V," a friendly physician explaining the benefits of the EHR.

"Because the EHR as a concept is a bit abstract, we used my 'Dr. V' character to show a real physician using the EHR, taking care of patients and interacting with other clinicians," Velasco says. "This helped show consumers how the EHR is impacting patient care."

In addition to embedding the videos on the microsite's homepage, Texas Health marketers uploaded them to the system's YouTube channel and referenced them on Facebook, Twitter, and in media releases.

"Texas Health leadership wanted to promote, not just through the media, but also directly to public, the system's investment in the EHR and how the technology was helping us advance our mission," Velasco says. "Until this time we had invested a lot of effort in engaging our medical staff physicians and staff on the EHR's benefits. The social media campaign enabled us to communicate directly to patients."