In observance of the Memorial Day Holiday ClientTell will be closed Monday May 31, 2010. In order for your calls to be made efficiently please send appointment reminder files through Tuesday June 1, 2010 no later than Friday May 28, 2010.
Thank you and have a safe Memorial Day!
Social Networking
The digital age is here, and social network marketing is critical to creating a brand identity, building communities, and maintaining communication with clients. The corporate world is recognizing this, as every major brand has a Facebook page where it can reach out to its community of loyal followers
The same technology that can be used to update interested consumers on the latest products from NIKE, Lexus or Honda – can and should also be used to keep your patients abreast of vital health information.
Last year, during the peak of the H1N1 outbreak, your patients were undoubtedly subjected to a lot of misinformation, and in some cases downright lies about dangers and exposure levels, the source of most of which was the internet.
Yet, when used responsibly by true healthcare professionals these same digital technologies can be leveraged to ensure that you patents receive accurate and reliable information. Case in point: hospitals in the UK sent out text messages informing patients of the symptoms of H1N1, and what to do if they were experiencing them.
The hospital used an outside “patient messaging service” that is linked into the hospital systems patient database. Use of such a platform to communicate specific info about the Swine Flu is a great example of how forward thinking physicians can use text messaging, an increasingly popular method of “personal” communication, which patients appreciate.
Furthermore, text messaging such as this allows practices of all sizes to send “community” specific information to patient groups. For example, you can send a message to all of your diabetes or arthritis patients updates about new treatment options available through your practice, or in your area.
Texting is also a great way to send your patients appointment reminders, appointment conformations, and lab results.
So, while the Internet and social networking can often be a bane to practitioners, who have to deal with patients coming in “knowing it all” – these technologies can also be leveraged responsibly. This allows not only healthcare agencies, but also individual practitioners, to ensure that patients receive accurate, reliable, and timely information during a real or potential health crisis – and helps to once again establish you, the practicing physician, as their most trusted source for medical information.