August 4th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
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Recently I ran into the office manager for one of Houston’s largest pediatric practices. New patient visits are way down and their doctors are looking for ways to keep business rolling. The same day I picked up this piece in the Wall Street Journal which shows declining admissions and doctor visits as a national trend. This is bad news and shows how our faltering economy is finally working its way more visibly into healthcare.
And apparently we’re making fewer babies –- admissions to neonatal intensive care units are down. This is a problem. For large tertiary medical centers and hospitals specializing in maternal-child health, babies are the critical customers of a healthy operation.
A few thoughts on what to look for (or dare I say, what to “expect”) with fewer babies:
Pipelines. Look for tighter referral relationships between large tertiary centers and the smaller community hospitals that deliver babies in need of specialized care. Centers already aligned with ready-made networks should be well-positioned for the downturn. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
August 2nd, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
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In a move that may represent a new level of social health organization within large institutions, the Mayo Clinic announced that it has launched The Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media. Mayo intends to “accelerate effective application of social media tools throughout Mayo Clinic and to spur broader and deeper engagement in social media by hospitals, medical professionals and patients to improve health globally.”
Look for more information in Mayo’s press release which is diplomatically vague while at the same time lofty and enticing.
So what does this really mean?
The Mayo Clinic recognizes opportunity. The opportunity to formally offer comprehensive social media training to hospitals and medical schools is huge. The Mayo Clinic can and should leverage what they’ve done both to their own advantage and to help create a new standard for providers. While the details are forthcoming, Mayo Clinic’s manager of social and sydicated media Lee Aase tells us that Mayo wants to make available its resources, training, toolkits and legal guidelines to fledgling hospitals. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 29th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
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I have a friend actively involved in social health applying for medical school. She reached out to ask me how much should she make of her social media involvement? Will the mention of participation on a SXSW panel or the start of a social community help or hurt her application?
Actually a good question. Some academics, after all, see social media as a waste of time, but many are curious about it. The really smart ones understand its potential power. So as a medical school applicant you can see how this could work for you or against you.
While initially I thought that positioning yourself as a social health innovator could be something of a liability, I think the potential upside outweighs risk. But like so many things, it’s all in how you set it up. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 23rd, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, True Stories
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Last week I invited a local pediatrician to connect with me on a physician social network. I thought it would be cool to see how it might improve our ability to stay in touch and share information. In a return email she was enthusiastic, but qualified it by saying that she wouldn’t want to be held liable for anything she said.
It raises an interesting concern: Can a physician be held accountable for rendering an opinion in a clinical scenario casually presented in a physician network?
Water Cooler Risk
The question of liability for casual dialog is interesting, but not a new question. Doctors have been talking for years. At lunch conferences, in hallways, and in surgical lounges -– the curbside is a way of life for all of us. Good physicians, after all, almost never work alone. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
July 11th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Humor, Opinion, True Stories
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They say transparency is king — the more you share the better you look. But I’ve got rules. Here are a few things you won’t find in my Twitter stream:
Beer. I was recently speaking at a meeting out of town and caught up with some friends at the end of the day to visit and have a beer. I was in a different time zone and noted on Twitter the specific microbrew I was enjoying. The following week in my clinic a parent commented on my social activity. While I’m no stranger to transparency, the realization of my visibility was eye-opening. It reminded me that everyone’s watching and 140 characters doesn’t offer enough space to explain the why, or the time zone, of what I’m doing. So I’ve sworn to keep activities like beer consumption out of my twitter stream.
My kids. I try to keep my children out of my social footprint as much as possible. But as most of you who follow me know, they sneak their cute little selves in on occasion. It’s unfortunate because everybody loves hearing about my kids. This is at the request of my wife who’s a booger about privacy. I do mention the occasional date night with my daughter but, by and large, you won’t hear much. Kids are great jumping-off points for personal digression, but we have to be careful about using them to our own advantage. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
