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Hospitals And Social Media

Ed Bennett has been managed a huge and comprehensive list of U.S. hospitals using social media. In the newest update, Hospital accounts on LinkedIn are now also tracked in addition to Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and blogs.

Current stats:

871 hospitals total

  • 421 YouTube channels
  • 679 Facebook pages
  • 648 Twitter accounts
  • 417 LinkedIn accounts
  • 94 blogs

You can also browse by state. The number of hospitals using each account is below:

*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*

Waiting In The ER Is Okay As Long As Patients Know How Long

Patients don’t mind waiting in the ER as long as they’re kept apprised of the time, an industry survey revealed. This is a good thing, since ER waits have risen nationally to an average of four hours and seven minutes this year.

Press Ganey Associates, Inc., has conducted the survey annually and says that ER wait times are four more minutes than last year, or a half hour more than the first survey in 2002. The company collected data on 1.5 million patients treated at 1,893 hospitals in 2009.

Despite longer wait times, patient satisfaction with U.S. hospital emergency departments stayed about the same in 2009. Communication was the key, as patients who waited more than four hours, but received “good” or “very good” information about delays were just as satisfied as patients who spent less than one hour in the emergency department.

*This blog post was originally published at ACP Hospitalist*

Article Boasts New Birth Center’s “Luxury Hotel” Amenities

Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune headline: “Buffalo birthing center has the latest amenities.” An excerpt:

Starting in August, new mothers will have a chance to multi-task in style in Buffalo, Minn.

The local hospital is unveiling its new birth center, where every patient room will be equipped with an iPod docking station, a flat-screen TV and DVD player, a soaking tub, rocking chair and refrigerator — oh, and a place for the baby to sleep, too.

Buffalo Hospital has spent $7.1 million to turn its old labor and delivery unit into a state-of-the-art facility to appeal to a new generation of patients.

At maternity wards around the country, that increasingly means catering to patients and families as if they’re at “a luxury hotel,” as the Buffalo Hospital website puts it.

And some smart readers have reacted. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*

Hospital Parking: Another Revenue Stream?

When it comes to hospital parking, the British healthcare system is making a go at it:

Using data from 126 Freedom Of Information requests, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust came top for clamping. Over a year, the hospital clamped 1,671 cars and made nearly £2m profit. Leeds General Infirmary issued the most parking tickets — over 10,000, generating £142,000 profit. The Royal Derby was the target of the most criticism — it received 82 complaints in 2008-09.

I wonder what U.S. hospitals are bringing in? When a hospital owns 4,734 parking spaces, I bet they’re doing pretty well.

-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.

*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*

Go To A Famous Hospital, Get Better Care?

Hospital rankings matter. Specifically, those published in U.S. News & World Report carry additional weight. Hospitals use these numbers in advertising campaigns, and patients often choose hospitals based on these rankings.

But does a high place really mean you’re getting better care? Not necessarily. Read more »

*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*

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