One in Three Hospitals utilizing Social Media

ATLANTA – According to a new study, as many as 90 percent of hospitals and health systems use social media, but just one in three has a formal social media plan in place – something researchers say is key to using such media successfully.



The survey, which was conducted by Atlanta-based Greystone.Net, a provider of Web-related services for hospitals and healthcare organizations, finds that nine in ten hospital or health system of those surveyed are currently involved in social media to some degree.

Yet, in a blog posted yesterday by Jennifer Riggle, associate vice president at public relations and marketing services firm CT/tanaka, she wrote that "Greystone.Net's percentage of engaged hospitals seems overly optimistic... I hazard to guess that many hospitals are simply setting up Twitter accounts, posting videos on YouTube and creating Facebook pages without thinking how they can use these tools to support their service lines and improve communication with the community they serve."

Ed Bennett, a Web strategist at the University of Maryland Medical System, keeps a running tally of hospitals that are using social networking on his blog called "Found in Cache." According to this blog, only 540 providers, or 10 percent of the nation's 5,010 community hospitals, are currently using social media.

"I am not trying to disparage Greystone’s research," said Bennett. "But you have to look at the context of who it is reporting it."

He suggests that the research panel was tilted toward hospitals that would be more likely to be engaged in social media anyway given their size and resources.

Whatever the number, Greystone.Net's research shows that budgeting for social media, including hiring social media employees, is still relatively rare among hospitals and health systems – although many respondents commented that this is likely to change in the near future." ~ HealthITNews.com

To learn how Sheridan Healthcare, a leading resource for CRNA jobs, is utilizing social media, check out our pages on LinkedIn and Facebook.