Rare Webinar on Social Media for Healthcare Leaders

Nov. 16, 2010 - PRLog -- As a recognized healthcare social media expert, Jamie Verkamp was seeing to very different ends to the healthcare social media spectrum. “On one end, organizations jump in and have no strategy, no plan to protect their staff, patients, themselves. They just know they want to be on social media outlets. It’s like the old adage, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. The other end of the spectrum are the organizations who bury their heads in the sand, hoping that social media is just a bad dream, a passing fad. But social networking is here to stay; it is quickly changing the communication landscape including communication in the healthcare industry.”

That’s why Verkamp, Partner at (e)Merge Medical Marketing decided to team up with esteemed attorney and healthcare social media expert David Harlow for a free Webinar on December 9th.

“I’m excited to work with David because he’s a true leader in the healthcare social media space. He’s one of the few seasoned attorneys who understands social media and knows how to work with clients to integrate it into their patient engagement. He’s a fresh voice that empowers healthcare leaders instead of holding them back.”

The duo hopes to educate leaders on using the internet in a way that is professional, HIPAA compliant and time-efficient.

“All health care providers should be interested in learning how to utilize social media tools, since in order to qualify as an ACO, or Accountable Care Organization, a health care organization must demonstrate the ways in which it promotes patient engagement.  The social media toolkit will be a key component of any health care organization's patient engagement strategy,” says Harlow. “Health care providers that do not have a social media presence should all begin to monitor online channels to learn what is being said about them, so that they can begin to respond in real life.  Before jumping into it all, however, it is important for them to understand what they're getting into, how to do it in a manner that will fit in with their existing organizational culture and how to protect themselves from potential liability and exposure.”

“It’s important not get so focused on the tools of social media like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, but more so the concept and the paradigm shift that is social networking,” notes Verkamp. “It’s a completely different way of thinking about the way we express ourselves, communicate and receive information. To be successful, organizations must understand the basis and the value of social media because the tools will change over time.”

The webinar will be held December 9th, 2010 at 12:30 Central time. Leaders in hospitals, health systems and private practices are encouraged to attend, from CEOs to office managers. Admission is free. Visit www.emergewithus.com to sign up or call 816-326-8464.