April 1, 2009 

Learn how to proactively create your online presence 

By Karen Donley-Hayes 

 Dr. Pho           A DECADE AGO, use of electronic media channels in one's practice was virtually a non-issue — but the 21st century has changed all of that. These applications and tools — collectively considered social networking aids — have also found their way into many a medical practice, and with good reason. 

AUTHORITATIVE & ACCESSIBLE "Today, most people go on the Internet to search out a person or product and get referrals from others before they make a decision," says Diane Korringa, director of marketing for Lisa Benest, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in Burbank, Calif., who maintains a presence on the popular online communities Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace. "The chief benefit is that we are accessible to more people than we had been with direct mail.

" "It increases your authority," explains Kevin Pho, M.D., whose primary care practice is based in Nashua, N.H., but whose name, face, and comments are seen worldwide on a daily basis. It's all about visibility and credibility, he tells Cosmetic Surgery Times . 

 Dr. Benest   "For me, personally, it adds about two to three hours a day of reading and writing, which, in combination with a multi-primary care practice [and] raising a young family, is certainly a time commitment.

" So what's the return on that time investment? "It expands influence; a lot of my blog topics come up on the first page of Google results when people do searches. I talk a lot about primary care and health reform. I give my take on various news articles. So when people search for those on the Internet, a lot of my articles will come up. It gives you more of a visibility on the Net.

" Ms. Korringa puts a number to the return on that time investment. "The Internet is now our third highest referral source after other doctors and friends/family. Many of our new patients are people who have found us on the Internet.

" MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE Dr. Pho points out that there is much more to this visibility than "advertising" a practice. Much of it has to do with establishing credibility. "Patients are getting more and more Web savvy. They search for their doctors on the Internet, so having a strong Web presence is a must going forward.

" But there's a bigger issue, and that is control: controlling what information about you and your practice appears on the Web. "Patients are eventually going to find you on the Internet," whether or not you have actively established your Web presence, Dr. Pho points out. "Go out there and Google yourself. If your name comes up associated with negative articles or comments that someone has written about you, that isn't going to bode well for you in terms of marketing yourself or your practice.

" Ms. Korringa notes this as a potential issue as well. Someone who doesn't "like you for some reason can create major black PR about you and your office." But by being proactive in your approach to the Web — with an informative Web site, blogging, Twitter, RSS feeds, and other social media platforms, physicians can take much better control over the information people will find about them online. "By using these various social media tools, you gain a semblance of control so when your name comes up, it's with the topics and information you want.

" Dr. Pho says this is especially true for fields of medicine — such as cosmetic surgery, in which, "Taking a proactive stance on the Web is even more important.

" Ms. Korringa feels similarly. "We find that the patients who have visited our Web site, have done Internet research, are more knowledgeable and have a better understanding of the procedures involved. They have seen good reviews about our practice so their trust level is higher.

" EDUCATE YOURSELF FIRST Dr. Pho uses RSS readers, including Google Reader, to do his own research, to know what's out there online.

He subscribes to several hundred RSS feeds — services that send him information based on the parameters he specifies. He subscribes to feeds from "a variety of national newspapers, medical journals, other physician and patient blogs. Using an RSS aggregation tool is really the only way to skim through that many sources.

" Dr. Pho says that he especially uses blogging and Twitter in peer-to-peer discussion with colleagues. "I give my take and opinion on news items that come out, and other doctors can respond.... It really generates a lot of discussion." He believes that this is vital, because "over the next couple of years, things are going to fundamentally change in medicine, and being able to discuss this among other doctors on a blog offers a level of transparency so patients can see what doctors are talking about and what's important to the doctors.

" Another issue, Dr. Pho says, is that online users are inundated with information — and possibly significant misinformation — about medical conditions, as well as the spin that manufacturers put on products and medications. Through an active e-media presence, physicians can provide an informed perspective. 

THE POWER OF 'NOW' "It's not that (with blogging) you're giving medical advice; you're not. But giving a physician's opinion on something is valuable and with Twitter and blogging, you can dynamically update these in real-time, rather than waiting for an article to be published. It's essentially information on demand, and offers the great advantage of speed.

" Of course, docs have to be careful in what they say and how they say it, to avoid breaching confidentiality or offering medical opinions without examining a patient. Dr. Pho says it's a matter of using common sense. Always have a disclaimer, and protect patient privacy. Some physicians blog about certain patients, feeling they're protecting those patients' privacy by changing details, but Dr. Pho feels even that's crossing a line. "I don't blog about patients at all. I don't want a patient, when he or she sees me in the office, to worry that I'll write about them." Physicians need to remember that whatever they write will be read by the world. "Use common sense. Don't publicize what you wouldn't want the world to read.

" Dr. Pho says creating and maintaining an electronic presence doesn't need to be complicated. Any physician can easily fire up his or her own blog with little effort. 

"It can be as simple as going to Blogger," a free blogging service from Google. "A blog can be set up in less than 15 minutes with very little Web knowledge. And it takes even less time if all you want to do is Twitter.

" Intimidation of technology, Dr. Pho says, should not discourage any physician from taking a proactive approach to presenting his or her face on the Web.