Want to Drive Up Your Health System’s U.S. News & World Report Rankings? Get Your Physicians Engaged on Social Media

// By Marcia Simon, APR //

How many of your hospital’s physicians are active on social media? Most hospital marketing teams don’t know the answer, but they should, says Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network.

Aase says that hospital physicians who engage in social media can impact reputation scores that account for about 25 percent of a hospital’s overall ranking on the list of “Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report. This was the topic of his talk at the Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) 2019 annual conference. eHealthcare Strategy & Trends spoke with him in late January to get an update.

Lee Aase, director of the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network

U.S. News & World Report pioneered ranking reports, and it’s been at it for more than 30 years. Today’s consumers search online reviews before making decisions about where and how to spend their money, and hospitals are certainly not exempt. Plus, marketers love to use great rankings in ad campaigns to showcase their organizations’ quality.

“Hospitals now see the value of having doctors engaged in social media where it used to be all about the risk,” says Aase. While hospitals once cringed at the thought that they might lose control of their branding and message, digitally engaged doctors are now considered assets. “It’s a matter of training to help clinical staff engage safely and effectively,” says Aase. Mayo Clinic sets the standard for training and effective use of social media among healthcare systems.

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