Some people feel sad when they have to leave their pets behind for the holidays. Pfizer is very worried about this. According to The Wall Street Journal, it launched a Twitter feed called "Dog On Board" that helps “families talk about including their dog in their family holiday.” Since when did Pfizer start caring about Fido? Well, Pfizer sells Cerenia, a dog drug that prevents vomiting caused by motion sickness. Better barking than barfing, certainly.
“A Quebec woman on long-term sick leave is fighting to have her benefits reinstated after her employer's insurance company cut them, she says, because of photos posted on Facebook,” says CBC News. The woman received monthly sick-leave benefits from her insurance company, but suddenly the payments stopped. The company said it was because of the pictures she posted on Facebook. Pictures were taken at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on the beach. The insurer said this was enough evidence to show she was no longer depressed, says CBC. Read more here to see what her doctor and lawyer are saying about the pictures.
So who is behind the popular Healthcare Social Media (#hcsm) chat? It’s Dana Lewis, a senior at the University of Alabama. In this interview, she explains how she got interested in social media and healthcare. Her biggest challenge in moderating the Twitter chat is dealing with spammers—companies that tweet about their product, service and clients. “We started as a single conversation, but #hcsm has grown into a community, and I am sensitive to protecting it from those who want to ‘monetize the ROI’ of their Sunday evenings."
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons was awarded a silver CLIO award for the Academy’s year long campaign's “75 Years of Orthopaedic History.” The social media-savvy campaign told stories of patients through pictures, videos, books, artwork and the Web. Here are some highlights from the Web site: historical interviews, a digital timeline and movies. “When you have emotional stories of people healing, compassionate surgeons and a whole lot of written and oral history from which to pull—you have all the ingredients for a campaign that honors the profession and the orthopaedic surgeons themselves,” says Sandra Gordon, director of public relations. “For us it was an opportunity of a lifetime to create amazing programs and tell some very compelling stories.”
We know it’s tough keeping up with the buzz about the latest debate involving social media and the FDA. Earlier in November, the government agency held public hearings about how FDA-regulated products use Internet and social media. But the debate lives on at this Web site, which tracks the #fdasm hashtag. On the site, you’ll see a lot of interesting tweets and might even pick up some new healthcare blogs to read.
Social media causes trouble in the legal department—especially when it comes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Because these rules are so complex, hospitals are wary about trying to adopt new technology and sharing information. “Hospitals can inadvertently violate HIPAA regulations, even for something as simple as a staff member posting a video or photo taken at the hospital that has a patient in the background who has not given written consent,” says Livingston Buzz. Breaking HIPAA laws can be a hefty price—and could result in jail time. Read more about it here.
Feeling the holiday stress? Me, too. I’m already worried about how I’m going to explain Twitter to my 97-year-old grandma over Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily, UNC Health Care alerted us to its new video: “Five tips for surviving the holidays.” On the video, Dr. Jonathan Abramowitz, a professor of psychiatry and psychology in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Medicine and College of Arts & Sciences, talks about ways to manage to stress. Speaking of the holidays, HMC News is taking a break on Thursday. But we’ll see you back here in December. Happy Thanksgiving.
SOCIAL MEDIA IS EXPLODING IN HEALTH CARE COMMUNICATIONS!
You know Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, blogging and other social media channels have changed forever how health care companies talk to patients, employees and stakeholders.
Don't miss The 2nd Annual Social Media Summit Health care public relations, marketing and internal communications September 27-29, 2010 • Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Fla. REGISTER HERE
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