Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/812313
A Word about Authenticity " For me, it beca me a way of pushing t he envelope in hea lth ca re," Dr. K lasko says. " We a re leaders in tr ying to promote tra nspa rency. It 's been a rea lly fa ntastic way of having people believe, correctly, that I'm ver y interested in interacting with them a nd hea ring their thoughts. In addition, a vigorous online presence is indispensable for connecting with a cer ta in age demog raphic, he says. " There a ren't a whole lot of ways to engage with millen- nia ls other tha n that," Dr. K la sko says. " Millennia ls a re the ones reshaping hea lth ca re." Over the yea rs, Dr. K lasko a nd those of like mind have lea rned that being successf ul on line requires a specif ic set of tools a nd strateg ies. Those include: + Allocating appropriate time and resources. W hile Dr. K la sko does have a direct ha nd in his on line pres- ence, he a lso has the suppor t of a tea m of professiona ls, including socia l media and public affairs specia lists. Few CEOs have the time a nd acumen to develop a nd execute a socia l media ca mpa ig n a lone. + Being consistent. Deciding to w rite a blog or have a Twitter feed is only the f irst step towa rd a successf ul online outlet. To ma ke an impact, content needs to appear reg ula rly a nd in perpetuit y. Other wise, the CEO bra nd risks looking inconsistent. + Developing a clear voice. Hospital CEOs and other leaders hold unique, highly visible positions in health systems. The tone of their online presence needs to match the goals of the health system. They should project knowledge, trustworthi- ness and compassion, and avoid controversial topics such as politics. + Using the platform to interact. Social media is not a one-way street. Successful online outlets are interactive. Giving readers opportunities to comment and responding to those comments is essential. Again, working with a team can facilitate this. "Patients today expect and really wish to be part of the conversation and not just receive information in a one-sided manner," Loew says. "Maybe that's one of the things that's come out of social media. We all feel like we deserve to have a conversation. Some hospital administrators would view that as a burden, but I hope the enlightened ones would say this is a n oppor tunit y." ■ AUTHENTICIT Y WA S A key element in the digital strategy of Paul Levy, former CEO and President of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who embraced social media before many of his fellow CEOs. During his time as the head of the medical center, Levy had a blog called Running a Hospital. When he left, he renamed the blog Not Running a Hospital and continued to provide insight into the healthcare industry until March 2016, when the blog shut down. In an interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Levy admonished CEOs to embrace their individuality, saying, "If their social media interactions are not in their own voice, they might as well not get engaged." To Levy, that meant publishing content he wrote without having it looked over or approved. That carries risks — digital content is easily captured and shared — and it's not the only approach that can work, says Brian Loew, Founder and CEO of Inspire, a website that hosts health-specifi c communities. According to Loew, utilizing resources to review or even ghostwrite posts is acceptable if the material maintains the CEO's tone and does not come across as canned. "Is it OK if it's a ghostwriter? Yes, as long as the ghostwriter is not a robot and knows the speaker well enough to actually refl ect what that person might say," he says. 1 5 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S M I D Ÿ P E N N S Y LVA N I A ■ 2 017