Gary Passama

Gary Passama retired as president and CEO of NorthBay Healthcare on March 31, 2017. An active blogger since 2010, here’s a collection of his work.

Making Abe a Believer

January 29, 2015
 

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" –Abraham Lincoln.

If you cannot believe Honest Abe when it comes to what you read and see on the Internet, who can you trust? As it often turns out, no one.

That is what experts are saying. And it is why more organizations must spend time and money managing their image in cyberspace. That is certainly true in healthcare.

There are a growing number of Internet sites that use reviews by purported patients to praise or criticize the care provided by physicians and hospitals. It's Yelp for health care.

Unfiltered comments often become a playground for disgruntled people to spread inaccurate information. Left unchallenged, the canards unfairly affect an organization's reputation – and even its existence.

I noticed hotels are very quick to respond to critiques from former customers on sites like traveladvisor.com. If there were truly a problem, they acknowledge it and explain what they have done to correct the situation. 

With the rise in the use of social media it is important that NorthBay Healthcare use it effectively. We want our story out there for all to see. Social media can be a moving target, so staying on top of it is a constant task. For that reason NorthBay will be adding to its Public Affairs staff this year someone experienced in working with social media.

This person will monitor social media and help us to respond to concerns of all types raised by folks who have used our services. That can only improve the patient care experience for all.

This new staff member will also help us provide more value to the public on Facebook and Twitter. We plan to begin using social media in other ways to communicate what NorthBay Healthcare is about.

We want to reassure Abe that what he reads about NorthBay on social media is accurate.   

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