My presentation in Milwaukee to this group of HR executives from medical centers.

1. Social Media in Health Care:
A Mayo Clinic Case Study
Lee Aase
Manager, Syndication and Social Media
Mayo Clinic
July 24, 2009

2. Agenda
• The MacGyver Mindset
• Health Care Social Media Penetration
• Mayo Clinic’s Experience
• A Particular Case Study
2

3. About Lee Aase - @LeeAase
• B.S. Political Science
• 14 years in politics and government at
local, state, national levels
• Mayo Clinic since April 2000
• Media relations consultant
• Manager since 2004
• Media Relations/Research Comm
• Syndication and Social Media
3

4. The power of Facebook...
• Evelyn’s existence
• Videos from Grand Rapids
4

5. Disclaimers
• These results not typical
• Use as directed
• Read and follow label directions
• Side effects may include vertigo, watery
eyes, crackberry thumb and iPhone
application addiction
• Social media tools are an essential part of a
balanced communications diet
• If insufficient media coverage persists,
consult your communications doctor
• Your mileage may vary
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6. The Most Important Word (and
Book Recommendation) in Web 2.0
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7. Star Tribune Values and The
Changing Media Landscape
• 1998 $1.2 Billion
• 2006: $530 Million
• Today: Bankruptcy
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8. 8

9. The MacGyver Mindset
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10. Overview of FREE Tools
• Blogs
• Podcasts
• RSS
• Social Networks
• Wikis
• YouTube
• Twitter
• Updates: Slideshare, uStream, Skype
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11. Intro to Blogs
• Just an easy-to-publish Web site that
allows comments
• Blogs in Plain English - Lee LeFever
11

12. RSS = Really Simple Syndication
• Lets you easily track dozens of blogs
or other Web sites without surfing
• Truly opt-in “email”
• RSS “baked in” to IE 7, Safari
• Google Reader a free Web option
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13. Podcasts
• TiVo for Audio (and now video)
• Don’t need an iPod to use
• Series of segments to which you can
subscribe via RSS
• iTunes free for PC or Mac
• Create your own FREE podcast
(listed in iTunes) through SMUG
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14. Social Networking Sites
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15. Wikis
• Collaborative editing tools
• Wikipedia the most famous
• 2.9 million articles in English
• Definitive stories quickly on
• 35W Bridge Collapse
• Virginia Tech shooting
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17. YouTube
• World’s second largest search
engine
• Google bought for $1.65 Billion
• “The world has voted, and we want
to watch videos on YouTube.” - Andy
Sernovitz, Blog Council
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18. 18

19. Other Important Platforms
• Slideshare.net: YouTube for
PowerPoint and Keynote
• uStream.tv: Your own global
television channel
• Skype: Audio and Videoconferencing
• Mix and Match
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20. 20

21. Twitter Case Study #1: Listening
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22. Ensuing Conversation
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23. Twitter Case Study #2: “Tweetup”
in Baltimore
Me: Are you based in Baltimore?
Me: I’m going to be there Tuesday for this conference.
(asae.center.or/hcc) on a panel RU available late pm?
Me: I’m flying out Tues at 6:45 p.m. Any avail in the later
afternoon? I think my panel is done about 2:30
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24. Twitter Case Study #3:
Journalist Interactions
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25. 25

26. Hospitals Using Social Media
(via @EdBennett)
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27. Growth of YouTube vs. Twitter
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28. 28

29. Mayo Clinic’s Social Media
Experience
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30. Mayo Clinic’s Origin
http://tinyurl.com/32xbjx

31. Sources of Information Influencing
Preference for Mayo Clinic
Word of mouth 84
Stories in the media 57
MD recommendation 44
Advertising 27
2006 Study
Internet/Websites 26
Personal experience 24
Mailings to home 18
0 20 40 60 80 100
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32. Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
News Media Syndications
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33. Mayo Clinic Social Media Progression
• Reach people directly
• Started with Medical Edge
• Produce economically to fit medium
• Provide platforms for sharing
• Create outposts on popular sites
• Energize word of mouth
• Leverage social media with mass media
and vice versa
• Sharing Mayo Clinic
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34. First Foray in New Media
• Existing Medical Edge radio mp3s
• Launched Sept. ‘05; Downloads up
8,217 percent Oct. vs. Aug.

35. Step 2: More, Longer Podcasts
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37. 37

38. 38

39. 39

40. Total Cost for Mayo Clinic
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter
$0.00
40

41. Key Tool: Flip Video Camera*
• Affordable for all campuses (and you)
• Recording interviews (with tripod)
improves existing processes
• Authenticity without writer’s cramp
• Provides potential blog resources
• Audio of full interview
• Video excerpts
• Limited group of video editors to
ease adoption, ensure quality
41

42. Cost for a Standard Definition Flip
Video Camera
$150.00
HD available for an additional $80
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43. HD: Worth the Investment
43

44. podcasts.mayoclinic.org
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45. newsblog.mayoclinic.org
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46. Next Step: Launched 1/22/2009
Sharing Mayo Clinic
• Gathering global Mayo community
• Patients telling their stories
• Employee bloggers recruited from
throughout organization
• Video profiles of patients/staff
• Hub to integrate Mayo social media
• Interactive companion to print edition
• sharing.mayoclinic.org
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47. sharing.mayoclinic.org
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48. 48

49. Complying with HIPAA
• Comments moderated to prevent privacy
breaches
• Patients can divulge own info in
comments
• When comments aren’t from patient,
de-identify
• Get HIPAA releases for special
comments or video we shoot and upload
49

50. Benefits of Comment Threads
• Patient stories most popular on .org
• Outlet for grateful patients who want
to tell their stories
• Prompts patients to think about
sharing stories
• Alerts us to great stories we may
want to feature in publications,
Medical Edge, media pitches
50

51. Where Sharing Mayo Clinic Fits
• News Blog - Breaking research news;
“Hard” news - Like U.S News, Time
• Podcast Blog - Evergreen “news you
can use” - Like Prevention
• Sharing Mayo Clinic - Features;
behind the scenes at Mayo Clinic,
and stories from patients in their own
words - Like People
51

52. Other Blogs...
• Health Policy Center Blog
• Physician Update Blog - For referring
MDs but not limited to them
• Diversity in Education Blog
• Advancing the Science - Medical
science blog - our medical version of
Scientific American
52

53. Yearly Cost for a
Customized Blog
$75.00
53

54. Old-Style Online Newsroom vs.
MacGyver Online Newsroom
• Web 1.0 Online Newsroom
• Typically purchased from a Vendor
• Costly - up to $10,000 + monthly fee
• Password-Protected Access
• “MacGyver” Online Newsroom
• DIY
• $45/year or $0.12/day
• Open to customers/patients/links
54

55. Two Case Studies of Mainstream
Media Facilitated by Social Media
• Wall Street Journal Health Blog
• Pitched via Facebook
• Previewed on News Blog
• Embedded from YouTube
• CBS Radio Network
• Flip audio downloaded from news
blog made national network air
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57. 57

58. Answering Objections
• “But what about the cost in staff time
to maintain all of these social media
platforms? They’re not really free!”
• Let’s go in the “way back” machine to
• 1969: AT&T free phone service
• 1989: Pitney Bowes free fax
machines and supplies
• YouTube, Facebook and Twitter really
are free in 2009
58

59. Stephen Covey’s “8th Habit”
Going beyond effectiveness to greatness
“Find your voice and inspire
others to find theirs”
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60. “8th Habit” Opportunity
I can go to any group, and I do it all the time, all over the world, and I
ask a simple question: “How many honestly believe that the vast
majority of the workforce in your organizations possess more talent,
more intelligence, more capability, more creativity, more resourcefulness
than their present jobs require or even allow them to use?” Literally,
almost everyone raises their hands…. Think of the loss of what we could
call “voice,” of people’s intelligence, capability, creativity. And yet I
can ask the next question: … “How many feel pressured to produce
more for less?” and you know what, the same amount of hands go up.
Now just put those two questions together: Here there’s this enormous
capability and talent and intelligence, and also this great pressure to
produce more for less, and they’re not able to even use it.
-- Stephen Covey
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61. Finding voice...
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63. Affirming our Employees
Dear staff,
This 4 minute video actually made me tear
up…the patients mentioning our Judd
Sessions, classes and pamphlets…in relation
to their satisfaction with their care. How
wonderful to hear.
The patient/family testimonials reminded me
how we are making a difference through patient
education in the lives of our patients/families.
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64. Employee Communications
Show and Tell
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65. Don’t (just) pitch the media.
Be the media.
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66. Enhancing Distribution of
Patient-Generated Content
• Alerted to interesting video of elderly
couple playing piano in Gonda atrium
• Embedded in Sharing Mayo Clinic,
posted to Facebook, Tweeted on 4/7/09
• Video had been seen 1,005 times in six
preceding months since upload
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67. The next day...
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68. Six days later...
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69. April 22
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70. Sunday, May 3
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72. 72

73. May 4
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74. Cinco de Mayo
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75. May 6
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76. Thursday, May 7
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77. May 10
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78. 78

79. May 11
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80. May 12
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81. A sampling of the comments...
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82. May 15
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83. Early Morning May 26
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84. May 26, 2009: Live in Studio
Good Morning America
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85. 85

86. May 28, 2009
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87. Results to Date
• More than 4 million views on
YouTube
• Before posting to Sharing Mayo
Clinic: 1,000 views in six months
• After posting, Facebooking and
Tweeting: 5,000 views per hour
87

88. Lessons
• Your mileage may vary, but...
• You’ll go a lot farther if you get a car.
88

89. Summary
• Twitter, Facebook, YouTube: $0
• Sharing Mayo Clinic blog: $75
• Bringing joy to the world
through music: Priceless
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90. Immense Potential for Mayo Clinic
• Marketing we couldn’t buy at any price
• 500,000 annual unique patients,
50,000 employees as ambassadors
• More efficient care delivery
• Patient support groups
• Chronic disease management
• Workplace Collaboration
• Free versions let you prove concept,
gauge readiness
90

91. Recommendations
• Don’t “hire some kids to do this stuff”
• Do find someone with gray or thinning
hair; a champion with some stature
• Don’t set up a social media silo with
lots of additional staffing; involve
current staff
• Don’t emphasize novelty, discontinuity
• Do develop guidelines that interpret
policies for new platforms
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92. Recommendations
• Do take time to understand community
standards, mores
• Don’t treat social media like just
another push-based marketing channel
• Don’t block social media sites at work
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93. “Your kids aren’t
smarter than you are.
They’re just not
afraid to look dumb.”
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94. Six Personal Steps to Explore
• Establish a permanent personal email
• Get profiles in Facebook, LinkedIn
• Get a Twitter account
• Get a Flip camera (or iPhone 3GS?)
• Create a personal YouTube account
• Start a personal Blog
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95. Four Starter Steps for Institutions
• Claim your organization’s Twitter
“handle”
• Create a Facebook “fan” page
• Create a YouTube channel
• For Extra Credit: If you have
organizational commitment, create a
multi-author blog
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