My friend Howard Luks, an orthopedic surgeon and early adopter of social media, wrote a blog post recently about the need for “practical guidance” for organizations and individuals entering the healthcare social media realm. He has branded this level of content “Tactical Healthcare Social Media” and is using the hashtag #thcsm. For those of you who don’t know Howard, he is a trailblazer when it comes to healthcare social media. At New York Medical College he is an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery where he is training of the next generation of Orthopedic Surgeons.Ā At University Orthopedics, PC and Westchester Medical Center he serves as the Chief of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy. But enough about Howard, let’s talk about his idea!
You can read Howard’s post about #thcsm by going to his website and blog at http://www.howardluksmd.com. He is concerned that once an organization or individual decides to engage in social media, they will “require real world, best practice examples of how to proceed, how to follow, who to learn from,…” Despite all the talk about healthcare social media, right now there is very little tactical, real world guidance for people just getting started (physicians, healthcare providers, marketers, nurses). Howard cautions newbies to beware self-proclaimed social media experts. It is his hope that by creating this new twitter hashtag and #thcsm initiative, people with experience in healthcare social media can step up and give newbies much needed guidance. We can use the new hashtag to denote particularly practical pieces of information and best practices.
I plan to write a lot more about this project in the future, and look forward to working with Howard to bring it to fruition. For now, if you’re a healthcare marketer or communicator, I recommend you follow Howard Luks MD’s blog for a little practical wisdom! He is a straight shooter and brings a distinctive voice to the social media conversation. As you can tell, I am a fan. Go to http://www.howardluksmd.com/orthopedic-social-media/.
The Healthcare Marketer 
absolutely disgraceful,need advice i was recently canceled by blue cross of mass
for failing to give them a home address…pay 900.00 a mth individual plan…cashed the check and never told me i was canceled….fought for refund…have been trying for 3th to get ins….no company will take me due to open enrollment is not till July..so now bc has told me they will reinstate me but want 2500.00 dollars…how can i deal with this need advice!!!
Donna – Health insurance firms are regulated by individual state insurance commissions. The one in your state should be able to help you if the insurance company is not responding. Good luck.
I agree with everything you’ve said here, Dan. š
Dr. Luks is a great advocate for social media in healthcare. His post this week on preparing for and establishing an online presence is really terrific. It goes into everything from the importance of managing your online reputation to the more technical aspects of online involvement such as search engine optimization. Howard really gets digital communication for healthcare.
I’ll link the new post here for any of your readers that may be interested.
http://www.howardluksmd.com/orthopedic-social-media/physician-social-media-presence-hjl20/
Cheers
Jason Boies
Radian6 Community Team
http://www.radian6.com/
Dan… Thanks Dan… Like Jason I agree with everything you said š !!! I appreciate the kind words and comments. This is the time, this is place… healthcare pros are waking up to the advantages of a digital presence in the broader sense of their marketing or other strategic initiatives… and actionable, best practice guidance is needed! We’re going to lead the charge. I hope š
Thanks Howard. I look forward to working with you on this initiative! Thanks for leading the charge.
Dan
Dan,
Thank you for writing this piece on Howard.
Dr. Luks is the first Physician who comes to mind when I need proof that indeed Health Care Social Media is worth the investment of time and energy for busy health care providers. Not only is he technically savvy but he consistently shows us his core skills when interacting with patients.
I remember his first Tweets about the Birth of an e-patient that hit my screen. He is so passionate not only to assist patients but also those within the #HCSM community at large. I’ve been impressed with his willingness to make time to answer questions or to offer a supportive hand. We are indeed associated by the company we keep.
http://www.howardluksmd.com/orthopedic-social-media/the-birth-of-an-e-patient/
While Howard makes his Social Media success look easy, I’m thrilled he will now help take professionals on a step by step journey through the web.
Cheers,
Lisa