5 things doctors should know about managing their reputation online

Simon Sikorski, CEO Healthcare Marketing Centre of Excellence
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Healthcare Marketing Center of Excellence has been at the forefront of managing doctors’ reputations and creating powerful online presence for physicians since 2002. I recently published 12 case studies from May and June 2012 on how important a doctor’s online reputation really is. Here’s an outline of what every physician and administrator should know and do frequently: 

Google Your Name

Doctors don’t need to be at the mercy of Google and the countless Physician-Review sites. But if you don’t Google your name, how will you know what’s being said about you? At this point you will encounter at least 10 pages of random reviews and statistics about your practice. If you see even one bad review, or dissatisfying statistics please note: that is exactly what the public is seeing. Why should you care?

In the 12 case studies we published we identified a very compelling statistic: 100% of cash-paying (out-of-network, elective services, fee-for-service) patients Googled their doctors before scheduling their first appointment. Eighty percent of them disqualified a potential doctor based on one negative review before moving onto the next.

Are doctor-review sites fair?

No. Here’s why:

1. Up until now, there has been no technology that verifies patient reviews as true and valid. Anyone, including you could write a review.
2. These sites are NOT in the business of helping doctors. If they were, would they allow for un-verified reviews to be ever posted? Would they update doctors’ listings with their true expertise, address, and a link to their website? Would they keep patient reviews from 4 years ago? No, instead they’re trying to take control of your reputation away from doctors. They’re in the business of owning your name.

The importance of Patient Feedback (and customer service)

What are the two most feared actions a doctor’s practice could face? Malpractice or a Bad Review. What is the #1 most common reason for both? Lack of timely response to a patient’s complaint. This is the patient that will give you one chance to rectify the issue.

What is the #2 most common reason for both? Dismissing the patient’s complaint. If they can’t afford a lawyer, this is the patient that will go online to write nasty reviews about you in every case, and they do not fear disclosing the full details of their experience, including their name. Such reviews carry significant repercussions: in the 12 case studies we published there was one case like that for a medical spa where the end result was cancellations of appointments.

What if you had the chance to ask for EVERY patient’s feedback? What if all the negative reviews and concerns were sent to your attention in real-time, as they happen, before they’re published?

Impact of Doctor Reviews on Hospital/Practice Brands

Another very moving statistic was the impact doctors’ reputations have on brand recognition of their practices and hospitals. Despite tens of thousands of advertising dollars to promote a brand, a hospital was closing its doors as a local ASC was out-competing them. Oddly enough, the ASC was spending less than $2000 on brand advertising, but all 20 doctors had stellar online reputations. It took only 5 weeks to save the hospital and improve case volumes – 100 percent due to improving their doctors’ visibility for their expertise and their reputations.

Where to start?

Google your name and be proactive from there...


Simon Sikorski is the CEO of Healthcare Marketing Center of Excellence in New Jersey. His company has been working with doctors to manage their reputations and help them become the most trusted source of medical information since 2002. Their new technology helps gather patient reviews, verify them with their patented process, manage negative feedback, and dominate online presence with highly effective SEO strategy, all under one platform. You can review the 12 case studies and contact him directly via http://www.HealthcareMarketingCOE.com

Startups - stop looking for money!

Ian Haet President, Startup Stock Exchange 
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The mission of the Startup Stock Exchange is simple: Make it possible for new healthcare innovations, technologies and inventions to flourish without drowning the entrepreneurs in the process of raising money. The founding team is two serial entrepreneurs who after starting a company together last year in Latin America, came to realize they have had the same experiences as most other startups – they spend most of the time looking for money, and usually at the most inopportune times.

For an entrepreneur outside of the Angel and Venture Capital centers of the world, the hunt for company funding is a difficult and time consuming process. The Angels and VC´s hold all the cards and thus the entrepreneur is beholden to them.

After dealing with Angels who would promise and then delay or change terms, and after granting more stock warrants and losing more equity every time funding was needed, these two decided there had to be a better way. Thus the Startup Stock Exchange (SSX) was born.

SSX returns to the most basic roots of global entrepreneurship: A public stock market where investors of all sizes come together with entrepreneurs and business owners. The Startup Stock Exchange will be a market with rules and regulations designed specifically for emerging and small businesses. The publicly traded stock of each company can be bought or sold at any time.

The Startup Stock Exchange solves a number of issues that entrepreneurs face each day:

• A Single Investor Package: A standard funding application is used for all investors

• Private Application Process: Business information remains private and protected until a company is approved for trading. This is contrary to the current process of Disrupt competitions, Angel List postings and Mashups.

• Global Investors: Thousands of investors worldwide are available to fund the company. A single investor no longer dictates the terms.

• Low Fee Structure: Minimal fees for the application process and listing are less expensive than the equity or

commission paid currently to “capital raisers”

• Multiple Offerings: The entrepreneur controls how many shares to sell and when. They may raise money in stages at the best valuation possible.

• Ownership Control: The entrepreneur retains control of their company, instead of being controlled by the Angel or VC
 

The Startup Stock Exchange allows the health care professional to raise funding at any level, whether it is from idea to prototype, or from prototype to global distribution. It allows the entrepreneurs to focus on building their business rather than chasing money.

The Exchange is currently completing its licensing and regulatory approvals to be a fully regulated Stock Exchange. While licensing is in process, the Exchange is allowing companies to securely and privately register their business idea and receive comments and suggestions from our global Advisor Board.

If you are a startup and looking to raise funds, then please visit the www.StartupStockExchange.net Here is an exclusive for Healthy Startups readers – Use Coupon Code “HEALTHY1” and you will be able to upload Executive Summary of your startup free of cost (value USD $25).

Connect with the Startup Stock Exchange at:

www.StartupStockExchange.net

www.twitter.com/StartupStockEx

www.facebook.com/StartupStockExchange

Ian Haet is President and Co-Founder of the Startup Stock Exchange, a soon to be approved Stock Exchange that allows any startup anywhere to raise money from anyone worldwide by selling ownership shares to global investors. The publicly traded stock can be bought or sold at anytime. SSX opens a new investment class for the average investor. It allows the global investment community to support entrepreneurship and to participate in the financial rewards for those investments.

Nutrislice answers 6 for a startup

Jason Berek-Lewis Creator, Healthy Startups 
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I recently had the chance to interview Michael Craig, Co-Founder at Nutrislice, a USA based startup focused on disrupting kids' diets. You can find out more about Nutrislice at the links below.

How will you disrupt childhood obesity?

Nutrislice blends social technologies and nutrition education to engage, educate, and empower K-12 students to make healthier eating decisions. Our technologies fit inside the 30 minute lunch break students have each day. So, during that time, we use social engagement to make healthy eating fun, cool, and more of a priority. 

What inspired you to launch a healthcare startup? 

Childhood obesity is a huge problem. This rising generation is not expected to outlive their parents. It costs our country billions of dollars each year to combat health related issues that are connected to obesity. You get the stats. We wanted to use the best of social to connect and influence students' nutrition IQ. 

Where can we learn more about your Nutrislice? Great question

Website: www.Nutrislice.com
Product video on "social gaming, digital scoreboards, and getting students to eat vegetables": https://vimeo.com/43991248 

* Note, this was produced by a client. The video is....a work in progress. But it still tells a cool story. 

Product video on how we help students feel empowered and make better eating decisions: https://vimeo.com/3900121

* Note, this is a news piece by a Denver TV station. 

Product introduction to our interactive lunchroom: https://vimeo.com/4284331

* Note, video was made speaking to a specific customer base, but still tells the story.

Are you bootstrapping or seeking investors? Why? 

We are bootstrapping. Our industry is relatively unique (selling to school nutrition programs) and it wasn't hard to get enough traction to get started. But, we will be seeking investors, especially as our products are fully validated and proven to help students increase nutrition IQ. 

What is the number 1 challenge you face in building your healthcare startup? 

Great question. Childhood obesity prevention is a space that is filled with nonprofits and foundations. So, there is a large group of customers that have a hard time coming up with the funds to really make a full push for our technology. Usually, we have to pilot in specific schools before we can get enough traction to warrant the investment.

What fundamental change will the web / social media / apps / new technology bring to healthcare in the next 3-5 years?

I cant speak for other areas of healthcare, but in our specific space, this is my opinion. The K-12 audience uses newer technologies and new media fluently. In order to persuade and seek behavior change, we'll have to be as fluent in the technologies as they are.

These new technologies are effective but require time and a commitment to collaborate together. We're excited because we have the opportunity to connect with students during the lunch day. It's 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, and about 40 weeks a year. If we can start when they are young and grow with them through elementary and secondary schools, we feel like we can develop a strong relationship, one where we can influence their behavior for good. 

Answer your own '6 for a startup'!

If your healthcare startup wants to answer the 6 questions, send your answers and your logo to me at
jason [at] healthystartups.com - and then you will be published and promoted on a Top 50 Startup Blog! I hope to hear from you soon. 

6 for a startup

Jason Berek-Lewis Creator, Healthy Startups 
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Image via http://ilgresults.com

Give our readers your 30 second healthcare startup pitch. All you have to do is answer these questions. You can send your answers, your web and social media details and your logo to jason [at] gmail.com - next thing you know, your healthcare startup will be featured right here on our Top 50 Startup Blog! (see http://www.evancarmichael.com/blog/2012/05/08/the-top-50-startups-blogs-to-watch-in-2012 for more information).

Questions

How will you disrupt X (your sector of the healthcare industry, eg hospitals, pathology, appointment scheduling, health insurance, etc)?

What inspired you to launch a healthcare startup?

Where can we learn more about your healthcare startup?

Are you bootstrapping or seeking investors? Why?

What is the number 1 challenge you face in building your healthcare startup?

What fundamental change will the web/ social media/ apps/ new technology bring to healthcare in the next 3 - 5 years?

Startup PR: what are your challenges?

Jason Berek-Lewis Creator, Healthy Startups 
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"Every 18 months for the last decade, the world has doubled the data it pushes to you.

"Twice as much email, twice as many friend requests, twice as many sites to check, twice as many devices," Seth Godin.

The number one PR challenge faced by health startups is breaking through the noise in the startup scene, in the tech media, in the rapidly changing world of healthcare, even in the old media.

In a series of posts coming up on Healthy Startups, I am going to share tips and ideas on how to break through the noise and score coverage for your healthcare startup. But, then what? Getting news coverage is just one element of PR. You might have questions around branding, stakeholder relations, copy writing, social media and communication strategy...

Here to help

Send me a tweet at https://twitter.com/#!/healthystartups or leave a comment below and let me know about your PR challenge. I'll send you some quick tips on Twitter and respond in more detail on this blog. I want to share my tips with you and the wider health startup/ health communications community.

I'm here to help.