This document discusses social media and online reputation management for physicians. It begins with an overview of technology trends and the proliferation of online ratings and reviews. It then discusses the importance patients place on online reviews when selecting doctors, as well as tips for physicians to take control of their online reputation. This includes creating a central online profile, updating selected review sites, and closing the loop on negative reviews. Overall, the document provides guidance to physicians on navigating the new landscape of online reviews and rankings.

1. Social Media Issues:
Navigating and Succeeding in the New Era of
Consumerism and Social Networking
Presented by:
Dalal Haldeman, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communications, JHM
Aaron Watkins, Director of E-Strategy and Web Services, JHM
1March 28, 2014

2. Today:
1. The proliferation of technology and
ratings
2. Tips for taking control
3. Discussion
2

3. Technology:
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
3
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/poll-women-technology-complicated-relationship_n_4395935.html

4. Technology:
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
4
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/poll-women-technology-complicated-relationship_n_4395935.html

5. Technology:
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
5
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/poll-women-technology-complicated-relationship_n_4395935.html

6. Factors Affecting Patient Choice
of Health System
6
Source: A recent Vision Critical study surveyed 1,002 Americans about the influences that affect their choices in specialists
and treatment facilities, and how they value their treatment.
http://www.visioncritical.com/blog/3-factors-driving-patient-loyalty-in-healthcare-industry

7. U.S. News & World Report
Best Hospitals Methodology
• Reputation of Physicians (32.5%)
• Survival Score (32.5%)
• Other Care-Related Indicators (30.0%)
• Patient Safety (5.0%)
7

8. Average Survival Score
8

9. Online Consumer Searches
• 80% of internet users say they have researched
a product or service online
• But only 20% of internet users have consulted
online reviews and rankings of health care
service providers (i.e. doctors) and treatments
9
Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013
- Nationwide survey of 3,014 adults living in the United States. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline and cell phone
between August 7 and September 6, 2012.

10. Trends with online reviews
and rankings
10
• 17% is approximately 33 million adults out of 240 million adults in
the United States who have consulted online rankings or reviews of
doctors or other providers
• 4% is approximately 7.8 million adults out of 240 million adults in the
United States who have posted a review online of a doctor
24%
16%
4%
18% 17%
4%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Consulted online reviews of particular drugs or
medical treatments
Consulted online ranking or reviews of doctors or
other providers
Posted a review online of a doctor
Percent of Internet Users Who Consulted or Posted Online Reviews or Rankings
2010 (n=2,065) 2012 (n=2,392)
Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013

11. Consulting reviews and
rankings online, by age
11Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013 Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 7-September 6,
2012 Survey. N=3,014 adults and the margin of error is +/- 2.6 percentage points for internet users.
14%
21%
17%
10%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Percent of Internet Users Who Consulted or Posted Online Reviews or
Ratings of doctors or other health care providers, by age
18-29
30-49
50-64
65+

12. Consulting reviews and
rankings online, by education
12
3%
9%
16%
27%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Percent of Internet Users Who Consulted or Posted Online Reviews or
Ratings of doctors or other health care providers, by education
No diploma
High school grad
Some college
College grad
Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013 Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 7-September 6,
2012 Survey. N=3,014 adults and the margin of error is +/- 2.6 percentage points for internet users.

13. Consulting reviews and rankings
online, by annual household income
13
10%
14%
21%
25%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Percent of Internet Users Who Consulted or Posted Online Reviews or Ratings
of doctors or other health care providers, by annual household income
<$30,000
$30,000-$49,999
$50,000-$74,999
$75,000+
Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013 Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 7-September 6,
2012 Survey. N=3,014 adults and the margin of error is +/- 2.6 percentage points for internet users.

14. Top 5 Elements Influencing
Perceived Value of care
14
Source: A recent Vision Critical study surveyed 1,002 Americans about the influences that affect their choices in specialists
and treatment facilities, and how they value their treatment.
http://www.visioncritical.com/blog/3-factors-driving-patient-loyalty-in-healthcare-industry

15. Examples of Doctor Review
and Rating Sites
15

16. Business Models for Doctor
Review and Rating Sites
• Private or nonprofit sites that provide
information at no cost to patients
• Private ownership sites that charge a
fee to patients to access information
• Insurance company sites
• Government sites provide information
about the doctors licensed in their
states
16Source: What Can You Learn from Doctors Ratings or Rankings Websites?

17. Potential Problems with Doctor
Review and Rating Sites
• Database isn’t kept updated
• Doctor, staff member, or family member could be the
person doing the rating (on sites that invite patient
input)
• Doctors with the same name (records get mixed up
or patients may rank the wrong one)
• Patients can be bribed
• Little or seemingly no opportunity for the
doctor to tell other side of the story
17Source: What Can You Learn from Doctors Ratings or Rankings Websites?

18. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
Bad News and Good News
18
First! The bad news:
• You can not control the universe.
• What’s on the Web is on the Web.
The good news:
You can create
and inspire
positive content.

19. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
Physicians’ Perception
A survey of physicians found that:
• Only 21% of Physician Executives
believe that majority of U.S. patients
consulted an online-rating site.
• 69% of respondents acknowledged
seeing what had been said about
them online
– 89% visited Healthgrades.com
– 33% visited Vitals.com
– 19% visited Angieslist.com 19
Source: Docs skeptical of online ratings, ACPE survey finds

20. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
Importance of Factors in Selecting a Physician
20
Source: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1829975&resultClick=3
Survey Method: September 2012, nationally representative sample of US population, used the Internet-based Knowledge Panel,
2,137 respondents out of 3,563
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Accepts my health
insurance
Convenient office
location
Physician's years
of experience
Part of a trusted
group practice
Word of mouth
(from
family/friends)
Referral from
another physician
Physician's rating
on Web sites
When selecting a primary care doctor for yourself, how important are
physicians’ ratings on websites?
(N=2,137, all percentages are weighted to approximate the US population)
Very important
Somewhat important
Not important

21. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
It’s not all negative. It only feels that way.
• 5% had rated a physician or wrote a comment online.
Of that group
– 54% posted a positive rating,
– 29% a neutral rating, and
– 19% a negative one.
• The study suggests that more Americans might
disparage their physicians online if they didn't fear
repercussions.
– 1 in 3 worried about their identity being disclosed.
– 1 in 4 worried about the physician retaliating.
21
Source: JAMA, Public Awareness, Perception and Use of Online Ratings Sites,
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1829975

22. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
What Not to Do
• Do not ignore negative
comments.
• Do not share details in
your response.
(Provide a contact for
service recovery)
• Do not get into a fight. You
will not win.
• Think twice about
“burying” content through
reputation management
services.
• Avoid litigation at all costs.
22

23. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
What Not to Do
• Minnesota Supreme Court
ruled against doctor
• No proof of falsity or harm to
doctor’s reputation
• 4 years, more than $60,000
and hundreds of negative
postings by followers of the
story
23

24. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
Where to Allocate Resources & Energy
24
Review
Sites
Angie’s
List
DRScore
.com
Health
Grades
Social
Media
Faceb
ook
Twitter
LinkedI
n
Review Sites
Un-Owned / Earned
Social
Communities
Earned / Semi-
Owned
Profiles on Health
System or Practice
Web Sites
Owned

25. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
Don’t try to Control the Universe
1. Create one central source of truth.
If you do one thing, do this.
2. Update selected review sites.
3. Close the loop on negative reviews.
4. Promote review site(s) strategically as the source for your
reviews.
5. Consider whether a monitoring strategy is right for you.25

26. 26
Source: Pew Internet: Health Online 2013
- Nationwide survey of 3,014 adults living in the United States. Telephone interviews were conducted by landline and cell phone
between August 7 and September 6, 2012.
- 72% of internet users say they looked online for health information within the past year
Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
• 77% of online health seekers
began their last session at a
search engine
• 13% began at a site that
specializes in health info
(like WebMD)
• 2% began at a more general site
(like Wikipedia)
• 1% began at a social network site
(like Facebook)

27. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
• Create one central source of truth.
• Choose the highest performing web site that you can
access.
27
Source: Google Analytics
Annual Volume of Visits
hopkinsmedicine.org
60% increase this year.
Projecting 37 million visits!

28. 1. Mayoclinic.org
2. CancerCenter.com
3. ClevelandClinic.org
4. Hopkinsmedicine.org
Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
Hopkinsmedicine.org is the 4th most visited
hospital/AMC web site in the world

29. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
Among a sample of
150 keywords, the
number of
hopkinsmedicine.or
g keywords to rank
on Google’s first
page of results:

30. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
30

31. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
• Update this profile with consistent,
accurate information.
• Details matter.
– Follow standards for spelling and
abbreviations.
– Use your licensed name, and add your
preferred name.
– Make sure that the phone number listed
can be used to easily get a referral or
appointment.
31

32. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
32
• Add engaging content
– A written bio about your care
– Another bio if you conduct research
– Videos
– PubMed citations
– Links to articles on 3rd party sites
• Promote your social brand if you have one
that is professionally relevant
(Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook)
• Link to your preferred review site(s)
(more on this later)

33. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
1. Create One Central Source of Truth
33
• Do you have a shortcut link?
– E.g. hopkinsmedicine.org/david-eisele
• Update every other web site that you
have access to with only basic
information and a link to this profile!
• Promote this profile when you:
– Speak
– In everything you print and distribute
• Update it every six months!

34. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
2. Update Selected Review Sites
• There are more than 50 review sites.
• They are usually wrong.
34
Review of Physician Directories for Select JHM Faculty Members
JHM Faculty
Member
JHM Directory US News
(Source:
Doximity)
Lifescript HealthGrades Vitals.com Ucompare
Healthcare
ZocDoc RateMds Md.com Dr.Score Castle Connolly Healthcare
Reviews
December 2013
unique web
visitors
Doximity
144,311
13,409,616
(entire site)
5,985,320 2,237,386 958,267 941,697 374,760 337,958 68,389 12,211 589
Option to Claim
Profile
Yes
Yes (by signing
up for Doximity)
Yes Yes
Option to edit
basic profile
Option to
Update Listing
Yes No
Steve Kravet 410-550-3350 (410) 550-5633 410-550-0100
(410) 550-0400
(410) 550-3350
(410) 550-3350
410-550-3350
410-338-3000
(410) 550-5633 Doctor not listed 410-550-0100 (410) 550-3350 4105500100 Doctor not listed
No phone
number listed
Jenel Wyatt 240-912-2738 (410) 880-6132 301-604-5254 (301) 604-5254
301-990-3190
301-604-5254
410-604-6560
240-314-7080
410-874-1400
(410) 880-6132 Doctor not listed Doctor not listed (301) 604-5254 3016045254 Doctor not listed Doctor not listed
Daniel Sciubba 410-955-4424 (410) 955-4424 410-955-5000
(410) 955-5080
(410) 616-7101
(410) 955-4424
410-491-8330
410-550-0465
Doctor not listed Doctor not listed
No phone
number
(410) 616-7101 4104918330 Doctor not listed Doctor not listed
Michael Blaha 443-997-0270 (410) 955-5000 Doctor not listed (410) 955-5080 Doctor not listed (410) 955-5000 Doctor not listed 410-955-5000 Not listed Doctor not listed Doctor not listed Doctor not listed
Chris Wolfgang 410-933-7262 (410) 502-4194 410-550-0100
(410) 502-4194
(410) 550-0400
410-550-0100
410-955-6192
410-614-6818
(410) 550-0400 Doctor not listed 410-550-0400 Not listed 4105500400 Doctor not listed Doctor not listed

35. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
2. Update Selected Review Sites
• Focus on the highest
performing/broadest
impact first.
– HealthGrades
– Vitals
– RateMD
– Zoc Doc
– Doximity
– Google Places
35

36. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
2. Update Selected Review Sites
36
• Update this profile with the same information
that you added to your profile.
• Details matter.
– Follow the same standards for spelling and
abbreviations.
– Use your licensed name, and add the same
preferred name.
– Provide the same phone number – for easy
referrals or appointments.

37. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
2. Update Selected Review Sites
37
• Do not add a bio, videos or other highly
engaging content.
• Link to your profile, e.g.
hopkinsmedicine.org/david-eisele

38. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
2. Update Selected Review Sites
• Your profile is now the center
of your online universe.
• Basic information is accurate
everywhere.
• And you probably know now
which review sites have
positive and negative reviews.
38

39. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
3. Close the Loop on Negative Reviews
Identify staff who may be available to support you:
• Send links to negative reviews to trained staff – marketing,
patient relations, administrative, etc.
• They will publicly acknowledge the complaint.
• They will privately resolve the situation whenever possible.
39
Hi XXX, We pride ourselves on our patient
experience, and would like the opportunity to make it
right. If you have patient care or safety concerns at
The Johns Hopkins Hospital, please contact the
Patient Relations Department at 410-955-2273 or
email patientrelations@jhmi.edu.

40. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
4. Promote Review Sites Strategically
• Promote just one or two
review sites that appeal
to you.
• Link to those reviews
from your profile.
• Ask your patients to
write reviews and…
Make it easy for them!
40

41. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
4. Promote Review Sites Strategically
Consider services that
provide iPad, kiosk or
other waiting room
options to provide
feedback.
– Binary Fountain
– Reputation.com
– others
41

42. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
5. Consider a Monitoring Strategy
• Set up a Google Alert on
your name. But don’t
pretend that is enough.
– http://www.google.com/alerts
• Consider management
services
– Reputation.com
– Health Care Consulting Group,
http://www.hccg-inc.com/
• Check review sites
regularly, especially the
ones you promote! 42

43. Taking Control of Your Online Reputation
4. Promote Review Sites Strategically
• The University of Utah has
institutionalized the sharing of patient
feedback.
– Confirmed patient experiences
– Established methodologies for data
gathering and follow up.
• Google Stars! Which encourage click-
throughs to their profiles instead of
other review sites.
• https://healthcare.utah.edu/fad/ 43

44. Questions?
• Dalal Haldeman
dhaldem1@jhmi.edu
410-955-0071
• Aaron Watkins
Aaron.watkins@jhmi.edu
410-502-9396
44