Mayo Clinic launches social media training hub for health care providers

With yesterday’s public launch of its Center for Social Media, the Mayo Clinic is embarking on a new project to advance its own online social networking skills while helping other health-related organizations connect their medical staff with patients online. 

Apparently, U.S. hospitals can use the guidance. Only about 762 of the more than 5,000 hospitals in the U.S. have a social networking presence, according to Ed Bennett's Hospital Social Networking List.

"Health care has lagged behind other industries in applying social media tools," said Lee Aase, one of the staff running the center. "Social media interest and activity among hospitals and health care professionals has grown remarkably, though, with the number of hospital Twitter accounts, for example, doubling in the last year.”

The Center for Social Media is the latest addition to the Mayo Clinic’s social media offerings which it began in 2005 with podcasts. In addition to dozens of blogs and podcasts, the clinic boasts 60,000 Twitter followers, more 20,000 Facebook connections, a medical provider channel on YouTube -- the most popular provider in that category, according to the clinic.

Planned services include employee training through webinars, in-person and on-site workshops and online curriculum; consulting and coaching for organizations planning to implement social media strategies as part of their business goals; and conferences, such as the Mayo Clinic/Ragan Communications Social Media Summit in September.

Victor Montori, MD, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, is the center’s interim medical director. "While hospitals and health care workers will likely be our main focus for these services externally, we also expect to help health-related nonprofits, professional organizations and patient associations," Montori said. "We want Mayo Clinic to be the authentic voice for patients and medical providers, and also to provide platforms where their voices can be heard."