Using social media in healthcare is not easy – especially for hospitals and physician practices. There are a lot of risks and guidelines that have to be followed. That’s why we love highlighting the success of those that do it well.
The team at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) has been using social media effectively for many years, but in 2020, they upped their game (and engagement) on the various social media platforms. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they kept the public informed, they engaged their staff and they reached out their communities through regular social posts and replies.
Because of their work, NYP won the 2021 Medigy HITMC Award for Best Social Media Use in the provider category. We sat down with Jacquelyn (Jacki) Murray, Director of Social Media at NYP to find out more.
Can you give us a quick overview of NewYork-Presbyterian and your role there?
NewYork-Presbyterian is one of the nation’s most comprehensive, integrated academic healthcare systems, encompassing 10 hospital campuses across the Greater New York area, more than 200 primary and specialty care clinics and medical groups, and an array of telemedicine services.
A leader in medical education, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is the only academic medical center in the nation affiliated with two world-class medical schools, Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This collaboration means patients have access to the country’s leading physicians, the full range of medical specialties, latest innovations in care, and research that is developing cures and saving lives.
I have been with NYP as the Director of Social Media for five years and manage a team of five who oversees the Hospital’s 12 master brand social media accounts. My team helps communicate and strategize for over 20 service lines (departments) and supports all hospital initiatives and priorities.
What social media platforms does NYP use? Is there a platform that you focus on?
NYP has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. We’ve really taken the time to get to know our audience across each of these platforms and cater our content and strategy to optimize engagement and reach for each channel. I wouldn’t say that we focus more on one platform over the other, but we have recently seen an increase in engagement on Instagram and have been exploring the platform’s features and developing visually-engaging content that we know will resonate with our audience.
Can you give us a high-level overview of how NYP uses social media? (ie: to engage patients? to inform the public? To update staff?)
NYP uses social media for many reasons, but our primary purpose is to engage with our patients and broader communities and share content that interests them while also elevating the reputation and expertise of NYP, our physicians, and our medical school partners— Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
It is also important for us to use social media to educate our followers and patients on important healthcare topics, share Hospital updates and information, and highlight the amazing things that are happening every day at NYP!
What benefits have NYP realized by being active on social media?
As with any industry, healthcare in particular, people value real-time connections and conversations. Social media gives us the opportunity to directly engage with consumers, answer their questions, direct them to the right information to make the best healthcare decision for themselves and their families.
There is also a real sense of pride when we tell patient stories about people overcoming incredible obstacles thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff and physicians. These stories resonate with our followers and have helped us create a loyal online community who relies on us for important healthcare information.
Congratulations on winning the 2021 Medigy HITMC Award for Best Social Media Use. What does winning this award mean to you?
It’s wonderful to have our hard work noticed. This past year has been especially challenging, and we put a great deal of thought and effort into the information that we share and the stories we tell on our social media channels. An award like this proves that our strategy and hard work is paying off.
What social media program or interaction from the past 12 months stands out for you?
I’m really proud of our #IGotTheShot social media campaign. As the vaccine roll out began, this campaign encouraged staff and patients to hold up a sign explaining why they got vaccinated. The campaign was fun and interactive and gave my team the chance to connect directly with our staff, patients and communities to hear their vaccination stories and what they are most looking forward to when things got back to “normal”.
This campaign really personalized the struggles that so many people endured during the pandemic and also has served to help combat vaccine hesitancy. It was amazing to hear how everyone was so grateful for our nurses, physicians and staff who were on the front lines of this pandemic day in and day out.
We’ve just come through a very challenging 12 months. Has it changed how you plan to approach social media going forward?
The pandemic highlighted the critical role that social media can play in communicating important information to patients and the many communities we serve. We played a vital role, including:
- Educating followers on the virus by sharing expert insight and commentary
- Informing patients and their families about any changes to our hospital policies
- Sharing information on the vaccine roll out, efficacy, and how to make appointments
- Offering overall customer service so people had a place to direct their questions
We are committed to remaining a trusted and consistent source for consumers to get the healthcare information they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.
What is one piece of advice you like to give to other healthcare organizations when it comes to social media?
Know your audience! Engage your followers in real-time. Be sure to establish relationships with key people across your enterprise so that you can learn about the incredible stories that are meant to be told on social media – there are so many!
Pay attention to analytics to learn what does and doesn’t work on your channels, then use that information to make data-driven decisions for future posts and campaigns. Don’t be afraid to have fun, try new things and take risks!
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