Dr. Kaplan, founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health recently wrote an article on social media for the benefit of healthcare providers. Many are reluctant to use social media in their practice but Dr. Kaplan explains how they’re missing out on an amazing opportunity to educate their patients. You can listen to the article here, from a very exuberant and dramatic voiceover professional, or you can continue reading below.

The past is behind us! The future is social media

In the past, consumers found their doctors through physician referrals and word of mouth. Then it was the yellow pages giving way to the internet, a doctor’s website, and Google. But speaking as the founder/CEO of an online marketplace for health care services and a practicing cosmetic surgeon, I believe the way in which a consumer chooses a doctor is changing drastically. Rather than relying on typical search engines or the curated pages of the doctor’s website, consumers are turning more and more to social media. Nowhere is this more evident than in the cosmetic surgery specialty. But make no mistake, what I am suggesting will affect all doctors offering elective services—which probably means you!

So, when we refer to social media, are we talking about Twitter or Facebook? Not even close! The level of engagement that is connecting patients with doctors like never before is via Instagram, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live and Snapchat. Currently, patients want to choose a physician they can “get to know” on social media. They’re looking for a doctor who’s willing to be broadcast working in the operating room or clinic, and they even want a glimpse of the doctor out of the office. Consumers don’t consider going to see a doctor because they published a paper or because they presented at a meeting. The consumer is unaware of your expertise unless they see it on TV or social media. To appreciate this unprecedented level of transparency, a basic understanding of these platforms is necessary.

Instagram

After their purchase by Facebook five years ago, Instagram now has 500 million daily active users. The Instagram app is a scrolling wall (referred to as the “feed”) of seemingly endless rows of three photos arranged side by side, each with their own caption and set of hashtags. Hashtags are essentially keywords within the caption or comments of the Instagram post. If one is looking for a particular topic on the Discover page of Instagram, there’s a good chance they’ll find what they’re looking for based on the hashtags associated with that Instagram post. And if your practice has an Instagram page, you’ll receive traffic from consumers who first sought you out through the Instagram Discover page. By having content for consumers who “follow” your page, you’re now top of mind if they or a friend or relative need your medical skillset.

Instagram Stories/ Snapchat

Still photos found on Instagram are fine. But the “truest” impression of a doctor, from the consumer’s perspective, is on the physician’s Instagram Stories/Snapchat account. This is where informal 10–15 second video clips come together to create a 24-hour story that reveals the doctor and staff in the operating room and/or clinic. This is the greatest technique to engage with viewers and let them get to know the practice. From procedures to office goings-on, the doctor and staff become more approachable. The viewer also has the opportunity to ask questions while watching the video. So the physician or assistant can respond and educate. See an example of an Instagram feed or Instagram Stories at @RealDrBae.

Facebook Live

An important distinction between Instagram Stories/Snapchat and Facebook Live is the difference between “live” and “almost live.” For Instagram Stories/Snapchat, the doctor records an interesting procedure. Then they choose to post it to the platform for all to see. Facebook Live, on the other hand, is truly live, streaming video. Delayed posting (after review) to Instagram Stories/Snapchat minimizes exposure from a medicolegal perspective. So while your content appears real and authentic to the audience, there is the ability to curate it.

Obtaining consent

In my experience most patients will gladly sign a consent if there are no identifying marks. In fact, they want to be part of the educational process for other patients. As your practice incorporates social media into your daily routine, most consults will be from patients that want to be on social media. So they will already be expecting to be a part of this process.

Educating patients

Social media is not about dancing in the operating room or dressing up in silly outfits (which some doctors do!). For years, physicians have lamented the low quality of information our patients are finding on the internet. Currently, doctors limit their education to one patient at a time. That means we’re limiting our outreach to a relative handful of individuals. Patients are not going to stop accessing the internet for medical information. That gives us the opportunity to provide them with alternative, more accurate sources of education. And the most engaging and far-reaching method of providing this information is through the physician’s social media account.

I feel your pain

It is understandable why physicians, already dealing with the burdens of EMRs and insurance reimbursement, would want to bury their heads in the sand when it comes to social media. There’s a very steep learning curve, and because of the time commitment, it requires buy-in from all employees. Yet there is an enormous opportunity to be successful on social media right now. Why? Because most doctors wouldn’t consider bringing social media so actively into their practice. That reason alone will separate those who embrace social media from their competition. When I hear doctors say, “but no one in my field really does that,” my reply is “and that’s exactly the reason why you should!”

Jonathan Kaplan, MD, is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in San Francisco and is the founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health, an online marketplace for health care services.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Making Peace with Social Media in Your Practice first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

If you’re in or around Sacramento tomorrow or already attending the California Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (CSPS) Annual Meeting, don’t miss Dr. Kaplan’s 1-hour social media course! But Dr. Kaplan only has 25K followers on Instagram, you say? What makes him an expert worthy of giving a course?! He doesn’t consider himself an expert but he’s in the trenches utilizing social media on the reg so he has something to offer. Continue reading to find out what!

Social media course at the CSPS Annual Meeting

The CSPS Annual Meeting is a wonderful gathering of the best and brightest of plastic surgeons in California. And with so many plastic surgeons in California active on social media, it only makes sense to have a social media course.

Because Dr. Kaplan (aka @RealDrBae on Instagram and Snapchat) is very active on social media on a daily basis, he suggested a course on the topic. Surprisingly, one had not already been scheduled. But after giving a well-received presentation on social media to the Greater Sacramento Society of Plastic Surgeons a few weeks ago, he got the opportunity to give a similar course at the CSPS this year.

While hesitant to refer to himself as an expert, his presentation reviews the nuts and bolts of social media. Through a mix of video and screenshots of the various platforms in action, Dr. Kaplan’s course will provide a great overview to the social media novice and explore some of the more engaging aspects of Instagram. Since social media is a rapidly changing space, he always has more content to add from presentation to presentation and that also means that even the most seasoned social media user can learn something new.

Course Description

The newest plastic surgeon right out of training can get busier, faster simply by being social media savvy. That means we all need a basic understanding of the power of social media. Dr. Kaplan, aka @realdrbae on Snapchat and Instagram, will give a thorough overview of the social media platforms that are transforming plastic surgery practices across the country. You don’t need to have a ton of followers to be successful. You don’t need that X factor. Anyone can do this. But you should try to be the best you can be.

By attending this course, you will: 1) gain a basic understanding and the differences between Snapchat, Instagram, Instagram Stories, Instagram TV and Facebook Live; 2) receive ideas for clever content to be used on social media; 3) become familiar with various engagement tools on Instagram; 4) learn how to create content once and then repurpose on all platforms; and 5) monetize your leads by capturing the contact information of your followers

Space in limited – don’t miss this opportunity to hear the latest trends on social media.  Cost for the course is $45 and it is free to Residents/Fellows/Medical Students. Register online for the course on the CSPS registration page  OR if you have already registered for the Annual Meeting, contact the CSPS Executive Office directly to add this course to your registration:  cspsoffice@att.net or (510) 243-1662.

Hope to see everyone there!

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Dr. Kaplan giving social media course at CSPS Annual Meeting first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.

I’m not suggesting Google and their AdWords revenue model have anything to worry about. But I believe the way in which a consumer chooses a doctor is changing drastically. The consumer is no longer satisfied with the curated pages of the doctor’s website.

The perceived power of social media over traditional websites

Now, the patient in the research phase of finding a doctor will want to see the plastic surgeon perform surgery and see their results in some variation of real time. And the best way to do that is by watching them on Snapchat, Instagram Stories or Facebook Live.

The “truest” impression of a doctor, as far as the consumer is concerned, is on the physician’s social media where informal 10-15 second video clips build into a 24-hour story that reveals the doctor and staff in their natural habitat of the operating room and clinic.

It’s not about dancing in the operating room or dressing up in silly outfits which some doctors do. That’s just a distraction from the real power of social media in this context – education.

Some physicians will disagree. They’ll see ‘education’ as a just a euphemism for shameless entertainment. Well, here’s a thought…maybe it can be both!

There’s disagreement on the plastic surgery societal level as well. In a noble attempt to protect doctors from themselves and protect the reputation of the specialty, there are instances of the societies admonishing doctors for some of their social media posts. Determining what is and is not appropriate is such a futile exercise that even the Supreme Court outsourced those decisions when it came to obscenity. It comes down to a community standard. In other words, who is that doctor’s audience and what does their clientele want to see?

Our country is one of diversified opinions and tastes. Attempting to regulate or punish doctors for their social media tactics is futile and unnecessary. If a doctor posts something inappropriate, punishment in the court of public opinion will be swift, uncompromising and fierce. Ask anyone in Hollywood.

The Education War

The other risk the societies take in attempting to curb their own member’s activities on social media is their total lack of control for doctors that are non-members of those societies. There’s a battle out there over who is educating consumers.

A recent Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) article pointed out that most consumers following plastic surgeons aren’t following plastic surgeons at all. In fact, the most popular cosmetic surgery accounts and posts on social media were from plastic surgeons only 17.8% of the time. So while the plastic surgery societies may want to regulate their own members, doctors not subjugated to the same rules have the consumer’s ear.

As Dr. Clark Schierle points out in a recent Chicago Tribune article, his study in the ASJ mentioned above should serve as a “wake-up call” for board-certified plastic surgeons. “We’re losing the information war, and (we’re) being drowned out by these other players.”

Plastic surgery societies understandably promote the importance of board certification. But I’m afraid those board certification warnings are now falling on deaf ears. When the consumer sees an amazing result on social media, particularly reproducible results day after day on a doctor’s Instagram feed, results will win out over “board certification” every time. Can you blame the consumer for choosing their doctor based on results?

The plastic surgery societies should encourage their members to embrace social media and its educational benefits wholeheartedly. Don’t bother offering warnings, restrictions or caveats. Doctors are adults and are responsible for their actions and shouldn’t have to rely on a society to make good decisions for them. If a doctor can’t police themselves when it comes to social media, maybe they shouldn’t be operating on anyone either.

Dr. Jonathan Kaplan is a board-certified plastic surgeon based in San Francisco, CA and founder/CEO of BuildMyBod Health, an online marketplace for healthcare services that allows consumers to determine cost on out-of-pocket procedures, purchase non-surgical services, and in exchange, the healthcare providers receive consumer contact info – a lead, for follow up.

Click here for the original blog post written by Dr. Kaplan for BuildMyBod.

The post Social media wake up call for plastic surgery societies first appeared on Plastic Surgeon San Francisco | Pacific Heights Plastic Surgery.