Using Twitter to Stay informed on All Things Healthcare
February 19th, 2012 2 Min readFacebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Foursquare, Pinterest, Twitter. The list goes on and on... Then add the hundreds of thousands of apps available to your smartphones and tablets and what you have is utter confusion on where and how to compartmentalize and categorize information consumption. I'm not here to solve that conundrum as I'm sure It's a bit above my pay grade; however, being a healthcare marketer who is also addicted to social media, I thought I would try to make some sense of it. At the least, I'll put some context on how you can use Twitter to stay abreast of the hot healthcare topics out there.
Why Twitter? What better way to digest complex information than through a micro blog? Twitter has always been a great way to browse top headlines, capture nuggets of humor, perhaps find an easy dinner recipe or follow one of your favorite reality stars all in a super concise amount of time. Why not use this simple, time saving interface to stay informed on the healthcare issues that matter most to you?
One great example of needing to simplify your consumption and digestion of this information is the need to understand the impending healthcare reform laws and the political debates, ideas and proposals that are becoming part of the everyday vernacular; most recently in light of the upcoming presidential race.
This blog series is dedicated to not only getting you started with the basics, but to update you periodically, and start conversations on the topics that are hot, trending, healthcare related and most importantly...delivered in 140 characters or less.
So what interests you? Below I've suggested some people and organizations you should follow to keep you in the know.
KevinMD
Kevin MD is the leading physician voice in social media. He is a regular contributor to USA TODAY.
From trends to opinion/editorials, Kevin's tweets run the gamut of healthcare topics.
Health Leaders Media
HealthLeaders Media is the industry's leading source for news, intelligence, and strategy for senior healthcare executives.
A recent tweet discusses patient census levels and the effect this has on nurse staffing.
American Medical News
News and information source for physicians covering business, policy, public health and legal issues that impact medical practices.
Recent tweets discuss Medicare, Medicaid and physician employment rights.
American Medical Group
The American Medical Group Association
A recent tweet links to a Wall Street Journal article that defines an Accountable Care Organization and discusses whether they can improve healthcare delivery in this country.
Healthcare_3.0
The Pulse of Health Care on the social Web.
This organization commonly comments on how patients, practitioners and technology relate to one another and help to advance healthcare. A recent tweet discusses whether physicians should communicate with patients via email.
Stay connected. Stay informed. And check back for updates from me on the most sizzling of healthcare Twitter topics.
Happy tweeting!?
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