Best Practices in Social Media: Utilizing a Value Matrix to Assess Social Media's Impact on Health Care

This study examines the relationship of social media channel utilization (activity on blogs, content communities, and social networking sites, plus posting a social media policy) by health care organizations and the brand rating of those organizations, as measured by patients who have completed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. We found the degree of adoption of social media channels among hospitals to be 25%, which is consistent with other reports. We also found a positive relationship between social media channel utilization and patient rating of their overall hospital experience, as well as patient willingness to recommend the hospital. Based upon our findings, we introduce a social media value matrix. The matrix indicates that health care organizations utilizing a greater than average number of social media channels have significantly higher social media value scores (derived from the intersection of HCAHPS scores and social media channel prevalence) than hospitals that utilize fewer than average social media channels. Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory is referenced to explain the rate of adoption of social media by health care organizations.