May 4th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Opinion
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Should physician social networks include chiropractors? I don’t think so.
My human signal likely wouldn’t benefit from a chiropractor’s input. Similarly, I’m not sure that a chiropractor would benefit tremendously from the input of allopaths and osteopaths. This isn’t a judgment about any chiropractor’s value, it’s just that our worlds are too divergent. To suggest that ‘we all just need to get along‘ is missing the point. Complementary physical care has its place. But a great community is about people who have the capacity to make one another stronger through cooperative relationships.
I suspect that the chiropractors have the numbers to support a tidy little vertical of their own. There’s a big opportunity for someone so inclined.
Would I willingly participate in a network that connects MDs and chiropractors? I would if the network proved valuable. And that can be a challenge independent of who you invite. Sermo, for the record, excludes chiropractors from membership.
Nicholas Christakis in Connected suggests that all of this should evolve on its own, independent of what any of us individually believe.
We do not cooperate with one another because a state or a central authority forces us to. Instead, our ability to get along emerges spontaneously from the decentralized actions of people who form groups with connected fates and a common purpose.
What do you think?
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
October 21st, 2010 by Stanley Feld, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
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It is important to listen to what physicians are saying. An article appeared in SERMO, a physicians’ social network, which expressed a physician’s frustration. It is appropriate to publish some of that physician’s thoughts:
“I first heard this statement over twenty years ago, when I was an intern in general surgery, struggling to find my professional self.”
“My chief resident said; “The patient owns the disease,” “You’re not trying to make them suffer, you’re trying to help. They’re sick, you’re not.”
“The human body is unpredictable. Disease complications happen.”
The author thought his chief resident was heartless and callous. In a way, he was but he was getting at the heart of the matter. What is the patient’s responsibility in the evolution of disease? Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Repairing the Healthcare System*
March 17th, 2010 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Better Health Network, Opinion
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The time is approaching when businesses will want to capture the eyes and minds of physicians in the social world. Throwaways and mailouts will give way to more current channels of communication. Friends in the health
industry ask how they should connect with physicians using social media channels.
The rules really aren’t much different but here are a couple of things the consultants will never tell you:
I’m not on Sermo. While Sermo and Ozmosis may seem like obvious targets, physician specific verticals are tricky. The road to the successful physician network is littered with the skeletons of startups who went broke trying to capture our eyeballs. While its hard to ignore Forrester’s bullish analysis of services like Sermo, I don’t
expect the enthusiasm to be sustained. Look to the next iteration of IMedExchange to possibly be a game changer
in this area. Until then, the connectors who are going to get you where you want to go aren’t necessarily hangin’
with other doctors. They’re found in the wild. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
