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Dangerous Communication

Is twitter a noun or a verb? Is Facebook like a Slambook? Is a blog like an Irish bog? Are your staff or physicians using a social network that is virtual instead of meeting with friends at Starbucks? Nearly 5 million people are tweeting. Facebook just registered its 200 millionth user and YouTube recently surpassed 100 million U.S. viewers. Can your private off-duty words have an effect on your on-duty time?

Despite the many benefits of sharing ideas in a democratic society via Facebook or a blog, you should be concerned with your brand identity, integrity and reputation while minimizing actual or potential legal risks.

Sound judgment is key not only when identifying your organization in various communications, but even when not identifying your organization, per se. As in medicine, first do no harm. If your organization’s name is present in something you create, it represents you and in the public’s eye can represent your company. Negative, harassing, threatening, or discriminating comments, personal information on others in communication concerning your company or others certainly could impair harm. Any patient or potential patient may interpret or misinterpret your postings that could interfere with the patient/provider relationship considering that effective communication is key to that relationship.

No company business should be discussed in these virtual worlds, unless your marketing department purposely uses these tools to its advantage. Confidentially is a key component of your employee handbook or provider contract. You or the hospital in which you are attending may review your staff’s communications on their respective equipment and intervene if necessary. There should be no expectation of privacy.

If one chooses to blog anonymously, one may avoid some of the pitfalls above. However, it does not negate one’s responsibility to your organization and patient privacy.

What one does privately is one thing to consider, but also what happens at work in the “fish bowl” should also be considered. Patients and families watch every move an employee or provider makes while on duty, whether it’s the eating of a slice of pizza, talking on the cell to the nanny, or performing CPR on the patient in the next cubicle. If a patient thinks that one is spending more time blogging on the state of your employee’s 401K statement than addressing his STD results or Troponin level, your future ability to medical services will be put at risk.

Case 1. Spouse and adult child are on hospital floor to visit husband and father who was just admitted after the Emergency Department was so unsure of what the signs and symptoms and lack thereof meant, the ED talked a hospitalist into admission. The family is quite anxious about the unknown of the 45YOM with a history of fibromyalgia. The unit clerk was busy entering orders into the computer and the hospitalist was on a blue-tooth enabled phone talking to lab about the patient in question. The daughter tells her mom, “That unit clerk is blogging something about her co-workers and look our doctor is setting up his golf game. Oh, I see here on my I-phone that our Dr. has a blog about pseudo diseases and he lists fibromyalgia. This hospital is going to kill my father, Mom.”

Case 2. You are planning a reduction in force due to economic conditions. Despite executive confidentiality, a staff person becomes aware of some of the facts…just enough to be dangerous. The staff person twitters five regional newspapers and other media outlets announcing a RIF. The facts include a RIF twice the size and much sooner than expected. Further it alludes that in particular no executives would be affected by such a RIF. In fact, bonuses would be paid as expected. All of the outlets but one call to confirm the facts. The one that does not, posts the news story on its website. Chaos ensues. Other media outlets begin to call. Board members begin to call. Employees begin to call their managers. Managers stand in line at administration’s door.

Let us return to how to prevent the above. We often leap to offering an administration policy that says 1)do not blog; 2) do not twitter; 3) do not share company information on your Facebook page. Truly some need to hear a black and white message. Legally such a policy may come in handy, too. Practically, open and honest constant caring and feeding of staff and providers may be your only chance of success, though. There is so much noise in your organization that one policy is not going to solve your problems.

In summary, we reap what we sow. Sometimes we are not even sowing, but we reap as if we are. For every action there is a reaction. These truisms apply to this new world and potentially dangerous methods of communication of which have addressed above.

Mark Dame, MHA, CPHRM, FACHE
Vice President, Risk Management and Insurance Services
Unity Physician Group, P.C.
812-333-2731 x242