Editors: Ellen W. McKnight, M.D. | Erica Huffman, Executive Director
www.escambiacms.org
Bulletin NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 VOLUME 45, NO. 6
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We are reaching the end of the year and the end of my term as president of the Escambia County Medical Society. It has been an enjoyable experience leading the great team of physicians who make up our board, and I feel that we have made big strides in growing our medical society. Before taking on this role as president, I had planned some big goals. One goal was to have a bigger impact on our community and a second goal was to promote medical education in Pensacola. With the establishment of our $100,000 endowed scholarship with the Florida State University College of Medicine, the ECMS board and members like you are leaving a legacy that will not be forgotten. Another goal was to bring nationally renowned speakers to Pensacola to provide our members with the best learning opportunities possible. Most recently we had Dr. Kevin Pho, creator of the kevinmd blog, speak to us about how we can make a difference in healthcare through social media. He pointed out that although most of us are wary of social media, it should be important to physicians because: 1. Patients are going online to look not only for health information, but also to look for doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare entities. They check physician reviews just like you and I check reviews on restaurants or hotels. 2. Physicians can provide context to media health stories. How many times have you been frustrated by the portrayal of physicians in the media? I know I have. We can tell the rest of the story about reimbursement, physician burnout, and our struggles with insurance companies to help patients understand what is really going on in healthcare. 3. Physicians can use social media to dispel myths. Dr. Pho used the example of the anti-vaccine movement scaring people into not vaccinating their children. As physicians we can provide accurate information about the safety of vaccines and the risks associated
CONTENTS unvaccinated children. More and more people are searching for health information online. Patients still trust a doctors’ advice, but they just need to be able to find it. It is important that physicians be seen as the source of quality information. A good online presence increases patient trust and satisfaction, and satisfaction figures prominently in several large-scale initiatives that have the potential to affect both the reputation and the bottom line of every medical practice. Healthcare is becoming more transparent and – unfortunately in my opinion – future reimbursement may be tied to subjective things like reputation and satisfaction scores instead of just focusing on quality care. There are other reasons to be conscious of your online presence. Physicians are finding job opportunities by networking with other physicians online, and it provides a great opportunity for collaborating with other physicians, whether you are interested in research, publishing or other business ventures. For example, I have connected with several colleagues online who are interested in physician leadership. They found me through my LinkedIn profile and contacted me. Having a professional presence on LinkedIn can be invaluable, as it can serve as your online CV. As Dr. Pho mentioned, creating your own LinkedIn profile is a great start to developing your professional online presence. Begin by taking a look at what other physicians are doing to get an idea of what you may like to do. Setting up an account shouldn’t take too long if you already have the basic information. The first step is to fill out your profile just
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SAVE THE DATE Saturday, November 14, 2015 7:30 am Hilton Garden Inn on Airport Blvd. FALL CME Conference Sponsors: Catalyst CRE, Iron Horse Wealth Strategies, Mag Mutual Insurance, Physicians Indemnity, Safe Harbor Tax Advisory, LLC., Florida Blue Saturday, January 30, 2016 2016 ECMS Annual Inaugural Ball PresidentElect Brian Kirby Pensacola Yacht Club Price TBA Founded in 1873
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Founded in 1873
ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY
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