Bringing some perspective from our neighbors to the north, HIMSS16 Social Media Ambassador Pat Rich – @pat_health to his more than 5,550 Twitter followers – will be paying close attention in Las Vegas, looking for health IT lessons that can be taken back home to Canada.
The Ottawa-based social media maven has long experience writing about clinical and technology developments and healthcare policy across the 10 provinces and three territories. Rich served as editor of Canada's only weekly newspaper for physicians, in fact, and more recently was an editor at the Canadian Medical Association. At CMA, Rich helped develop guidelines for Canadian physicians wishing to use social media – something he wishes was more widespread in his home country.
Healthcare IT News asked Rich what he’s on the lookout for at HIMSS16 and what, in his experience, the big potential social media holds for healthcare.
Q. What are you most looking forward to learning about at HIMSS16?
A. I always see the annual main HIMSS meeting as a snapshot of the current status of health IT in the United States. As such, in Vegas, I am looking forward to learning how physicians and patients are faring in the quest to integrate digital health into their lives. It’s clear many U.S. physicians are not happy with the electronic medical record systems they are using today and I want to know what is being done to address that. Ditto the challenge of getting true patient engagement with the help of modern technology. And of course I want to learn what is coming in the post-meaningful use world.
Q. What’s something about you that even your devout followers likely don’t know?
A. I tend to be very transparent on social media – for instance my followers know all about my recent fall while jogging and subsequent broken hand and facial stitches. Plus, the occasional pictures of my cats. But as I do try to maintain a professional emphasis in my social media persona there has been no real need for them to know I was born on the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in England just a short walk from where Princess Diana was born.
Q. What inspired you to apply for the Social Media Ambassador program?
A. I wanted to become a Social Media Ambassador to maintain my linkage with HIMSS16 so I can bring all the useful learnings back to the Canadian context. Also, I am frankly humbled by the networked excellence of my fellow ambassadors and have already benefitted from being part of this group.
Q. What’s an under-appreciated benefit of social media in healthcare today?
A. As I tend to be a bit evangelical about the potential benefits from using social media in healthcare, I remain frustrated by the tiny minority of physician, nurses and other health care providers in Canada who are even willing to consider using social media tools and platforms to do their work better and to deliver better care.
Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the HIMSS16 conference. Follow our live blog for real-time updates, and visit Destination HIMSS16 for a full rundown of our reporting from the show. For a selection of some of the best social media posts of the show, visit our Trending at #HIMSS16 hub.
