Twitter: Professionalism Vs Parody

I know it's not news that there is conflict on social media. In a recent example, a flamewar happened on yelp following a pizza owner giving the President a bear hug. Comments started, then supports from both sides weighed in, and we're off to the races.

Example two: Everyone in the medical social media world remember what happened a year and a half ago (has it been that long already), when a blog post was written by our good friend @Doctor_V pointing out some tweets from @mommy_doctor. That blog post, entitled "Unprofessional Physician Behavior on Twitter," had 129 comments and had to be closed to further comments. There were numerous other blog posts written about this. I even did an entire podcast on the topic, which was one of the most exhausting podcasts I have done.

This most recent episode occurred on September 9-10, 2012 on twitter. The tweets are below for your review via the service called storify. It started out with a doctor making a comment about a patient and a patient objecting to the negative characterization about the patient. The doctor then states that this is "gallows humor" and a means of venting. Someone else asked the question about the role of self-censorship in social media. The patient closes the twitter war with this point: "treat me like I was there in front of you, IRL it is pretty simple."

I mean, this is nothing new that is happening. But, it is an opportunity to re-open the topic about twitter behavior. Is there a certain etiquette that should be followed? How far is too far to push things on twitter and other social media outlets? Or, is it as simple as "just unfollow me" on twitter and that's the end of it. What do you think?

Never Forget

The Ted Epperly, MD Interview

Thanks to Ted Epperly, MD for being my guest on Family Medicine Rocks Episode 276 to talk about his book "Fractured: America's Broken Health Care System and What We Must Do To Heal It." Unlike other health care policy books in this category, this is an easy read that simplifies many of the complicated issues on this topic. Please write a review on the book at the amazon page and the goodreads page (I'll include my review on those site soon)

From a behind the scenes standpoint, I was very nervous going into this interview. And you could tell that it took me about 20 minutes to ease into things. The 2nd half of the interview (at least for me) had better flow than the first part of the chat. And, Dr. Epperly is a natural who has done dozens of interviews, which really help settle me as the interviewer.

One of the center pieces of our chat is talking about the Patient Centered Medical Home. We also talked about the system needs to reward higher quality care instead of volume based care, and how patients should also be emotionally invested and financially incentivized to value higher quality personal wellness.

To close the interview, I asked about the process by which he put the book together and he talked about the people who helped him edit the book into its current form. I also asked if he considered running for public office, and he gave a great answer to that.

In the video above, you'll see his closing comments of our interview giving advice on action steps that patients, physicians, and govermental entities should do. You can always listen to the entire audio podcast below, or download the entire audio podcast here.

Welcome to those of you who are new to this website. I encourage you to check out my twitter feed, the facebook page for this site, my youtube page, my linked in page, the podcast site, and subscribe the iTunes feed for the podcast. 

Listen to internet radio with DrMikeSevilla on Blog Talk Radio

Download Episode 276 Here

Fractured Healthcare

I'm very excited to welcome Family Physician and author Ted Epperly, MD to be interviewed LIVE at 1:30pm Eastern Time today on Family Medicine Rocks Episode 276. Dr. Epperly has been a Family Medicine mentor of mine and I've known him for a few years including his service at President of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

We'll be talking about his book "Fractured: America's Broken Health Care System and What We Must Do To Heal It." Dr. Epperly has said in interviews that the American public does not know about the US healthcare system, and I agree with that. I even work at the grassroots, and I don't see the forest for the trees. I encourage everyone to read this book to at least give you an idea of how complicated the system is, and why it will be complicated to fix the system.

On last night's podcast, Episode 275, I share my struggles in trying to learn about the health care system, and through reading this book, how I have a better understanding about what really needs to be done to transform the US healthcare system. You and also listen to the player below or download the show here.

So, I encourage you to join us live TODAY, Thursday, September 6, 2012 at 1:30pm Eastern Time on Family Medicine Rocks Episode 276 where my guest will be Ted Epperly, MD in talking about his book "Fractured: America's Broken Health Care System and What Must Be Do TO Heal It." See you then!

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Download Ep 275

NEOMED Talk: Digital Professionalism

Later this morning, I'll be speaking at my medical school, Northeast Ohio Medical University, about Digital Professionalism and Social Media. I'm honored to be asked to talk about the subject. In my final preparations last night, I asked my social media community what they thought and they gave some great advice here.

For those who are curious, my slideshare presentation is below with the essential slides. I always add a few more along with a couple of videos to sharpen the point, but you'll get the idea. Of course, there is not one right way to talk about professionalism to a bunch of first year medical and pharmacy students.

Tips for Digital Professionalism in Social Media 

1. Do NOT be Anonymous: For those who didn't know, I used to blog under the name Doctor Anonymous. In my social media infancy, I quickly learned the highs and lows of social media. If you want to make a difference in your professional life, give up the myth of being anonymous. I learned that people can learn who you are very quickly. So, be yourself...
2. Do NOT talk, post, tweet, or share anything about patients on social media (without their permission): Obviously, this violates federal patient privacy laws. Sharing patient information with their permission is useful when you're a patient advocate. For example, when talking to legislators, it's effective to share the story of your patient who would be affected with a piece of legislation that is coming up for a vote - like the impending SGR Medicare Cuts that is schedule to take place at the end of the year again.
3. Be an advocate on social media: Advocate for your patients because they need us. I'll also talk about the efforts with the Family Medicine community to be advocates for our specialty through #FMRevolution (Shout out to the Family Docs!)
4. Use social media for Patient Education
5. Use social media to tell your story: In the Family Medicine Community, I share how medical students and residents share their stories on the Future of Family Medicine Blog.

I also give a hat tip to KevinMD who shared a link from the 33Charts blog where Bryan Vartabedian and resident Joey Spinner did a video talking about Digital Professionalism. Also shout out to the Medical College of Wisconsin Family Medicine Student Association, Supernosh, David Lewis, Molly Talley, C Onyeije, Manasvi Kulshrestha, and many others who gave great suggestions for this talk.

Welcome those of you who are new to the website. I invite you to look around. In addition to this website, I have a podcast, you tube channel, facebook page for this blog, and a linked in page that you should check out. I hope you enjoy what you see, and, as always, I welcome your feedback. Cheers!

Digital Professionalism In Social Media from Mike Sevilla

Family Medicine Marketing

What an amazing show last night with guests Gerry Tolbert, April Foreman, and Tony Wood. Thanks also to Ben Miller for calling in and to Gregg Masters and Kirk Ackerson for participating in the chat room. What is the best way to market Family Medicine? This is a question that I have been continually asking on the show.

And, it was this healthcare video contest that really sparked another chance on how to tell the Family Medicine story. At the beginning of Family Medicine Rocks Episode 272, we were nowhere, and I really thought that after an hour, we would graciously give up and say that we gave it a good try.

However, as you'll see in the video above, a magic moment happened at about minute 55 or 60 of the podcast. The idea to look toward the words of Family Medicine's founding fathers to be the backdrop of the video and show the ideas and concepts back then are the exact same ideas that we're still talking about today. Core beliefs than span generations.

We're on a very short timeline, but I do want to reach out to the Family Medicine and #FMRevolution community to assist us in this project. I encourage you to watch the video above, listen to the audio podcast, and reflect on what kind of story you would tell for Family Medicine.

You can download the entire audio podcast here or in the link below. Watch the video highlights of the show here. I also encourage you to follow me on twitter, "like" the facebook page for the show, watch my youtube page, and check out my linked in page. Enjoy!

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Download Ep272 Here

Family Medicine In 10 Minutes?

There's going to be what I call an "experimental" podcast episode tonight. It will be a round table discussion to try to answer this question: Can Family Medicine be distilled down to a 10 minute video? Why? Well, a small group of us (which I hope you'll be a part of), are going to be entering a healthcare video contest whose deadline is next month. We believe this is an opportunity to showcase Family Medicine using a social media angle.

My guests on tonight's live podcast will be Gerry Tolbert, April Foreman, and Tony Wood. This episode will be a type of brainstorming session - that will be real time, so that you can join in as well in the chat room. The Family Medicine community (particularly the #FMRevolution community) has always said that we need to get our message out there. Well, here you go.

Join the discussion on Thursday, August 23, 2012 LIVE at 6pm Eastern Time on BlogTalkRadio for Family Medicine Rocks Episode 272. Also check out the video promo above. I also encourage you to follow me on twitter, "Like" the facebook page, watch my youtube page, check out my linked in page. See you for the show!

Husband Shoots Wife: Murder or Mercy Killing?

On August 4, 2012, John Wise (pictured above) walked into the Intensive Care Unit at Akron General Hospital in Akron, Ohio. According to published reports, Mr. Wise carried a concealed weapon and one shot was fired at his wife. The day following, Barbara Wise was declared brain dead.

In the video below, you'll see a report from a local news station. According to a local newspaper, murder charges are likely in this case. But, many people are asking why a husband would shoot his wife in this fashion? There have been many reports that Mrs Wise was in a debilitated state and that her husband wanted to end her suffering - thereby being a "Mercy Killing." 

Hopefully, as the court case develops (Mr Wise will appear via video in an Akron, Ohio courtroom on Tuesday), more details of the case will be released. What we do know is that one week prior to the shooting, on July 28, paramedics were called to their home, and then transported to a Massillon, Ohio hospital. When patient was transported to Akron General is unknown at this point.

When is it Murder and When is it a Mercy Killing? These are the questions that an eventual jury will have to face. But, of course, the court of public opinion will weigh in as well. These questions have been asked for a long time in the medical ethics (and legal) world with the more news prominent cases involving people like Jack Kevorkian and Terri Schiavo.

In addition to these questions, others have been raised like "[Is the] Hospital Shooting A Breakdown of Caregiver Support System?" And, of course, the gun control zealots are out there are raising their issues, especially with the recent high profile shootings in Oak Creek, Wisconsin and Aurora, Colorado.

This case has interest to me because Akron, Ohio is only 45 minutes from where I am right now, and many people at our local hospital are talking about this. I could be wrong, but I think that this case will re-ignite a national debate on end-of-life issues. Without knowing any of the specific details, I predict that this man will be convicted of murder and will spend the rest of his life in jail.

Addendum: This morning, Mr. Wise was placed on a $1 million bond by the court. It's also interesting what people on facebook are saying, at least on a Cleveland news station. Check it out here.

FamMedRocks Ep268 Wrap-Up

Thanks to everyone who listened to the show live last night of the Family Medicine Rocks Podcast Episode 268. Saturday night podcasts are lighthearted and last night was the case as well. Co-host Kat and I talked about the Olympics and other topics. Thanks to Kim & John for calling into the show to chat. In the video below, you'll see the opening moments of the show. You can also download the entire podcast here. 

Download Ep268 Here

#AAFPNC 2012 Wrap-up

As I begin writing this post, it is only a few hours until I have to leave from the airport. But, I have found in the past, that this is when I do my most true writing. This was my final day at the 2012 AAFP National Conference of Family Medicine Residents and Medical Students. And, what a day....

In the morning, I took part in the AAFPNC Ignite sessions which was a very unique experience for me. This is a presentation style in which you have 5 minutes to present 20 slides. If you do the math, this is 15 seconds per slide. And, here is the kicker, the slides are advanced for you and you do not have control over this. You can see (and judge) what I did in the video below.

One session that I circled to go to was with Dr. Ted Epperly and Dr. Lori Heim, both of whom where past AAFP Presidents. They had a session on leadership, and they shared situations from their past leadership experiences. Dr. Epperly just authored a book about the "Fractured" US health care system, and I hope to interview him on the podcast coming up soon.

The last event of the evening was a social event at the Midland Theater where they played 80s music - Good stuff! What was even better for me was that I got to chat with a number of AAFP Board Members on a variety of topics. A skill I'm trying to learn from them is storytelling. They use this storytelling skill to share about their own practice/business situation, and they tell us about the great Family Medicine leaders that they have met across the country.

In a little levity moment during the conference, our friends at the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians had a booth on the exhibit floor in which they were taking green screen pictures of people with the express purpose of putting fun backgrounds behind them. The theme was superheroes, so you see what they did in the picture at the top of this post.

Finally, last week, I predicted that this would be THE most social media connected meeting EVER for residents and students. I'm usually not one to point out metrics, because they are imperfect. However, according to the graphic below, the #AAFPNC hashtag has over 130,000 impressions on the internet. That may not be impressive to you, but our meeting attendance was about 4000 for that many impressions. I'm very proud about what has been accomplished here in terms of social media. Family Medicine IS a leader in social media, and this conference proves that! Now, it's time for me to head home. Thanks Residents & Students for making this a memorable meeting for me!