Doctors and Social Media: What are the appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship?

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA   Continuing on the topic of physicians use with social media, David Harlow, Esq, Health Care Attorney and Consultant at The Harlow Group, LLC in Boston, answers a series of questions focusing on the legal aspects of physicians engaging in social media. Q: Barbara – What are appropriate boundaries for the doctor/patient relationship? A: David Harlow, Esq. – Most physicians and authorities agree that a health care professional should…

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Doctors and Social Media – Two Photos Which Could Prompt State Boards to Investigate

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA The following photos were sent to me by Dr. Ryan Greysen, and are published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, “Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm,” by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; David Johnson, MA; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Cary P. Gross, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS. Dr. Ryan…

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State Medical Boards Addresses Inappropriate Online Physician Behaviors

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA A new report to be released tomorrow in the Annals of Internal Medicine, “Online Professionalism Investigations by State Medical Boards: First, Do No Harm,” by S. Ryan Greysen, MD, MHS, MA; David Johnson, MA; Terry Kind, MD, MPH; Katherine C. Chretien, MD; Cary P. Gross, MD, MPH; Aaron Young, PhD; and Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, addresses which inappropriate online behaviors would prompt investigation by state medical boards. The…

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Social Media Health: 3 Key Elements to Use When Engaging in Social Media

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA There are some health care professionals who refuse to engage in social media and there are others who have mastered it.  And yet there are some who just don’t understand it. There’s a photo of a clinician on Facebook holding a cigarette. It may not seem like much, but when it’s a clinician at an academic medical center with a Facebook account which reveals place of employment, that changes…

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TEDMED Challenge of Health and Medicine – Improving Medical Communications

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA Health care is about you being in charge of your health. It’s about you partnering and communicating with your doctor and other health care providers. Patient engagement is essential and it begins with you being an empowered and proactive patient. How can we improve communication between doctor and patient? A critical first step is to gather knowledge and ideas from all of us with a passion for improving our…

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