healthcare 2.0

Talking to hundreds of healthcare thought leaders spanning across 5continents over our annual international medical travel conferences later, I find myself transiting into the world of Web 2.0.

And to my surprise – somehow, somewhere & someone has managed to win over the traditionally conservative healthcare industry on the new 2.0 phenomenon that has sweep the world over.

Social media on the Internet are empowering, engaging, and educating health care consumers and providers. While consumers use social media — including social networks, personal blogging, wikis, video-sharing, and other formats — for emotional support, they also heavily rely on them to manage health conditions

The Wisdom of Patients: Health Care Meets Online Social Media http://www.chcf.org/topics/chronicdisease/index.cfm?itemID=133631

Although the article only points evidence at the patient-support-group level, I think it is an indication that the industry will ultimately move towards there. Not forgetting that there are more and more young managers brought in from outside the traditional physician-turned-administrators arena, to jive up an industry that has largely been physician-serving rather than client-focused.