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Social Media and Your ASC Avoid eight common mistakes BY ROBERT KURTZ


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ocial media usage has jumped nearly tenfold from 7 percent in


2005 when the Pew Research Center began tracking social media usage to 65 percent in 2015, according to an October 2015 Pew Research report (http:// www.pewinternet.org/2015/10/08/ social-networking-usage-2005-2015/). Consequently, there is increasing pressure on ASCs to develop an online presence, says Charlie Leonard, a public affairs adviser based in Santa Barbara, California.


Leonard and Marcus Crider, a Nashville, Tennessee-based partner with the Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis law firm, advise ASCs and other health care organizations to be care- ful when using social media and avoid some common mistakes. 1. Don’t believe the online audi- ence does not matter. “People who are young, old, of every eth- nicity, income level and demo- graphic are online,” Leonard says. “Your competition is online. You need to be online for the promo- tion of your business and defense of your reputation.”


2. Don’t ignore complaints. People often take to the Internet to air griev- ances. “If someone says they had a bad experience, there is a good chance they did,” Leonard says. “Do not dismiss it, and never engage in an argument online. Apologize pub- licly, reach out privately. Use the ex- perience to improve yourself.”


3. Don’t try to game the system. There are services that offer to create positive reviews for organi- zations. Do not use them, Leonard advises. “Fake reviews that are fundamentally fraudulent should be avoided at all costs. You will be found out and pay the price.”


policies they deemed go too far. If you draft a policy, you must be concerned with the NLRB’s posi- tion on overreach.”


5. Don’t assume that you need a social media policy. Crider says he is


frequently asked whether


organizations need to develop a social media policy for staff. His answer: not necessarily. “I think it depends on whether


NLRB has come down hard on companies for violations of the National Labor Relations Act for social media policies they deemed go too far. If you draft a policy, you must be concerned with the NLRB’s position on overreach.”


— Marcus Crider, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis


4. Don’t presume that you know the law. Laws concerning social me- dia and online communication are evolving. ASC managers would be wise not to presume they understand the rules governing their use, Leon- ard says. “While employees cannot make false statements online, they have the right to vent. You cannot fire someone because they had a bad day at work and spoke about it.” Crider advises ASCs to look into the opinions and advice let- ters concerning social media issued by the National Labor Rela- tions Board (NLRB), the federal agency that enforces the National Labor Relations Act. “NLRB has come down hard on companies for violations of the National Labor Relations Act for social media


30 ASC FOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016


you think social media has the poten- tial to create problems or not,” he says. “If you have a strong profes- sional conduct policy, you can apply that policy to anything that interferes with your ASC’s workflow, whether it is related to a comment made to someone’s face or over the Internet.”


6. Don’t neglect the value of a policy. If you choose to adopt a policy, use it to provide staff education, Crider advises. “Educate employees on proper social media etiquette. Reemphasize your other policies already in place, such as confidentiality agreements, and that being on the Internet does not provide exceptions.”


7. Don’t underestimate the power of social media. Never take social media for granted, Crider says, as its use has the potential to cause significant harm to an organization. “There are countless examples of employees behaving badly at work and using social media to brag about it. If this happens in an ASC, the effects could be devastating.”


8. Don’t be dissuaded. Despite con- cerns associated with social me- dia, do not let them prevent you from developing an online pres- ence, Leonard advises. “With a strong plan in place, social media platforms present enormous op- portunities for any business.”


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