The beauty and curse of the Information Age is that so much stuff is right at your fingertips. In less than five minutes, you can learn at what age John Stamos first appeared on TV (starred as Blackie Parrish in General Hospital, 1983), how to prepare the perfect roasted duck (little salt, some paprika, butter and a couple hours in the oven) and what that odd discoloration on your right middle toe might be.

It's pretty common for patients with similar conditions to get together on-line and discuss their conditions, according to a US News & World Report. Here's what your patients might be checking out—PatientsLikeMe.com, CureTogether.com, CarePages.com

Our physicians gave these sites mixed reviews. Some doctors are pleased that patients are taking such a proactive interest in their health. But other doctors aren't too thrilled when a patient walks into the office, with print-outs from Web sites and a self-diagnosis of their condition.

Sidenote: My grandmother was recently admitted to the hospital for complications with her congestive heart failure. While my father was waiting to hear back from the doctor, he explained to me that her “creatnine levels were at about 0.3mg/dL, which is low. They should be up around 0.6mg/dL.”

"How did you know this?" I asked.

"I Googled it."

Great, Dad. But I think we should double-check with the doctor.

Coming up: Tweeting Health Care: Beyond 'Twitter Surgeries'...

A while back, I received an e-mail from a physician on our hospital’s medical staff. He asked me pointedly if I was “in charge of the Internet.” I resisted the temptation to reveal my true identity as the Internet’s Supreme Commander, and instead I dug a little deeper into his question. He found a less-than-stellar user review of himself on a Web site, and wondered if there was anything I could do about it. Nope. Sorry.

If you’re in healthcare marketing, you know that “word-of-mouth” is still one of the strongest tools you have in your arsenal. But with the rise of consumer review sites, somebody might be talking about your hospital. Patients shout out their feelings about every experience they've ever had—and it remains posted for as long as the Web site will archive it. Healthcare experiences are ripe for this—after all, who hasn’t had a lousy healthcare experience?

I want to educate our medical staff about healthcare on the Internet by simply raising their level of awareness of what’s out there. It’s an ongoing project. I emphasize the best thing our staff can do is provide great care and customer service all of the time.

Being “in charge” of the Internet is a big responsibility. However, it’s nothing compared to being in charge of a patient’s health and well-being. You should do what you can to educate your medical staff about what's out there. Below, you'll see a few sites that contain physician reviews to get you started.

And feel free to add a few of your favorites.

Vimo
Vitals
Angie's List
Rate MDs

Coming up: WebMD Says I Might Have Toe Cancer...

I’ve found that the attention span of the average healthcare executive to be akin to that of a Labrador puppy. With physician issues, patient issues, financial issues and operational issues, you can’t really blame them. Their Outlook daily calendars are Technicolor nightmares.

So, when you want to talk about employing new web marketing and social media strategies, you've got to have a plan. But understand that you might not be received with a standing ovation, tears of joy and a new title (with company car privileges). When I shared Sherman's plan, I was met with blank stares and giggles over the word “Twitter.”

Now, a year has gone by since we employed our social media and web marketing program. The returns are promising. And the execs are starting to think that there might be something to this whole Internet thing, afterall.

Ready to pitch your plan? Here's what you need to know:

1. Find an internal champion. Connect with someone who understands and is interested in social media. If they are on the exec team, great. If they’re a board member, even better. A strategically placed advocate can sometimes make all the difference.

2. Do your research. This recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project has a lot of great information about the changing healthcare consumer. There’s more than enough information that explains how today’s healthcare consumer depends on the Internet for health information.

3. Educate. If your boss looks bewildered when you ask, "Did you get my Tweet this morning?" you might need to do a tutorial. Take some time to walk through all of the funky sounding names and terms, by explaining how they can help your organization. Chances are their children know about this stuff, too. And if all else fails, try this tactic: Don't you want to see what your kid is up to on Facebook?

4. Be realistic. You can’t surrender all of the standard fare in favor of the sparkly Internet-based methods. If you’re in healthcare, you’ll still have to do the quality ads, billboards and newspaper ads. Use a social media and web marketing program to round out your organization’s portfolio. If you have to sacrifice somewhere, give up printed brochures, flyers, banners and posters. That's a good purge—now your hospital hallways won't look like an elementary school.

5. Manage expectations. So much of the social media and web marketing is about measuring and adjusting. You need time to find your audience and figure out what works best to reach them. Collect your successes and make adjustments accordingly. They need to understand it’s an ongoing, learning process. Hopefully they’re willing to go along for the ride.