Imagine the following scenario… At a routine physical, a Boomer learns she has a heart murmur. The primary care physician refers the patient to a cardiologist. After an echocardiogram, the cardiologist informs her that she has severe mitral valve regurgitation and an enlarged left ventricle. Obviously not good.
The cardiologist informs the Boomer that she needs heart valve surgery in the next three months. “Don't worry,” says the cardiologist, “I know a surgeon who is a ‘magician’ when it comes to valve surgery. He’ll take care of you… no problem.”
What does our Boomer do? First, she experiences a flood of emotions including anxiety, fear, confusion and loneliness. Then, she tells her family and friends about the situation. Eager to help, they flood her inbox with hyperlinks and articles about recommended surgeons, top-ranked hospitals and therapeutic options.
Our Boomer – who is even more confused now – ends up doing what we all do: Sitting in front of a computer scrambling for answers.
It is at this precise moment that our Boomer realizes she needs to do her homework. She needs to do research. She needs to find the absolute best doctor and hospital for her. And, because of all the information that is readily available at her fingertips, she feels exactly what her parents did not… This Boomer feels empowered. She actually feels some control.
She is her own best advocate.
Facebook Transforms Boomer Fear Into Boomer Empowerment!
This scenario continues… After searching the Internet for answers, the patient finds herself on the Facebook page of HeartValveSurgery.com – a page that has grown from 3,000 to 275,000 members in the last two years. (Hint: Remember that fact for an upcoming myth busting.)
At the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page, our Boomer is instantly connected to a vibrant and global community of patients, care partners, doctors, nurses, researchers and medical device companies that have come together for one purpose – to educate and empower people with heart valve disease.
She is immediately comforted by this Facebook page, the powerful posts therein, and wastes no time clicking the “Like” button. Little did she know, patients aged 55 or older comprise the largest audience on this Facebook page. Yes, a staggering 82% of members on this page are Boomers.
How does this patient story end? Our Boomer didn’t select the “surgical magician” her cardiologist recommended for mitral valve surgery. Nope. She selected a surgeon who had posted an editorial story about mitral valve disease on the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page.
By the way, that surgeon practices in Redwood City, California. The patient lives in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s an 11-hour drive by car!
And people say Boomers don’t advocate for themselves?
Myth busted.
Imagine the following scenario… At a routine physical, a Boomer learns she has a heart murmur. The primary care physician refers the patient to a cardiologist. After an echocardiogram, the cardiologist informs her that she has severe mitral valve regurgitation and an enlarged left ventricle. Obviously not good.
The cardiologist informs the Boomer that she needs heart valve surgery in the next three months. “Don't worry,” says the cardiologist, “I know a surgeon who is a ‘magician’ when it comes to valve surgery. He’ll take care of you… no problem.”
What does our Boomer do? First, she experiences a flood of emotions including anxiety, fear, confusion and loneliness. Then, she tells her family and friends about the situation. Eager to help, they flood her inbox with hyperlinks and articles about recommended surgeons, top-ranked hospitals and therapeutic options.
Our Boomer – who is even more confused now – ends up doing what we all do: Sitting in front of a computer scrambling for answers.
It is at this precise moment that our Boomer realizes she needs to do her homework. She needs to do research. She needs to find the absolute best doctor and hospital for her. And, because of all the information that is readily available at her fingertips, she feels exactly what her parents did not… This Boomer feels empowered. She actually feels some control.
She is her own best advocate.
Facebook Transforms Boomer Fear Into Boomer Empowerment!
This scenario continues… After searching the Internet for answers, the patient finds herself on the Facebook page of HeartValveSurgery.com – a page that has grown from 3,000 to 275,000 members in the last two years. (Hint: Remember that fact for an upcoming myth busting.)
At the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page, our Boomer is instantly connected to a vibrant and global community of patients, care partners, doctors, nurses, researchers and medical device companies that have come together for one purpose – to educate and empower people with heart valve disease.
She is immediately comforted by this Facebook page, the powerful posts therein, and wastes no time clicking the “Like” button. Little did she know, patients aged 55 or older comprise the largest audience on this Facebook page. Yes, a staggering 82% of members on this page are Boomers.
How does this patient story end? Our Boomer didn’t select the “surgical magician” her cardiologist recommended for mitral valve surgery. Nope. She selected a surgeon who had posted an editorial story about mitral valve disease on the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page.
By the way, that surgeon practices in Redwood City, California. The patient lives in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s an 11-hour drive by car!
And people say Boomers don’t advocate for themselves?
Myth busted.
Imagine the following scenario… At a routine physical, a Boomer learns she has a heart murmur. The primary care physician refers the patient to a cardiologist. After an echocardiogram, the cardiologist informs her that she has severe mitral valve regurgitation and an enlarged left ventricle. Obviously not good.
The cardiologist informs the Boomer that she needs heart valve surgery in the next three months. “Don't worry,” says the cardiologist, “I know a surgeon who is a ‘magician’ when it comes to valve surgery. He’ll take care of you… no problem.”
What does our Boomer do? First, she experiences a flood of emotions including anxiety, fear, confusion and loneliness. Then, she tells her family and friends about the situation. Eager to help, they flood her inbox with hyperlinks and articles about recommended surgeons, top-ranked hospitals and therapeutic options.
Our Boomer – who is even more confused now – ends up doing what we all do: Sitting in front of a computer scrambling for answers.
It is at this precise moment that our Boomer realizes she needs to do her homework. She needs to do research. She needs to find the absolute best doctor and hospital for her. And, because of all the information that is readily available at her fingertips, she feels exactly what her parents did not… This Boomer feels empowered. She actually feels some control.
She is her own best advocate.
Facebook Transforms Boomer Fear Into Boomer Empowerment!
This scenario continues… After searching the Internet for answers, the patient finds herself on the Facebook page of HeartValveSurgery.com – a page that has grown from 3,000 to 275,000 members in the last two years. (Hint: Remember that fact for an upcoming myth busting.)
At the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page, our Boomer is instantly connected to a vibrant and global community of patients, care partners, doctors, nurses, researchers and medical device companies that have come together for one purpose – to educate and empower people with heart valve disease.
She is immediately comforted by this Facebook page, the powerful posts therein, and wastes no time clicking the “Like” button. Little did she know, patients aged 55 or older comprise the largest audience on this Facebook page. Yes, a staggering 82% of members on this page are Boomers.
How does this patient story end? Our Boomer didn’t select the “surgical magician” her cardiologist recommended for mitral valve surgery. Nope. She selected a surgeon who had posted an editorial story about mitral valve disease on the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page.
By the way, that surgeon practices in Redwood City, California. The patient lives in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s an 11-hour drive by car!
And people say Boomers don’t advocate for themselves?
Myth busted.
Imagine the following scenario… At a routine physical, a Boomer learns she has a heart murmur. The primary care physician refers the patient to a cardiologist. After an echocardiogram, the cardiologist informs her that she has severe mitral valve regurgitation and an enlarged left ventricle. Obviously not good.
The cardiologist informs the Boomer that she needs heart valve surgery in the next three months. “Don't worry,” says the cardiologist, “I know a surgeon who is a ‘magician’ when it comes to valve surgery. He’ll take care of you… no problem.”
What does our Boomer do? First, she experiences a flood of emotions including anxiety, fear, confusion and loneliness. Then, she tells her family and friends about the situation. Eager to help, they flood her inbox with hyperlinks and articles about recommended surgeons, top-ranked hospitals and therapeutic options.
Our Boomer – who is even more confused now – ends up doing what we all do: Sitting in front of a computer scrambling for answers.
It is at this precise moment that our Boomer realizes she needs to do her homework. She needs to do research. She needs to find the absolute best doctor and hospital for her. And, because of all the information that is readily available at her fingertips, she feels exactly what her parents did not… This Boomer feels empowered. She actually feels some control.
She is her own best advocate.
Facebook Transforms Boomer Fear Into Boomer Empowerment!
This scenario continues… After searching the Internet for answers, the patient finds herself on the Facebook page of HeartValveSurgery.com – a page that has grown from 3,000 to 275,000 members in the last two years. (Hint: Remember that fact for an upcoming myth busting.)
At the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page, our Boomer is instantly connected to a vibrant and global community of patients, care partners, doctors, nurses, researchers and medical device companies that have come together for one purpose – to educate and empower people with heart valve disease.
She is immediately comforted by this Facebook page, the powerful posts therein, and wastes no time clicking the “Like” button. Little did she know, patients aged 55 or older comprise the largest audience on this Facebook page. Yes, a staggering 82% of members on this page are Boomers.
How does this patient story end? Our Boomer didn’t select the “surgical magician” her cardiologist recommended for mitral valve surgery. Nope. She selected a surgeon who had posted an editorial story about mitral valve disease on the HeartValveSurgery.com Facebook page.
By the way, that surgeon practices in Redwood City, California. The patient lives in Phoenix, Arizona. That’s an 11-hour drive by car!
And people say Boomers don’t advocate for themselves?
Myth busted.
Written by Adam Pick, CEO of PatientEvolution
Adam is a patient recruitment enthusiast who has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Medical News Today. Adam has helped over 50 hospitals and medical device companies accelerate patient recruitment for commercial therapies and clinical trials.
Written by Adam Pick
CEO of PatientEvolution
Adam is a patient recruitment enthusiast who has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Medical News Today. Adam has helped over 50 hospitals and medical device companies accelerate patient recruitment for commercial therapies and clinical trials.
