Note from the associate editor: Stay connected, follow NAHRI on social media

Social media isn’t just cat videos and memes, it has become a widely used tool in professional settings to share information and even collaborate in real time. Of course, you should be careful about what you share, especially when you work in healthcare, but there are a multitude of benefits to using social media in your professional life.

And social media use is spreading. One study found that between 2005 and 2014, the proportion of adults using social media in the U.S. increased from 8% to 72%. And according to Facebook’s Q4 report, as of December 31, 2018, there are more than 2.32 billion monthly active Facebook users worldwide.

Of course, the number one benefit of social media is connectivity.

The advent of social media has closed the distance between people all the over the world and sped up the pace at which we receive news. Social media encompasses a range of platforms that allow you to create online communities, follow experts, keep up to date on issues, and communicate with colleagues across the globe. If you aren’t using social media, you may be out of the loop!

For healthcare professionals, social media can be used to connect with resources that expand your knowledge base. Professional organizations have started using social media as an educational tool by streaming videos on Facebook Live, tweeting reactions and questions about a topic by using a searchable hashtag on Twitter, and using media-sharing sites like YouTube to illustrate points or reinforce concepts.

We all know that networking is one of the best ways to build connections within a profession, and social media is an easy way to connect with other members in your field. Revenue integrity departments range in size, and if you are at a smaller facility, you may be a department of one. Social media is a way to find other revenue integrity professionals who understand your work and can empathize with the difficulties you may run into on the job. And if you want to keep personal social media use separate from your professional life, LinkedIn is a platform specifically for building professional connections.

Another way the healthcare profession is using social media is to crowdsource ideas and get answers to conundrums by harnessing the knowledge and skills of the broader healthcare (or revenue integrity) field to solve problems or gather feedback.

Conference hashtags are a popular way to follow on social media what is happening in conference sessions you can’t attend and a way for you to find and keep in touch with fellow conference attendees.

Following NAHRI on social media ensures you have real-time access to the latest articles on hot topics and revenue integrity strategies, access to exclusive discounts and contests, and reminders about upcoming events. Social media pages also serve as a way to ask questions of the NAHRI leadership team and connect with peers and start conversations about topics of mutual interest.

News spreads fast on social media, so why not use it to help promote and advocate for your profession? For example, during 2019 Revenue Integrity Week (June 3–7) use social media to celebrate your colleagues and your accomplishments with fellow NAHRI members. To make spreading awareness easy, NAHRI has designed Revenue Integrity Week banners designed for you to share on social media, and we will be using the hashtag #RevenueIntegrityWeek on our social media platforms.

Follow NAHRI on Twitter, Facebook, and request to join the NAHRI LinkedIn group.