One of the most frequent topics in healthcare social media is how to have a meaningful dialog between physicians about medical cases. Twitter has severe character limitations, Facebook groups don’t have strong enough privacy controls and hospital internal programs may not include enough specialist experience. Realizing the need for a secure communications network to engage their orthopedic surgeons and physicians, Duke University Medical Center developed a secure physician network to to allow intercollegiate conversations.

In 2011, the platform was spun off as a med-tech startup called for[MD]. The platform is specifically designed to facilitate peer-to-peer medical discussions in affinity networks like alumni groups or medical specialties. On for[MD], physicians are connected to a private, HIPAA compliant network of their peers. Organizations receive a community management tool where they can increase member engagement, enable their physicians to exchange with each other in a secure environment, and manage their membership directory. Physician members receive access to the larger, secure physician network where they can reduce information deluge, exchange with their peers and subject matter experts, and solve professional problems quicker through the social power of community. for[MD] is now working with over 60 associations, organizations, medical specialties and university medical centers.

Get Social Health sat down with co-founder Greg Chang to discuss the for[MD] platform and the innovative thinking it inspired.

Visit our resources page for more valuable (and free!) resources on social media and digital health:

for[MD] website

Greg Chang LinkedIn profile

Co-Founder Michael Gagnon’s LinkedIn profile

Co-Founder Dr. Chad Mather’s LinkedIn profile

for[MD] Blog post: “Crowdsourcing Medical Advancements”