Your patients may use Facebook to share photos of their kids and grandkids, post funny memes, keep in touch with friends, and participate in groups they find interesting. But now, Facebook has rolled out a new Preventive Health tool to its News Feed in its app for users in the US to help keep them healthier than ever before!

The goal of this new tool, which is currently only available in Facebook’s iOS and Android apps,  is to encourage Facebook users to schedule preventive health screening appointments including annual checkups to screen for heart disease and cancer, and flu shot reminders.

Recognizing that not all Facebook users have health insurance, the Preventative Health tool also provides users with a map of nearby Federally Qualified Health Centers, which operate in underserved areas of our country and serve all patients, regardless of their ability to pay for healthcare services.

How Does Facebook’s New Preventive Health Tool Protect Users’ Privacy?

We all know that Facebook has been criticized for its handling of user data before. But according to the social media tech giant, this tool was specifically designed to keep private health information away from third parties, including advertisers and health insurance companies.

In its post announcing this new tool, Facebook said:

“Preventive Health allows you to set reminders for your future checkups and mark them as done, but it doesn’t provide us, or the health organizations we’re working with, access to your actual test results. Personal information about your activity in Preventive Health is not shared with third parties, such as health organizations or insurance companies, so it can’t be used for purposes like insurance eligibility.”

Initial Reactions to Preventive Health are Positive

While Preventive Health is very new (it was announced on October 28, 2019), it’s already receiving positive feedback from social media experts. 

In an article announcing the tool, the website SocialMediaToday.com said,

“It's a good initiative from Facebook, which expands on its capacity to help raise awareness for health concerns, using its unmatched scale to prompt increased user action.”

Facebook also collaborated with US health organizations to create the tool, including the American Cancer Society, the American College of Cardiology, and the Centers for Disease Control, so the tool has support for the medical community as well.

What Does Facebook’s Preventive Health Mean for Your Practice?

YES, your patients who are on Facebook - and remember 68% of American adults are on this popular social media platform - now have one more digital touchpoint reminding them to get annual checkups and preventive health screenings.

The tool doesn’t allow healthcare practices to advertise through Preventive Health or based on data entered into the tool. However, your well-established patients who may skip on annual exams if they don’t feel like they have a reason to be worried about their health may be more likely to call you for a checkup when they see these health reminders pushed out to them on the News Feed of their mobile devices.

It’s also important for healthcare practices like yours to remember that the combined Facebook/Instagram advertising platform is the world’s 2nd largest online advertiser. If you aren’t already advertising on Facebook using compelling images and videos to attract new patients and stay in touch with current ones, we recommend you start doing so now. After all, Facebook itself is now increasing users’ mindshare of important healthcare screenings and appointments.

Contact MOXY Company to Start Healthcare Facebook Ads, or Expand Your Existing Presence

Our team at MOXY company knows how to leverage all social media platforms for healthcare organizations. In fact, our CEO, Christy Owenby, is a Bronze Fellow in the Mayo Clinic Social Media Network and was a speaker at the 2019 Mayo Clinic Annual Conference on the topic of social media and healthcare.

To make sure Facebook users in your geographic location think of your practice when Facebook’s Preventive Health tool prompts them to schedule medical appointments, contact us so we can put together a comprehensive social media strategy for you.