Via Micro Persuasion:"The Economist this week looks at how bloggers impact corporate reputations... Every company - and I mean every - must have a plan for how they will handle a blog crisis."
The hospitals are not different. It is just a matter of time before a major health institution realizes that is subject to negative blogging by a patient(s) or a doctor.
With sites like RateMDs.com where negative reviews are published, it is likely that soon a "bad publicity" post will make it to the top 10 results on Google. Consumers often Google their health conditions and 10% of visitors to a hospital's website become patients.
A hospital should be prepared for a "blog attack" just like any other company.
References:
The blog in the corporate machine. Feb 9th 2006. The Economist.
Bloggers: an army of irregulars. Paul Reynolds, World Affairs correspondent, BBC News website.
Blogs Will Change Your Business. BusinessWeek.com.
Blogs amplify the power of hospital critics. Kevin, M.D.
Image source: OpenClipart.org (public domain)