The secret of a successful social media strategy starts with who is in the middle. And that’s not any different than the philosophical and practical approach any successful physician or clinic takes to his/her efforts. Well, at least when the patient is the one at the center of the effort.

I recently read an excerpt from Dr. Toby Cosgrove’s book “The Cleveland Clinic Way” that reminded me how challenging it can be to put the patient at the center of our work. And simultaneously, how imperative it is that we do just that. You may know Cosgrove as the President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic.

Early on in its efforts toward being “patient centered,” Cleveland Clinic had decided to reassign the reserved parking spaces near the front of its buildings to patients, not doctors. One physician complained, “What’s this, patients first and doctors last?”

Other physicians wondered whether reform promoting kindness and compassion was necessary. They said, “Dr. Smith is kind of mean to people, but he’s a great surgeon” as if that were enough. Being a great surgeon is about being technically proficient and treating patients well.

Cosgrove recognized that we live in a time when technology has leveled the playing field with respect to the outcomes patients might receive at competing hospitals. But Cleveland Clinic could differentiate itself by treating its patients well and creating a true healing experience.

Through conversations with patients and their families, the clinic learned that many were frustrated by access to medical records. So, they made them accessible. They learned that patients found visiting hours to be a major irritant. This info with data they had on the role of family in healing, drove a decision to open visiting hours to “whenever…and to spend as much time as they like” with the exception of the intensive care unit.

Look, you’re not reading this to learn what the Cleveland Clinic did or is doing but it seems a fitting metaphor for the things we talk about with social media.

Like the issue with the parking spaces, many think that practice social media policies should revolve around the doctor’s convenience. A policy wherein doctors aren’t directed to share health information via an occasional tweet might be convenient. But it’s not improving patient health outcomes for those with chronic conditions whose Twitter newsfeeds are filled with hash tag rich tweets concerning their disease from every source but you.

Oh sure, there’s always the risk that the “mean doctor” will be exposed via social media through something he says that demonstrates indifference. But in all likelihood, patients and families who share their feelings about “customer satisfaction” on Facebook pages, Yelp and Angie’s List have already exposed him. Help him improve his bedside manner one post or tweet at-a-time. Yeah, bedside manner. Smartphones have become as common on the nightstand as grandma’s dentures. And many – maybe even your grandma – are using social media first thing every day and last thing they do at night.

And then there was this, a clinic team enlisted a designer to create an alternative to the traditional open back gown. Their goal was to address the frequent patient complaints about the indignity and discomfort they suffered when wearing them. Good for them. But, I couldn’t help imagine how much fun it would have been to engage patients in developing a solution via a simple Pinterest board. So I googled “hospital gowns on Pinterest” and got 279,000 results.

Come on, Doc. Let’s be social. By the way, the Cleveland Clinic is a great model for that, too. They’re @ClevelandClinic on Twitter.

Tim C. Nicholson is the President of Bigfish, LLC. His Memphis-based firm connects physicians, clinics and hospitals to patients and one another through healthcare social media solutions, branding initiatives and websites. His column, “Hey Doc”, appears here monthly. Find him on twitter @timbigfish or email tim@gobigfishgo.com