Woodlawn Health podcast looks to inform community
Rochester’s Woodlawn Health is going on the offensive against misinformation, getting patients the information they need straight from their very own providers.
The transmission of that information is simple and very popular. They made a podcast.
“Doc Talk” began as a radio show on WROI that aired Monday mornings at 8 a.m., a difficult time for anyone to step into a radio station and answer questions.
The idea of a podcast worked better for many reasons.
“(Our providers) could do it on their own time,” said Krista Boster, Woodlawn Health’s chief marketing officer. “There wasn’t a set time when they had to show up to do (an interview). It gave them flexibility and allowed us to be able to direct a conversation more. And we also wanted to earn the right to care for our community and in doing that, what we wanted to do was educate our community. I believe that educating our community helps our health system because people need to get to know their doctors and nurse practitioners before they walk in the door.”
The podcasts are an extension of the relationships the hospital wants to build with the community, something Boster said should start before a patient even enters their doctor’s office.
“Our marketing motto is ‘earning the right to care for you, your family, your community’ but I think it’s more than just a motto for us,” she said. “We have to earn the right to care for community, for them to trust us. This isn’t just about a service, it’s about a relationship.”
While the number of “Doc Talk” episodes available are currently limited—they are just getting started, after all—more providers have seen the quality of the product and have asked to be involved.
Two providers who have already made podcast appearances are Elizabeth Rodriguez, FNP-C, and Dr. Eric Rindlisbacher, DPM.
When it comes to recording an episode of “Doc Talk”, the hospital works with a third party named Doctor Podcast that specializes in making podcasts. This gives the providers a large amount of control over the content. They get to choose the topic and also write the questions the interviewer will eventually ask them.
Topics so far include colonoscopies, nutrition, carpel tunnel and conversations with new providers at the hospital.
The provider can schedule the interview for a time when they are available to record the podcast instead of needing to be in a studio a certain time.
The process sounds like it could lead to a sterile back and forth of question and answer, but the interviewers are able to ask follow up questions and also have shared their own personal experiences with a topic.
“I did appreciate the question because it allowed for further dialogue on organ donation,” said Rodriquez. “It was a surprise but it was a good surprise.”
“The process was very easy,” said Rindlisbacher, a doctor new to Woodlawn. “I think it’s been even more beneficial in my case. To be able to introduce myself to the community has been fantastic.”
“The process sounds a lot scarier than it really is,” Rodriguez said. “It’s really just using our knowledge to help guide patients with questions they may not have the opportunity to ask in a doctor’s visit because they don’t think of it at that time.”
Both providers said they were very impressed when they heard the finished product. And in the end, the community is getting information direct from a provider instead of something on the internet that is untrue.
“Google will give us a lot of information—in most cases it will give you the worst-case scenario,” Rodriguez said. “If you have diabetes and if you have a sore, (Google) will tell you that you will have your leg amputated. The podcasts allow us to provide qualified information and education to our patients that they may not be able to get from a website.”
Rindlisbacher said the podcasts let providers connect to the community in the same way they would if the person was sitting in their office.
“Doc Talk” is also translated to Spanish and there is a second podcast called “Salud Latinxs!”
“The podcasts are a great source of information,” said Rodriguez. “They are great things to listen to and if listeners have questions write them down and bring them on in and we will answer them as best we can.”
“The information is real,” added Rindlisbacher. “It’s important to find information that is real.”
“Doc Talk” and “Salud Latinxs!” can be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Stitcher, Pandora and Tunein.
The podcasts can also be listened to and downloaded directly from the Woodlawn Health webpage at woodlawnhospital.org/podcast and woodlawnhospital.org/salud-latinxs-podcast.