An innovative strategy to improve provider engagement through social networking

In this article, we describe a model for secure, intra-practice social networking using Web-based technology to facilitate continuous provider engagement. The focus is to create and share practice improvement strategies and other professional content in IPC The Hospitalist Company's community. We also summarize lessons learned from seven years of experience with this model including successes, challenges, next steps, and recommendations for how other healthcare organizations can apply our experience to improve their practices. Overall, this model for social networking represents an untapped opportunity for leadership to increase provider engagement.