33c is thrilled to have Doximity as a sponsor this week. The ideas below, however, are shaped and written on my own.
I woke up this morning and had a Doximity message from my childhood best friend. Inseparable as kids, we grew up and apart and went our separate ways some forty years ago. I didn’t know what had become of him and had no idea he was a doctor. You can imagine the surprise when I got that Doximity message.
The fact that we were able to connect makes perfect sense. Doximity just hit its one millionth user last month. And with those numbers you have the opportunity to create the kind of connection I experienced. This is a story I’ve heard repeatedly with the power of networked connection on platforms like Doximity.
As public networks like Facebook and Twitter change for the worse, Doximity continues to grow and evolve as a core space for those caring for patients. Doximity brings a number of interesting offerings for health care providers.
The trifecta for a killer digital footprint
As health care providers, our public presence has evolved as a critical part of how we present as professionals. Doximity does a lot of the heavy lifting with some key opportunities for shaping what people understand about you during search.
Specifically, Doximity lets you control three profiles in Google Search: Your Doximity profile, Doximity QuickSite, and U.S. News profile.
Doximity profiles. This is the hub of both your Doximity experience and possibly the most important profile you’ll have as a professional. Without you ever lifting a finger, Doximity delivers automatic data updates that reflect our licensure, publications and press mentions. Most profiles receive and average of 30 automatic data updates each year. Since its launch 7 years ago when I first make my profile by hand, it continues to get better. For me it’s a key element in my digital footprint.
Doximity QuickSites. In addition to your profile which will enhance what the world knows about you, you can raise your game with a QuickSite, a customizable URL and template that reflects office hours, CV, etc. Just another way to grab that critical real estate on the first page or two of Google.
Auto-sync with U.S. News profiles. U.S. News taps into the Doximity database as the core database of U.S. physicians and health providers for U.S. News Doctor Finder. If you’re not in, you’re out of one of the most influential hospital and training program ranking systems available.
So go ahead and Google yourself. Unless you are in control of what you see on that first page, hustle over to your public profile and maximize what people find about you.
Workflow solutions for healthcare providers
Beyond how we look to a peeking public is our day-to-day work caring for patients. This killer provider platform brings a few things to the table here:
Doximity Dialer. This is my secret weapon for mothers who want to store my cell phone for 3:30 AM questions. How it works is you download the Doximity Dialer app, customize it with a name and number that shows on the patient’s caller ID, and call patients at will. What they see as an incoming call is your office name and number instead of a blocked number. So they’re more likely to pick up and less likely to call when you’re on vacation sailing in Nova Scotia. Here’s a little more of my thinking on this unique application.
Free eFax number. This is a reality of medicine: If you’re a physician you’re likely to still use a fax machine. Every member gets a free eFax number so you can send and receive faxes from your iPhone, Android or computer. This is a HIPAA-secure and free line that’s yours for life and lets you sign or annotate documents.
Power search. Because of the crazy high adoption of the profile I talked about above, Doximity offers a complete directory of physicians, NPs, PAs and pharmacists in the United States. No other solution offers such a comprehensive resource for busy providers.
Doximity as the cure for information overload
One of the greatest challenges facing healthcare providers today is the explosion of medical information and inputs. Keeping up, it seems, is just impossible.
DocNews. Increasingly we are dependent on the smartest people in our networks to bring us the things that are important. Doximity does just that with DocNews, a news algorithm that leverages your profile to bring the most relevant news to your phone in the mobile app.
OpMed. I’ve been waiting for this one and it finally came recently. OpMed is an original op-ed publication maintained by Doximity. All content is written by Doximity members. The pieces are editorial/perspective-driven in nature, though there can be more clinical content from time to time. They’ve been working to bring together some of the brightest minds in medicine with original insight found only on OpMed. Check it out.
CME. If you’re like me you’re overrun with offers for continuing education in different places and spaces and usually at the wrong time. In conjunction with UPMC, their CME product allows you to earn CME on your time with free category 1 CME.
Virtual career management
Browse salaries by specialty and state. This is very cool. They have a slick Career Navigator that allows you to zoom in on your specialty in whatever part of the country you work or want to work. And this is genius: Health providers opt-in by confidentially sharing their own salaries. The more providers who use it, the smarter it gets.
Job search. Doximity provides one of the most robust places for discreet job search from permanent placement to locums. You can even see who else you may know at the institution to help you get some intel on the job from someone you know and trust. More
Residency navigator. Want the skinny on that residency program? Get real insight from actual peer-reviews on Residency Navigator. See where you’ll rotate and see where alumnae land after training.
This has been a great opportunity for me to dig into some of this product’s remarkable features I’ve been less familiar with. If you’re not onboard, claim your profile over on Doximity.com and tap in to some these rich features.
Dr. Vartabedian is an advisor to Doximity.