A Taste of My Own Medicine – How I Know Doctor Bio Videos Matter

29 Aug A Taste of My Own Medicine – How I Know Doctor Bio Videos Matter

I’m pretty lucky that I truly love my job. What’s not to love? I’m among the first to learn about exciting new medical breakthroughs. I get to share inspiring patient testimonial stories. I enjoy interviewing medical providers and producing their “find a doc” bio videos. All of this while satisfying my creative side through the craft of video storytelling. I’m honestly living my dream job.

I am consistently grateful for fulfilling and meaningful work. The past few weeks, however, revealed a personal perspective on what my company does, and why it matters.

I got a diagnosis that required a specialist. I’ll spare you the details – and I’ll be fine, once we take care of a few things. Suddenly, I found myself in urgent need of a provider who had experience with my condition, who would listen to my concerns, who would treat me with compassion – and so on. The list of providers my insurance company approved was long, and not one of them had a video. In fact, no matter how much I researched – and I used to be a reporter, I know how to research – I could find very little about them. I could find clinic hours where they worked, and often the school from which they graduated, but hardly an iota about them as a provider or person. 

Of course the video producer in me was annoyed, but as a patient, I was deeply disappointed and frustrated. I already felt vulnerable and even a bit scared, as I sought help for my medical problem. Now I felt limited in my ability to make the best decision for my care. I had questions for this list of providers: What’s your approach to care? Do you have advanced training on the procedure I might need? Why did you choose this particular specialty? What do you love about your work and your patients? And so on. 

I wanted to see and hear the person who’d likely be operating on my body. Learning their answers to some basic questions would have greatly helped me decide who felt right, and who I wanted to partner with to overcome my health challenge. By not providing good information, it felt like my healthcare system didn’t value me as a consumer, patient or person. 

I couldn’t help but think about all I’ve been reading and studying about healthcare marketing trends, and how potential patients rank caring, compassion and convenience high on their list of priorities. And how health systems need to be consumer-centric to compete. I sure wasn’t getting that vibe. How could I get to know, like and trust someone who held my very health in their hands if I could find so little about them? 

I ended up just calling the clinic and asking to be seen by whomever could get me in first. As it turns out, the doctor I met with seemed nice enough and seems to know what she’s doing. She answered my questions and listened to my concerns during our initial consult. I think she’ll be just fine, thank goodness. But I can’t shake the feeling that I had so little choice in this important matter. 

That same week, I got a text from a friend, thanking me for the work we do. He and his wife needed a behavioral health specialist for their son. Their primary care physician gave them a referral, and it was up to the family to choose the provider. Like me, they were overwhelmed with the process at first. Then they searched the website of a clinic for which we’ve produced hundreds of videos over the years. Together, they watched the bio, specialty and tip videos of the various providers and found one they think will be a great fit for their son – someone who has expertise in his specific area of need, as well as the right personality. My friend was relieved and confident in an important and informed decision. He told me the videos played a big role in their experience.

Twice in one week I was intimately reminded of the importance of the work our team does. I have yet another reason to love my job, and to do it with renewed passion and purpose.