Twitter has become the darling of social media, for good reason. It’s easy, concise (only 140 characters please) and is built on a simple model – leaders and followers. Following is my 2010 Tweet Wish List that I would like my healthcare providers to offer in the coming year:

• More Alerts Please: Let me sign up for alerts that are relevant to me.  Pollen counts, pollution levels, heat waves, virus outbreaks, community education events, health screening – I want to know.
• Drug Safety: Unfortunately we are a medicated people, and we need to know which of the 5 prescriptions we are taking could make us break out in a cold sweat. Link my personal health profile into a clinical decision support engine and let me get micro-content on adverse drug reactions specific to me.
• Find My Grandma: If my grandma (or anyone in the community) wanders away from the nursing home, give me an alert on Twitter.
• Coach Me: Give me daily health tips, encouragement, disease management, and coaching. I will follow you if you help me get healthier.
• Connect Me: There are thousands of people and support groups out there who have the same health conditions and concerns as me. Help me connect to others and I will follow you.
• Care About Me Better: Why can’t my healthcare be more personal? Can you send me tips to help me in pre-and post-operative care? If you send me patient care reminders in a personal way, I will follow you.
• Don’t Make Me Wait: My time is important, so let me know your wait times at the ED and urgent care. Help me save time and I will follow you.

These are seven simple ways healthcare organizations can begin building a following on Twitter. If the last decade was about brand positioning, this decade with be about brand following. Market share will give way to “Follow Share”. The organization with the most followers will be able to engage with their patients/customers from a position of strength and authenticity.