June 17, 2011 Doctors Should Use Social Media, but Carefully, Lawyers Say By Rabiah Alicia BurksAmerican Bar Association News ServiceJune 17, 2011 CHICAGO

Doctors can add some new tools to their practices: telemedicine – which allows doctors to diagnose patients and prescribe medication online, and social media, which allows them to connect with their patients in new ways. Though there are benefits to using social media and telemedicine to serve patients, physicians should know about the legal issues involved and exercise caution when using the new tools. Attorneys should also help healthcare facilities create policies that will help them to avoid legal risks, said Nanette Elster, attorney at Spence & Elster, P.C. in Chicago.