It’s no surprise to me that hospitals are starting to advertise high profit services on Google and Facebook. According to a Kaiser Health News piece, University of Pennsylvania Health System is trolling for lung transplant patients. Spending $20,000 generated 4,600 clicks, 36 appointments, and at least one prospective patient. With lung transplant revenue in the range of $100,000 per patient, even one patient may be enough to justify the media spend.
Some users are a bit wigged out when they realize that the ads are served up based on what they’ve searched for online or written about in their status. And of course critics are up in arms about over-diagnosis and treatment, especially when an academic medical center is involved.
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