Building your personal online presence as a medical practice administrator

In today’s digital age, medical practice administrators can easily establish and maintain a strong online presence to enhance their professional visibility, create career opportunities and foster relationships with peers and potential employers.  

Having a polished online profile, especially on platforms such as LinkedIn, can be a game changer in attracting recruiters, developing your personal brand and becoming a thought leader in your field. Here are some key strategies to help you build and maintain a strong online presence. 

1. Craft a polished LinkedIn profile 

LinkedIn is the premier professional networking platform and one of the most effective tools for showcasing your skills, experience and accomplishments. The basics for building a LinkedIn profile that stands out are: 

• A professional photo and headline: First impressions matter. Use a high-quality, professional photo where you’re dressed appropriately for your industry. Your headline should be more than just your job title. Use it to highlight your expertise, such as: “Medical Practice Administrator | Expert in Healthcare Operations and Physician Compensation Strategies.” 
• A compelling summary: Your summary is your elevator pitch. Write a concise, engaging overview of who you are, what you’ve accomplished and what value you bring to an organization. Highlight your leadership skills, experience in managing practices, and any specialties, such as implementing technological solutions or optimizing physician compensation packages. 
• Detailed work experience: List your work experience chronologically, focusing on accomplishments rather than just responsibilities. For each role, highlight key achievements using measurable results. For example: “Implemented a new patient scheduling system, resulting in a 20% increase in operational efficiency.” 
• Skills and endorsements: Ensure that your profile reflects your key skills, such as financial management, healthcare operations, team leadership and compliance expertise. Encourage colleagues and peers to endorse your skills, as it adds credibility to your profile. 
• Recommendations: Ask for recommendations from physicians you’ve worked with, colleagues, or other professionals who can vouch for your expertise. Strong recommendations demonstrate your value to potential employers or recruiters. 

Why it matters 

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are increasingly used by recruiters and organizations to identify potential candidates by scanning and filtering LinkedIn profiles. These systems use algorithms to crawl LinkedIn profiles, searching for specific keywords, skills, job titles and experiences that match the criteria for open positions. The more closely a profile aligns with the job description and industry-specific requirements, the higher the profile ranks in the recruiter’s search results. 

Moreover, ATS systems analyze the overall structure and completeness of a profile. Profiles with detailed work experiences, professional summaries and endorsements tend to perform better because ATS systems prioritize profiles that appear comprehensive and credible.  

2. Engage with industry content 

Once you’ve polished your LinkedIn profile, the next step is to engage with content relevant to your industry. Contributing to discussions, sharing insights and interacting with industry leaders will boost your visibility. Here’s how: 

• Share and comment on articles: Regularly share articles related to healthcare administration, medical practice management or industry trends. Add thoughtful comments or questions when sharing content to encourage discussion. For example, if you share an article about updates to medical coding guidelines, provide your perspective on how these changes could impact your specialty. 
• Join industry groups: LinkedIn offers a variety of professional groups related to healthcare management. Following the pages of associations such as MGMA are great places to start. 
• Like and comment on peer content: Engage with your connections by liking and commenting on their posts. This builds relationships and increases your visibility within their networks. 

Why it matters 

ATS systems often assess the activity and engagement level on LinkedIn, including posts, shared content and interactions with others in the network, as these signals suggest a candidate’s active involvement in their industry. By keeping their LinkedIn profiles updated, well-organized, and active, candidates can significantly improve their visibility and ranking when recruiters use ATS systems to identify potential hires. 

3. Write articles for industry groups 

Writing articles or blog posts for associations such as MGMA can further position you as an expert in your field. Here’s how to get started: 

• Choose relevant topics: Identify current trends or pain points in your area. For instance, physician recruitment, physician compensation strategies, telehealth optimization or navigating implementation of AI solutions are all relevant topics for today’s administrators. 
• Submit to industry publications: Many associations, like MGMA, accept guest contributions from industry professionals. Writing for these organizations enhances your credibility and increases your exposure to a broader audience of healthcare professionals. 
• Promote your work: Once your article is published, share it on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Don’t just post the link — add a personal note or key takeaway from the article to encourage engagement from your network. 

Why it matters 

In many cases, you can earn volunteer hours or even some form of continuing education credit for contributing articles to industry publications such as MGMA Connection magazine, which can go toward fulfillment of requirements for ACMPE Board Certification. 

4. Become a thought leader 

To further enhance your online presence, consider creating your own content regularly. Here’s how: 

• Start a blog: If you have the time and interest, starting a blog dedicated to healthcare administration topics can help you build an audience. You can share your experiences, offer solutions to common challenges or explore emerging trends. 
• Develop a webinar or podcast: If writing isn’t your strength, consider hosting webinars or podcasts where you interview other professionals or discuss hot topics in medical practice management. This positions you as a thought leader and allows you to connect with a wider audience. If you need somewhere to start, consider reaching out to be interviewed for an MGMA podcast episode. 
• Share case studies or success stories: If you’ve implemented successful changes in your medical practice, such as improving patient satisfaction or reducing operational costs, share those stories online. Case studies that highlight real-world results resonate with readers and showcase your ability to drive positive outcomes. 

Conclusion 

By building and maintaining an active online presence, you make it easier for recruiters to find you. Recruiters often search LinkedIn profiles using specific keywords related to job roles and skills. To improve your chances of being found: 

• Use industry-specific keywords: Include relevant keywords like “medical practice administration,” “healthcare management,” “physician recruitment” and “operations optimization” throughout your profile. 
• Stay active: Regularly update your profile with new accomplishments, certifications or projects. Activity on LinkedIn, such as engaging with content or posting articles, can also increase your profile’s visibility in search results. 
• Engage with recruiters: If a recruiter reaches out to you, even if you’re not actively looking for a job, respond. Building relationships with recruiters can lead to opportunities in the future. 

By following these steps, you can establish a strong online presence that helps position yourself as a thought leader and increase your visibility to recruiters and peers alike.