Social media has revolutionized the way Americans share information. Sites like Twitter give healthcare leaders an unprecedented opportunity to connect with both industry professionals and patients, and shape the national healthcare conversation.

Here are 20 leaders from hospitals and health systems across the country to follow on Twitter.

Michael R. Anderson | @MikeAndersonMD CMO of UH Case Medical Center and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (Cleveland).

The CMO of UH Case Medical Center and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, Dr. Anderson specializes in pediatric critical care medicine. He has worked with University Hospitals since 1997. He has over 1,000 Twitter followers.

Akram Boutros, MD | @Akram_Boutros President and CEO of The MetroHealth System (Cleveland).

Dr. Boutros became president and CEO of MetroHealth System on June 1. Prior to this appointment, he served as president of BusinessFirst Healthcare Solutions, a healthcare advisory firm. He has also held executive positions with St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, N.Y., and South Nassau Hospital in Oceanside, N.Y. He often posts staff management tips along with healthcare news.

Kevin Brown | @KBrown_Piedmont President and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare (Atlanta).

Mr. Brown currently serves as president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, a nonprofit, five-hospital system. Prior to his appointment in May, Mr. Brown served as CEO of Swedish Health Services in Seattle. He tweets from conferences and regularly posts healthcare news.

Wyatt Decker, MD | @WyattWDecker CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona (Phoenix).

Dr. Decker, the CEO of the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, also serves as a vice president for the Mayo Clinic system in Rochester, Minn. He has served as chair of emergency medicine at the Mayo Clinic, and also holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago. A frequent Tweeter, he stays on top of breaking healthcare news.

Drexel DeFord | @DrexDeFord CIO of Steward Health Care (Boston). (Updated: Mr. DeFord has resigned this position for an executive position at Next Wave Health).

In addition to serving as CIO at Steward Health Care, Mr. DeFord is the chair of the board of trustees for the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. He has also held leadership positions at Seattle Children’s Health System and Scripps Health in San Diego. He posts healthcare news and management stories of specific interest to CIOs.

John D. Halamka, MD | @jhalamka CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston).

In addition to serving as CIO at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Dr. Halamka is also the chairman of the New England Healthcare Exchange Network, co-chair of the HIT Standards Committee, a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and a practicing emergency physician. In addition to his Twitter presence, he blogs at http://geekdoctor.blogspot.com.

Ralph Johnson | @RalphJohnsonII CIO of Franklin Community Health Network (Farmington, Maine).

Mr. Johnson, who serves as CIO at Franklin Community Health Network, was named CIO of the Year by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s New England chapter in 2012. He has worked in the healthcare information technology field for 28 years. He posts frequently, often healthcare news specific to the New England area.

Colleen Kannaday | @AdvocateColleen President of Advocate BroMenn Medical Center (Normal, Ill.) and Advocate Eureka (Ill.).

Ms. Kannaday has served as president of the two hospitals, both part of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Health Care, since 2010. Prior to this position, she served as president of St. Francis Hospital and Health Center in Blue Island, Ill. Her posts are often healthcare news interspersed with motivational Tweets.

Robert E. Kelly, MD | @NYPPresident President of New York-Presbyterian Hospital (New York City).

Dr. Kelly has served as president of New York-Presbyterian Hospital since 2011. He trained as an anesthesiologist, and has been part of the management team of NYP since 1995. He has more than 1,000 followers on Twitter.

Kirk Kirksey | @KAKirksey CIO of UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Mr. Kirksey currently serves as CIO of UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and was instrumental in the implementation of the hospital’s clinical and financial information systems. He has published more than 200 articles and columns for a variety of industry publications. He posts about healthcare information technology and project management.

David Pate, MD, JD | @DrPateStLukes President and CEO of St. Luke’s Health System (Boise, Idaho).

As president and CEO of Idaho’s largest and only locally controlled health system, Dr. Pate oversees three full-service community hospitals, three critical access hospitals, Idaho’s only children’s hospital, several clinics and outpatient treatment and diagnostic centers. He posts frequently about the state of the healthcare industry, along with system news.

Vivian Lee, MD, PhD | @VivianLeeMD CEO of University of Utah Health Care.

The CEO of the University of Utah Health Care, Dr. Lee is also the dean of the University of Utah School of Medicine, and has held both of these positions since 2011. She is trained as a radiologist and is currently the principal investigator for three NIH R01 grants. She posts links to new studies along with more general healthcare news.

Ora Pescovitz, MD | @OraPescovitz CEO of University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor).

Also the executive vice president for medical affairs of the University of Michigan, Dr. Pescovitz is the first female CEO of the University of Michigan Health System. In addition to her regular Twitter updates, she blogs at www.medicinethatspeaks.org.

Ram Raju, MD | @RamRaju5 or CookCTYHealth CEO of Cook County Health and Hospitals System (Chicago).

Dr. Raju has served as the CEO of Cook County Health and Hospitals System, a safety-net provider for metropolitan Chicago and Cook County suburbs, since 2011. He previously served on the executive team of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corp. He posts healthcare executive news and updates on Chicago hospitals.

Anna Roth, RN | @AnnaMRoth CEO of Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (Martinez, Calif.).

In addition to serving as CEO of Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, Ms. Roth is also the CEO of the system’s health centers and detention centers, as well as a fellow of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. In addition to tweeting, she blogs at http://safetynethospital.blogspot.com.

Dirk Stanley, MD | @DirkStanley CMIO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital (Northampton, Mass.)

For over 5 years, Dr. Stanley has served as CMIO of Cooley Dickinson Hospital, now a part of Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital. He was named Clinician of the Year in 2010 by the New England Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. He has over 3,000 followers on Twitter.

Chris Van Gorder | @ChrisDVanGorder President and CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego).

As the president and CEO of Scripps Health, Mr. Van Gorder oversees the daily operations of five acute-care hospitals, dozens of outpatient centers and a regional home health service. He posts often about healthcare industry changes and trends.

Will Weider | @CandidCIO CIO of Affinity Health System/ Ministry Health Care (Menasha, Wis.).

Mr. Weider joined Affinity Health System as CIO in November 2000. He became CIO of Ministry Health Care, an Affinity sponsor, in October 2005. Prior to Affinity, he served as CIO of Trinity Regional Health System in Moline, Ill. He tweets about health IT news.

Tom Whalen, MD | @TomWhalen CMO of Lehigh Valley Health Network (Allentown, Penn.).

Dr. Whalen was named CMO of Lehigh Valley Health Network in 2011. He helped develop the system’s pediatric surgery, neurosurgery and specialty care programs. He has also served in the Navy as a commissioned officer in the regular and reserve medical corps for 28 years. He posts frequently about national health trends and breaking healthcare news.

Harry Wolin | @HarryWolin CEO and Administrator of Mason District Hospital (Havana, Ill.).

Mr. Wolin has served as CEO and administrator of Mason District Hospital, a 20-bed critical access facility, for the past 18 years. He was also on the board of directors of the Illinois Hospital Association from 1991 to 2012, serving as chairman in 2009. He tweets healthcare news of specific interest to leaders of rural hospitals.

Read the entire article at Becker’s Hospital Review.