Why would you subscribe to more than you can read? And is it just random which tweets gets through the noise?
Sounds like it can quickly become a full time job to follow streams on Twitter. The longer you are on it, and the more people you interact with, the bigger your stream. And it's only going to keep growing.
Twitter is an exchange. You tweet some so people can read you, and you retweet stuff that is important to others. It is also an exchange of imformation that is relevant to you.
By creating connection with people, when you like their content, somehow there is a higher chance they will read what you have to say. You are creating a circle of influence.
For me and it may not be the same for everybody, I try to reach outside our community, so physicians, journalists, decisions makers start to understand there are diseases out there which have been left behind.
If you look at people who have 15,000 or 150,000 followers, it means all these people are interested in what that person has to say.
Starting following people and retweeting their stuff, interacting with them, discussing content relevant to you and to your circle of influence, can be of help in the long run. Educating people one person at a time, from your bed or from your couch.
This my friend is the basis of social media. We can use social media to influence de isions and influence the public's opinion.
i will also add (and mentioned it before) there are twitter chats out there where medical professionals, ethicians, decision makers gather at a set day and time, usually every week and discuss health topics. google health care tweet chats to look at the schedule.