SAN FRANCISCO - If you're not convinced yet that your healthcare Web site can be a powerful gateway to attracting new patients and establishing a credible leadership position, a recent U.S. Commerce Department study on Internet usage provides a convincing argument. Web sites belonging to healthcare organizations are getting more than 1 million hits per year. And as health information tops the list of online priorities, that number is expected to surge.
Hospitals are well positioned to meet this demand for health information online, but they need to develop stronger marketing plans for reaching physicians, existing patients and potential patients, says John Eudes, principal with Greystone.Net, an interactive marketing agency that works with healthcare organizations. Eudes spoke at The Alliance for Healthcare Strategy and Marketing conference in San Francisco last week, where Internet communications was a major focus of at least five sessions and several exhibitors.
To reach different audiences, it's important to have distinct Web sites, Eudes said. No one site can be all things to all visitors. Physicians, for instance, need a site that allows them to obtain consults and provides referral information, continuing medical education and clinical research and trials. Patients need disease information in layman's terms, access to online support groups and opportunities to e-mail clinicians. In addition, there's growing patient interest in handling billing, insurance and registration transactions online, says Eudes.
Another key use of the Web is to draw potential patients to a site featuring original preventive health and disease management content rather than merely providing links to other sites with that information. Without original content, your online presence is simply a "library site" driving traffic to other organizations, says Eude. In today's world, it's not just how many visitors arrive at your site that determines its success, it's how long they stay for a visit.
For healthcare organizations that are trepidatious about launching into this new medium, or who have dormant, static Web sites in need of depth, there are several companies that license customizable Web content.
Web-health.com in Nashville, Tenn., for instance, provides links on your hospital's Web site to text and color pictures on hundreds of health topics from heart disease and diabetes to menopause and breast-feeding. The content can be customized with your logo, photo and banner announcements.
And to expand the women's health section on your site, The Mother's Heart Inc. in Nashua, N.H., provides customizable content promoting your hospital's obstetric services. Women's health topics include sections on your facility's physicians, nurses, birthing experiences and an area for fathers.
To view a demonstration, go to the Web site: http://www.TheMothersHeart.com.
(Greystone.Net, John Eudes, 770/220-0229, http://www.greystonenet.com;Web-health.com, Kathy Huck, 800/243-2087, http://www.web-health.com; The Mother's Heart, Holly Harper Dodge, 603/888-7841, http://www.themothersheart.com)