Launching a Web site that could wire two audiences on opposite sides of the healthcare spectrum - consumers and medical professionals throughout New York state - was the charge of Ipro, an independent, not-for-profit medical peer review organization and Erin Edwards, its full-service marketing communications firm. The Web site (http://www.ipro.org), launched at the beginning of this year, is an extension of Ipro's "tell it like it is" philosophy and offers objective consumer education and protection on primarily Medicare healthcare policies and managed care plans while also providing professional medical information on hot button quality programs.
"How do you develop a site that talks to consumers and medical professionals that is simple to navigate, information-rich, and is an online brochure for Ipro?" was the question Erin Edwards had to answer for the nonprofit based in Lake Success, N.Y., according to Charles Viagas, the agency's sales and marketing manager. The design budget was fully utilized at $10,000.
Simple, Straight-Forward Design
To this end, the Glen Head, N.Y.-based agency developed graphics that could be quickly downloaded and color palettes that could be easily recognized by most Web browsers. The home page targets its dual audience with "Consumer Connection," "Professional Connection" sections as well as a "New & Noteworthy" section that features online versions of Ipro's four newsletters and press releases.
For the consumer target (which focuses on the senior market), Web page layouts are uncluttered featuring big lettering and seven targeted healthcare categories that range from "Consumer Protection" to a "Glossary of Terms" and "Hospital Rights Under Medicare."
And for the professional target, the Web pages maintain a clean look, zeroing in on the quality studies the site offers and the products and services available to the doctors, nurses, hospitals and managed care organizations that will likely surf this section. "Our biggest contracts are with Medicare [groups] and state government [organizations] that have a huge interest in demonstrating healthcare quality. The site had to provide easy access to Ipro's quality improvement studies, " said Harriet Starr, Ipro's VP of information and communications.
Online Buzz
Ipro didn't have a PR budget to aggressively promote the site, so they had to rely on its newsletters to spread the word. But Ipro's four newsletters reach a sizable audience of 75,000 seniors, 20,000 medical professionals, 3,500 legislators, media and managed care organizations and 250 employees, according to Jennifer L. Freedman, Ipro's corporate communications assistant.
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Working with a Design Firm
Charles Viagas of Erin Edwards, a full-service marketing communications firm based in Glen Head, N.Y., offers these tips for achieving the most effective Web site design results:
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Initially traffic was driven to the site because these newsletters were posted online, attracting close to 3,000 hits a month. Now the site is picking up momentum, generating close to 21,500 hits a month, according to Freedman. It's too early to tell what the site's audience ratio is of consumers to medical professionals, but the hot spots on the site are the quality studies, the Medicare Q & A section and the "questions consumers should ask their physicians" page.
The biggest draw to the site is its candid and frank consumer healthcare tone. Seniors are informed of their hospital rights, shown how to register Medicare "quality of care" complaints and educated on the increasingly confusing alphabet soup of managed care acronyms like HCFA (Health Care Financing Administration) and EOMB (Explanation of Medicare Benefits).
In November, Ipro added a "tool box" feature in its professional section that provides medical tips for preventable conditions that affect seniors like ulcers and the flu. New site additions also include a HEDIS (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set) Q & A board for HMOs participating in Ipro's nationwide audit project and Ipro job opportunities. (Ipro, Harriett Starr, 516/674-2472; Erin Edwards, 516/674-2472)