| Doctors across the United States and around the | | | | online should consider establishing its own hosted web |
| world are making use of the latest technology and the | | | | site, so that the browsing consumer can click to a |
| convenience of the internet in a variety of ways. | | | | dedicated page introducing the doctor(s) and the |
| Whether it's better patient care or making their | | | | practice specialties. Post professional information: |
| presence known in their communities, medical | | | | where you were educated, hospitals you have |
| professionals have come to depend on web sites, | | | | worked at, and information about your specialty. Allow |
| web hosting, and databases. It is no longer a luxury, but | | | | potential new patients to contact through your website |
| fast becoming par for the course. | | | | with an online form or contact link for email. Post a |
| Better Patient Care | | | | picture, your address, phone number, and hours. List all |
| The internet is often used for transfer of all types of | | | | your services and what insurances you accept. Give |
| medical data. Particularly with respect to radiology, the | | | | as much information as possible. |
| technology now exists to transmit CAT or PET scan | | | | Educate Your Current Patients And Attract New |
| images over the web for analysis by physicians in | | | | Ones |
| remote locations, or to transfer patient information | | | | There are a couple of specialties that have recognized |
| quickly whether it's across the country or around the | | | | the value of using online presentation of information. |
| world. | | | | One is sports medicine: many clinics for sports-related |
| Unfortunately, this technology is seeing limited use and | | | | injuries have web sites that discuss rehabilitation |
| usually only in affiliation with larger, teaching medical | | | | philosophy as well as surgical options and the clinical |
| centers. Transfer of individual patient information is | | | | backgrounds of the staff. |
| constrained by the HIPPA regulations to the point that | | | | Another is pediatrics: a field where many group |
| signatures are required for exchange of that type of | | | | practices have established websites in order to create |
| data and tend to be transmitted in paper form or by | | | | an introductory environment designed to put the |
| fax. While some medical facilities maintain advanced | | | | browsing parent at ease. Brief biographies of the |
| databases for patient records, the information | | | | doctors in the practice may be found there, along with |
| contained in them remains closely held. | | | | any specialties that apply. |
| Maintaining a database of patient records will make | | | | Physicians that have established their own hosted web |
| filing simpler for employees, free up office space that | | | | sites will often use them to provide basic information |
| was once dedicated filing cabinets, allow for fewer | | | | on common afflictions and links to more |
| mistakes on charts and quicker and more accurate | | | | comprehensive sites about the diseases. Provision of |
| retrieval and transfer by any medium. | | | | this sort of information is often done with literature and |
| Community Medical Listings | | | | usually with the physician walking the patient through it. |
| The most likely place to find a physician's name, | | | | For that sort of patient care, a hosted website can be |
| specialty and location on the web is through the | | | | a timesaver for the doctor. "Look it up on my website |
| regional online service listings. There are probably half a | | | | and call if you have questions" can be a timely and |
| dozen 'yellow page' ecommerce type services in most | | | | convenient closer for an office visit. |
| major metropolitan areas that have medical listings. | | | | Thorough Patient Care |
| Additionally, there are the 'city search' type web | | | | A doctor's personal website can provide alternative |
| hosted services that provide local information on | | | | contacts and telephone numbers for weekend or |
| entertainment, restaurants and local attractions - and | | | | off-hour care. It can route calls to information nurses or |
| will also provide legal and medical listings. There are | | | | other personnel on staff; providing a service that |
| dedicated listing services such as that are more | | | | otherwise is simply another phone message for the |
| comprehensive, providing specialty information and an | | | | doctor to return. It can also provide an email link for |
| area for the physician to provide comments on | | | | inquiries about appointment times - a worthwhile |
| treatment focus and philosophy, but provide only a | | | | service for an office with phone lines that are often |
| basic phone number and address listing. A small | | | | busy. In the medical field, a hosted website dedicated |
| monthly fee is charged. | | | | to a single doctor or practice is more an introduction |
| Personal Medical Websites | | | | and information source than an advertising vehicle. If |
| If a physician chooses to utilize online listing services, it | | | | designed and utilized properly, a personal medical |
| would be of substantial value if those listings included a | | | | website can be an efficient and useful tool in the |
| clickable web address for the individual doctor or | | | | practice of medicine. |
| practice. Any medical practice or professional listed | | | | |