Put best foot forward on your Internet site
You wouldn’t expect a computer programmer to be able to diagnose and treat strep throat or remove a mole from someone’s arm. That’s why physicians shouldn’t expect to be able to create an effective Internet Web site, the experts say.
Of course, it’s possible to buy a book and some software and create your own Web page, but you may not be happy with the results.
Doctors should stick to medicine and leave the Web site development to the experts, says Douglas Munn, systems consultant for Superior Consultant Co. Inc. of Southfield, IN.
"Physicians could lose potential patients by not putting their best foot forward. My advice is that unless you’re prepared to do a first-class job, don’t do anything," adds Peter Zazzara, executive director of Superior Consultant.
Your site should reflect the quality of clinical care your patients can expect to receive. Just as you wouldn’t set up a strictly utilitarian office with vinyl flooring and straight-backed chairs, you don’t want a Web site that looks like it was created by an amateur.
"The Web is visual and is a direct reflection on the provider’s attention to detail and image. Doctors have the same challenges that Amazon.com has. If the site doesn’t look good, a competitor is only a click away," he adds.
That’s where the experts come in. They can guide you though the process, suggest content, and create an attractive and interactive Web page for your practice. "A doctor doesn’t need to be proficient in the Internet to have a good presence if he finds someone to create and maintain his Web site," Munn says.
If your practice is large enough to warrant it, hire a consultant who understands health care and medical needs to design your site. The consultant can provide recommendations for the most cost-effective ways to maintain and market the site.
Contact the hospital with which your are affiliated, find out who the Webmaster is and see if he or she will set up the Web page for you. Or consider computer-savvy students who work part time to set up your page and update it to keep the information fresh.
There are a number of organizations that will set up a site for you and maintain it for a fee. (For more on physician Web site developers, see related story, p. 21.) This may be a cheaper alternative to developing your own site.
Jerry Kelly, executive vice president for physician sales and marketing for Salu.net, a Portland, OR, provider of Internet application services for physicians, estimates that it would cost a physician practice up to $5,000, plus monthly fees, to develop and maintain a Web site on its own.
Salu.net and other Web site developers will do the work for a fraction of the cost, he adds.
You may be able to get help with your Web site from a hospital, your community or state medical association, or a national professional organization to which you belong.
Munn recommends that doctors look around their community or practice areas for resources that can help them create an Internet Web page. A hospital or a professional organization with which your practice is affiliated may help you create a Web page and include you in their directory of physicians and practices. It cuts down on the cost of having to go to an Internet service provider and renting space if you are part of someone else’s site.
If your site is part of a large site, it will be easier for people to find you. "This means your site will get more traffic, and you won’t have to promote it since the hospital marketing department will be promoting its site," Munn says.
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