Clinic-specific Websites on the rise

October 16, 2009 – 11:26 am by Steven Niles

In the upcoming November issue of Med Ad News, our sales-force effectiveness series continues with a technology round up, providing a catalogue of new and upgraded tech solutions for pharma sales forces. But technology is not only connecting healthcare professionals with pharmaceutical marketers. Physicians are connecting with their patients through digital channels as well.

According to analysts with Manhattan Research, 39% of physicians communicate with patients through e-mail, instant messaging, or secure messaging services – with secure messaging services like RelayHealth and Medem showing growth in the past year. These analysts have also found a considerable consumer interest in connecting with doctors online, and physician acceptance is a major key to pushing this type of communication forward.

“One of the most significant influences on the relationship between doctors and patients is simply time,” says Jeff Kozloff, CEO, Verilogue, a market research company that uncovers, analyzes, and delivers insights derived from naturally occurring dialogue between patients and physicians. Verilogue digitally records real-time conversations between patients and physicians, while maintaining patient and physician confidentiality.

“What we’re seeing is more and more references in the physician-patient dialogue to some outside sources and the use of e-mail, the use of clinic-specific Internet sites, and references also to branded and unbranded Websites as well,” Mr. Kozloff told Med Ad News.

Because physicians have limited time to effectively communicate and verify patient understanding of health and treatment information, they are looking for additional resources to help alleviate that burden and to provide patient education.

“We’re seeing a growing number of doctors developing their own Websites or having clinic-specific Websites for the networks they’re associated with that they’re pointing patients to,” Mr. Kozloff says. “What’s interesting about these sites is they’re referencing them as a means of keeping patients informed about certain topics related to their health as well as what’s going on in their local community. In larger group practices, we’re hearing that more and more.”

According to Mr. Kozloff, some of the more sophisticated sites will also tie in with health records, and some are developing social networking components as well. “They are starting to move into the forum and discussion and sharing mode,” he says. “They will be pretty powerful resources.”

Tags: Internet, Manhattan Research, Patient education, Sales force effectiveness, Technology, Verilogue