Today I signed my dog up for a pet portal. I didn't know that my vet offered this service until I received a piece of effective direct mail (a postcard with the URL and a blurb telling me I could manage my little lab's health online). As the corporate web manager for MEDSEEK I spend a majority of my day online, so if I come across anything that I can do from my desk that saves me time then I'm all about it.
I logged on to my vet's web site and saw a large information area that told me that from the pet portal I could stay current on my pet's health schedule, request prescription refills, ask the vet questions, receive automatic reminders about future exams and vaccinations and even receive e-cards on my pet's birthday. Wow. Pretty impressive.
I decided to do some comparisons and went to my doctor's web site. I noticed that they had redesigned the web site since my last visit to be more extensive with staff bios, medical service descriptions and practice information (the vet's site had similar offerings). However, in terms of patient interaction the only options I had were to pay a bill online, get directions, download forms or contact the office. A step up from their old web site, but still lacking the user interaction I have come to expect as an active web surfer.
So is it disheartening to realize that I can do more to manage my dog's health online than my own? A bit. It makes me realize how far the healthcare industry has to go to manage people's online expectations. There are tons of ways to manage the patient experience in a robust and effective way online. Physicians and health systems will only being to move in this direction when patients start demanding change.
--Abbi McCollum, MEDSEEK Corporate Web Manager
