HEALTHCARE ON THE WEB INTRO TO THE BASICS

Index In the News – pgs The Integrated Approach - pgs Research – pgs Objective – pgs Strategy – pgs Tactics – pgs Development – pgs Launch – pgs Review – pgs To view a specific section, type the page number and click enter.

In the News According to Harris Interactive, nearly 100 million people consulted the Web for medical advice and 70% of them took seriously the proffered advice and diagnosis. Seeking health information is the third most common reason people go online—after weather and sports, and just ahead of pornography. Forbes, Best of the Web (June 25, 2001)

In the News – Wireless Devices The GlucoWatch takes glucose measurements 36 times in a 24-hour period, and you can download the results to a PC. Plug the Stayhealthy BC1 unit into your PC and hold it in both hands for 30 seconds. The unit measures your fat and hydration and sends the results to Forbes, Best of the Web (June 25, 2001)

In the News- Return on Investment (ROI) When patients who frequently use the Internet or health consult with their doctors 36 percent suggest the specific illnesses that they are suffering from 45 percent request specific treatments This compares to 16% and 19%, respectively, for patients who infrequently use the Internet for health. Cyber Dialogue (February 2001)

Have you heard ??? 47 percent of the people who were seeking health information for themselves say the online material influenced their decisions about treatment and care. 36 percent of those seeking information on behalf of others say it influenced their decisions. Pew Internet & American Life Project

Did you know ??? 90 percent of physicians have accessed the Web in the past year and 55 percent are daily users. 24 percent of physicians are "professional users," users who spend at least three-quarters of their online time for professional purposes. Deloitte Research

Are you afraid ??? The face-time a patient gets with a doctor during an average appointment has dipped below 18 minutes 89 percent of health seekers say they are worried that Internet companies will collect and share data about the Web sites they visited 85 percent say they fear that insurance companies might change their coverage after finding out what online information they accessed 52 percent fret that their employers might learn what kind of medical material they accessed Pew Internet & American Life Project

And wireless ??? 20 percent of American physicians use handheld devices, including the Palm Pilot and Handspring Visor One in four programs for family practice residents provide hand-held units 90,000 doctors have downloaded a free early version of ePocrates, the drug- reference software program for hand- held devices Merck-Medco plans to connect its computers to hand-held units and desktop PC's in 40,000 physician's offices by the end of this year New York Times (January 8, 2001)

Getting ready ??? More than 80 percent of executives who are increasing online spending said their companies would provide additional online outlays for on-site customer relationship management. Jupiter Communications

The online health-commerce market is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2003.

What does it mean ??? Merkley Wins Pfizer's Lipitor Billings are estimated at $70 million. Merkley beat Pfizer roster shops Cline, Davis & Mann and Gotham, as well as Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners and Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG. Merkley took an integrated approach, offering everything from traditional advertising to direct and interactive marketing, according to sources. Adweek (December 19, 2000)

Where do we go from here ??? Clients need an integrated approach – one that fully exploits the synergies between print, broadcast, and interactive media. Interactive media is fast becoming the tail that wags the dog – the small piece of agency business that determines who wins the account.

The Integrated Approach 1) Research 2) Objective 3) Strategy 4) Tactics 5) Development 6) Launch 7) Review

Research Every product is unique. Learning the key issues of a product is critical to a campaign’s success.

Research Message Each element of a campaign has a message: Who’s the speaker? Who’s the audience? What’s the message? How is that message being delivered?

Objective A website’s objective will normally fall within four categories: Branding/Marketing Education Market Research Training/Sales

Objective Branding/Marketing The Internet is a powerful tool for Customer Relationship Management. An interactive website can often form a stronger and longer lasting bond with its users than traditional media.

Objective Education (consumer) A website bypasses traditional channels of communication and speaks directly to the consumer. Websites generate greater confidence because they provide the latest, most accurate, and most abundant source of information.

Objective Education (physician) Websites are cost effective tools for providing necessary information to doctors and other healthcare professionals. Websites can provide physicians the necessary information to “graduate” a patient from one medication to a “new and improved” version.

Objective Market Research Encouraging users to register at a website yields valuable information. Demographics Medical conditions Personal habits Interests Concerns

Objective Training/Sales The Internet is a cost effective tool for training sales staff. Online Courses Testing Feedback Incentives Staff can study new products around their individual schedules.

Strategy is determined by the following methodology: 1. Defining the target audience 2. Defining the site’s objective 3. Developing tools to measure a site’s return on investment (ROI) Strategy

Strategy Target Audience Target audiences normally fall into three classes: 1. Consumer 2. Professional Healthcare Provider – Physicians, HCO’s, Administrators 3. Internal Staff – Sales, Management

Strategy Website Objective A site’s objective must be clearly defined prior to any site development. Objectives can include – Product branding Training cost reductions Data collection for market research

Strategy Return on Investment (ROI) Developing tools to measure a site’s ROI must always take place prior to developing the site itself. The tools can later be refined but ROI tools will always determine what shape a site takes.

Strategy - ROI Tools Data Collection – Online Surveys - Value of information gained - Cost comparison with alternative data collection methods Branding - Number of repeat visitors - Time duration of each visit - Increased brand loyalty / awareness Sales Training - Cost savings - Training effectiveness

Tactics Content and Features Streaming News Online Calendar Nutritional Database Ask the Expert Online Communities Doctor Referral Online Polls Online Library Preventative Medicine Guides

Tactics Streaming News News feeds are pre-filtered to a target audience and updated regularly. All updates occur automatically. Your site will always have fresh and relevant content.

Tactics Online Calendar Medication Schedule Daily Reminders Diet Planning Exercise Progress Appointments

Tactics Nutritional Database Nutritional information for over 20,000 products, brands, and recipes. Compare Burger King to McDonald’s to Weight Watchers. Plan your eating habits. Learn where you can cheat and where you can make it up.

Tactics Ask the Expert Got a question? A very personal question? Now, you can ask the leading experts with absolute anonymity.

Tactics Online Communities Online communities are still the rage. Websites offer: 1) Chat Rooms 2) Message Boards 3) Groups 4) News Updates

Tactics Doctor Referral Need a doctor who’s familiar with your medication? Type in your zip code and we’ll give you a list of doctors in your area, sorted according to who’s closest.

Tactics Online Polls What are your users thinking? How do they feel? What is their opinion? Have you asked them?

Tactics Online Library Archived content Search feature Sort search results

Tactics Preventative Medicine Guide Websites can provide guides, tools, and services for the following: Healthful Aging Reducing Risk Fitness Charts General Well Being

Development A website’s development proceeds in four stages: 1) Storyboard 2) Creative 3) Programming 4) Quality Assurance

Development Storyboard The purpose of a storyboard is to imitate a user’s experience on the website. Through the storyboard, you can develop A site map Website Features Web page layouts User interface Admin interface

Development Creative The creative team is responsible for bringing the storyboard to life. All pages must be generated by the creative team, including: All dynamically generated pages. All form pages (including error pages) All index pages All admin pages

Development Programming The programmer’s job comes last and, absent looming deadlines, should wait until the creative is complete. Any creative left to the programmer to design (i.e. error pages) will always cause delays and extra work.

Development Programming Deliverables The programmers are responsible for delivering the following: Database Schema (data flow chart) Documentation (at least in the code) Scalable Architecture (able to handle heavy traffic) Modular Coding (able to modify post launch) A working site

Development Quality Assurance Programmers are inherently incapable of proofing their own work. All sites require extensive testing prior to launch. The testing methodology is as follows: 1) Does site process good data 2) Does site process bad or empty data 3) Are there time lags in data processing 4) Are there any broken links ALL portions of the site must be retested prior to launch since a patch in one place may break the code in another.

Launch A site has two launches: Beta Launch – Working site, still bugs in code, audience limited to peer review. Full Launch – The site goes “live” with a public announcement. All support staff must be available at times of both launches because problems will arise that require immediate resolution.

Launch Marketing the site Search engine registration – Attain high rankings in leading search engines through targeted registration Print campaign – Print web address in all related media campaigns Cobranding – Drive traffic from one site to another

Review Developing a “live” site is akin to doing airplane maintenance while the plane is in flight. Still, sites are a work in progress. The site will be reviewed according to the following criteria: 1. Performance 2. Traffic 3. Achievements 4. Overall Objectives 5. Overall Strategies 6. Future Directions

Review Performance How did the site handle traffic Did all features work properly Were there noticeable lags or errors during periods of peak usage Is the site being monitored Are security measures being monitored Is user feedback handled properly

Review Traffic What is the average vs. peak traffic What are the traffic trends What portions are used most often Which pages are viewed the longest From which sites do visitors come From which pages do visitors leave To which sites do visitors leave

Review Achievements All achievements must be measured in relationship to and independent of the overall objectives and strategies. For example, features targeted to men may have had more success attracting women. Is it a failure, a success, or an opportunity?

Review Overall Objectives Using ROI measurement tools, how did the site do? What data was captured? What were the cost savings? Was the brand measurably enhanced? Do the ROI tools need to be refined?

Review Overall Strategies Is the site fully integrated as part of an overall campaign? Can the site be used more effectively? Do we need to change strategies? Were any of the original assumptions erroneous?

Review Future Directions Where do we go from here? How can we maximize the site’s effectiveness? How can we further develop the site? In what new directions can we take the site? How can we best use the Internet?

Conclusion The Internet It’s not easy, but... What’s the alternative?