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July 2010
The Case for Mobile Communications in Healthcare
Ben Dillon, Vice President & eHealth Evangelist
As if you didn't already have enough channels for connecting with health consumers - Web, email, patient portal, and a seemingly endless flow of social media platforms - there's another one to add to the list: mobile communications.
Many of you may be hesitant to add another vehicle to an already hard-to-manage communications arsenal, but this is a market and a tool you simply can't ignore.
With roughly 91 percent of US adults carrying a mobile phone (some 285 million mobile phones in use in the U.S.), cell phones have reached near ubiquitous market penetration. And unlike computers, these devices are generally always close at hand and turned on, making them ideal for time-sensitive communications.
Mobile phones also reach an audience that may not be accessible through other online channels - this includes minority and economically disadvantaged groups. Although the digital divide exists for these groups when looking at personal computer usage; they often lead the way when it comes to mobile use.
As Sprint's CEO Dan Hesse says in a popular commercial, "There aren't many of us who use cell phones just to make phone calls." Likewise, there are many ways you can use mobile technology to connect with your audience.
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Text messaging (outbound):
With 72 percent of adults using their phones to send or receive text messages, text messaging has become a big piece of the mobile communications landscape. Text messages have an immediacy that's perfect for time-sensitive information, such as class or appointment reminders.
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Text for more information: Organizations are adding text phrases as calls to action on TV ads, signs and billboards. Texting a particular phrase to the number gets you on the list to receive more information. Think of it as a real-world banner ad click.
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Text to donate: Micro-donations using text messages is now mainstream. It gained steam during the presidential election and played a significant role in fundraising in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti.
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Mobile Web: Approximately 40 percent of American adults have accessed the Internet through a mobile device, up from 32 percent in 2009. As more devices and service plans support accessing information via the Web, we'll see these numbers continue to grow. While many devices do a serviceable job of showing the content on websites, designing a site specifically for mobile technology makes the experience smoother and more effective for visitors.
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Apps: "There's an app for that." Smartphone usage has exploded. Providing an app that runs on iPhone, Android, Blackberry or Windows Mobile creates an opportunity for a slick, interactive experience.
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Geolocation services: Tools, such as Foursquare, are creating new interaction opportunities that combine mobile, GPS and interactive services.
The mobile world provides a host of opportunities for communication and connection. To learn more about how to develop a winning mobile strategy, join us for Geonetric's August Webinar event, Connect with Patients on the Go.
Geonetric Webinar
Connnect with Patients on the Go
Thursday, July 22 - 2:00 p.m. CT
Join Geonetric to learn everything you need to know about developing a winning mobile strategy.
Register now
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The Value of Iterative Development
David Sturtz, Product Manager
Evaluating a software platform against your organization's current needs is relatively simple when compared to anticipating how that software will serve your needs years into the future. It can be very challenging to take a long-term view when your organization's evolving goals are combined with rapid changes in the industry, technology, and consumer behavior.
That's why you need a technology strategy that is agile, flexible, and responsive. And if you're selecting a technology partner, you should be looking for those characteristics.
Geonetric understands that goals change and new trends emerge. That's why we adopted an iterative development methodology three years ago. We anticipated the rapid changes affecting our industry and positioned ourselves to respond appropriately.
We consistently release an upgraded version of our VitalSite software every quarter - on a planned and predictable schedule. In those three years, we've completed over fifty iterative development cycles and are approaching the release of the twentieth upgrade to VitalSite.
With each software release, our goals are to:
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Deliver value to clients: As a client said recently, upgrades are "like little presents." Nearly 70 percent of development effort in our most recent upgrade was dedicated to features requested by our clients.
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Anticipate market and industry needs: While the broad interests of our client base provide a continuous stream of innovative ideas, our experts are always looking across the healthcare industry to keep abreast of the latest trends, regulations, and best practices to drive new VitalSite features.
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Support Web best practices: Recent VitalSite upgrades have included enhanced support for specific Web browsers and devices, features to support changes in search engine optimization practices, and updates to Web analytics. The Web is constantly changing and evolving - frequent upgrades to VitalSite ensure you don't fall behind.
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Advance our technology platform: VitalSite, like nearly every software application, depends on many other pieces of software. As new versions of our server software, database engine, development framework, and component libraries are released, we update VitalSite. This ensures that your website isn't languishing on inefficient, vulnerable, or outdated technology.
In a traditional software release cycle, an upgrade is often worrisome. The vendor might make a major upgrade every couple of years, and there is little opportunity to establish a successful pattern or learn from the process. At Geonetric, the ninety day cycle creates an iterative scenario where we can perfect the process and build on the lessons learned along the way. Plus, the advantages are clear for our clients. Every VitalSite 5 client is able to take advantage of being on a truly unified platform, gaining new features and enhancements with each upgrade. This supports Geonetric's commitment to delivering ongoing, lasting value to our clients.
On The Go ... Geonetric Clients Take Their Sites on Mobile
Linda Barnes, Vice President of Business Development
Geonetric has always created highly accessible sites for our clients. But with an increasing number of people using mobile devices, the term "accessible" these days has a much broader meaning. That's why we've begun to create separate mobile sites that enhance the user experience, offering focused content, easy navigation and fast access to vital information...all on the smallest of screens. Read more about three of our most recent successes.
Southern Regional Health System uses its mobile site to reinforce its reputation as a technological leader in the Atlanta area. The site allows mobile device users to easily search and retrieve information on doctors and locations, find phone numbers, learn about the organization and access Google maps.
The mobile site Geonetric created for Methodist Medical Center of Illinois (MMCI) offers emergency room wait times and symptom navigator - because obtaining important health information on a mobile device can make all the difference when time is of the essence.
And, the Genesis Health System in Davenport, IA, provides site visitors regional information that's specific to their location throughout Genesis' two-state, four-city metropolitan service area. The site includes wait times at three of Genesis' convenient care facilities with related location and contact information. It also offers the ability to search for doctors by location.
All three sites recognize when a visitor is using a mobile device and automatically display the correct page. And of course, the mobile sites each link to the hospitals' complete site. All three mobile sites are showing great immediate adoption and incrementally better traffic with each passing quarter. Visit our website to read more about our mobile approach.
A mobile site has the potential to link your hospital to your patients anywhere, anytime. If you're not using this channel to its fullest potential, now's the time to address this growing need.
Announcements
Overlake Hospital Medical Center Selects Geonetric to Expand Online Web Presence
Easy-to-use content management system, strong implementation process and patient portal product among the top reasons for Geonetric's selection.
Read the full release
Southern Regional Health System Extends Relationship with Geonetric, Launches New Intranet
Flexible Web software is the foundation of new intranet that builds brand and showcases transparency.
Read the full release
Schedule Your One-On-One Time with Ben Dillon Today
Geonetric's Ben Dillon is scheduling free, 30-minute call consultations for site reviews and to answer your pressing questions.
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