Hospitals use Internet as new marketing tool

Patients willing to travel often use Web sites to learn about specialized care.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Hospitals looking for a financial edge say they are relying more on Web sites to compete with other institutions and attract out-of-town patients, particularly those who pay cash.
Health care marketers say they target "medical tourists," who use the Internet to find medical information and are willing to travel to receive what they consider the best care.
"To remain competitive, we know we have to do a better job of utilizing the Web to get the word out about our centers of excellence," said Andrea Reynolds, multimedia manager at Akron Children's Hospital.
Reynolds said a half dozen out-of-state patients who learned about the hospital through the Internet brought in $250,000.
With fierce competition for these customers, many hospitals are redesigning their Web sites and moving away from billboards and direct mailings.
The Cleveland Clinic decided to focus on its Web presence about five years ago and created e-Cleveland Clinic, which offers patients second opinions online. It also included more information about its doctors and added streaming video of surgeries on its main Web site.
"We consider the Internet the front door to this hospital," said Jim Blazar, the clinic's chief marketing officer. "The majority of patients that come to us for subspecialty care have found us on the Internet."
Success stories
Maressa Ayers and her husband, Lee, turned to the Internet to find a pediatric heart surgeon when their unborn son was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. No one near their small mountain town of Beckley, W.Va., offered the specialized care he needed.
The couple checked the Web sites of hospitals within a day's drive of their home and found a story about a baby girl with a similar heart problem on the Akron Children's Hospital site. They made an appointment with the surgeon, and Maressa soon moved in with her sister-in-law in Kent to be near the hospital.
"He helped that little girl, so we thought he could help Ashton, too," Maressa said. The surgery, performed right after Ashton's birth, was successful.
Hospitals can boost revenues by convincing consumers that they excel at treating certain conditions. The Web site of the for-profit Cancer Treatment Centers of America promotes around-the-clock sessions with cancer doctors who can offer treatment advice over the phone or online.
About 10 percent to 15 percent of the 3,000 monthly users become patients and generate as much as a quarter of the centers' revenue growth each year, said Jack Moore, chief marketing officer for the cancer centers.
But some warn that having the best Web site doesn't necessarily mean a hospital or doctor is the best to treat a patient's condition.
"Most people think that the top three listings that pop up on Google are the best," said Sage Lewis, president of sagerock.com, a search engine optimization consulting firm.
Patients need to remember that Web sites are marketing tools, said Anthony Cirillo, a health care marketing consultant.