I’ve recently been working with a doctor who is starting a brand new office in May. He has asked for some help in selecting an EMR, choosing computer hardware and he even mentioned creating a website for his new clinic. You’ll be seeing the results of my labors posted in my EMR Implementation Ideas and EMR Features which has been transgressed since I started my EMR and HIPAA blog.

I’ve created a lot of different websites in the past. However, I wasn’t sure what I should include in a new clinical website. Sure, I could put the basic hours, contact us, about us information. I also know there are a lot of things that could be done with a patient health portal. However, that really depends on which EMR is chosen and not what I was asked to build.

I found a post that talks a little about what could be done with a clinical website:

A good website can be a great benefit to your practice and deserves consideration. Your practice’s website, if constructed carefully, can bring you operational efficiencies, financial gains and improvements in quality of care and documentation without the high cost and difficulty of transition that EMRs involve. If the physicians in your practice are technology-shy, starting with an interactive website can help them become comfortable with IT.

Many physicians have a limited idea of the value of a practice website. They think of it as a resource for information about the practice such as locations, physicians, services that you provide, and contact information. A website that contains this important information is a good start. By adding HIPAA-compliant interactive features that allow patients to communicate directly with your practice, you can do even more. Examples of such features are pre-registration pages that collect patient demographic information prior to a visit and verify insurance information prior to the appointment, features that allow existing patients to request appointments and/or prescription renewals, on-line bill paying, and provision of on-line advice to existing patients.

This definitely points to the need of a patient portal, but it looks like there is definitely some value in a clinical website. I think the thing that this post missed was a doctor’s blog on healthy living and links to other patient education that would be beneficial. I think this would definitely set you apart form other doctors in the area.