The Official Omedix Blog

We recently launched a website for a Phoenix-based podiatry group, the Arizona Institute of Footcare Physicians. There were a few interesting things about this project so I figured I’d share!

Patients Can Now Request Appointments Online

It used to be that when you wanted to make an appointment with the AIFP, you had to pick up the phone and call. For a lot of people and a lot of situations, this is still preferable. After all, if you’re not even sure if you need to see a podiatrist or just need some human interaction, a phone conversation is a good thing.

But there’s a growing number of patients who want to make their appointments online for any number of reasons:

• They’re at work and are embarrassed to make a “personal phonecall”
• They don’t have time to make an appointment until it’s after hours, when the practice is closed
• They’re embarrassed to tell someone their foot is “deformed” and would rather just request an appointment quietly and anonymously, where the computer’s the one interviewing them.

That last point may sound a bit fanciful, but at the last conference I went to, one of the speakers explained that patients were more likely to accurately fill out a medical history when done online than done in person. The computer could care less about the “Erectile Dysfunction” you’re reporting, but maybe you feel a little anxious when you’re talking to a human being.

This is a really fundamental thing, though. AIFP just launched their online appointment requests. I mean, this practice has taken appointments by phone only for over 35 years, and now they’re introducing a new way. That’s a big deal! It also tells me that if a practice who’s been doing something one way for 35 years is now ready to add a new way, the winds of change are starting to show themselves.

Focusing on the Practice’s Unique Needs

The other thing that was interesting about this project is that, unlike cardiologists, orthopods, or some other specialists, podiatrists are mostly targetting the general public, so their site should have a bit of a different feel to it. Instead of showcasing the docs upfront (who are pretty impressive, by the way), this site was all about getting patients the information they needed fast:

• Here’s our phone number
• Here’s our address
• Here’s how to get to us
• Same day appointments available

Any questions? It’s short, sweet, and to the point, and I think that’s exactly what they needed. For a cardiology practice, this would just seem awkward…and the cardiology practice website for the podiatry practice would be, well, ineffective.

Helping Patients Be Choosy

The final insight I got from this project was that the days of “pick a name from a list” are coming to a thunderous end. When people are curious about a practice or a doctor now guess what they do: they look them up online.

This client has some of the most impressive credentials of anyone we’ve worked with. But how are patients supposed to actually discover that? I mean, really, think about it. Before the Internet, what could you do to research a doctor or a practice other than “ask around.” And what if you don’t have anyone to ask around with? Well, it was just a roll of the dice.

But now patients are becoming choosy consumers, and it’s up to the practice to showcase themselves online so patients are excited about what they’re getting.

Summary

I don’t think I’d like my job very much if our projects were just about going through the motions. I like my job because each project is a mini learning experience and a harbinger of things to come. Props to AIFP for taking the first step toward maintaining their leadership as a great practice!

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