Online Practice Marketing Tips from Vivacare

“Reaching Your Patients Online – Quick Tips for Search Engine Optimization” was published in the January 2010 issues of “Executive Decisions in Dermatology” by the Association for Dermatology Administrators and Managers (ADAM).

Authored by Dr. Mark Becker, the President and founder of Vivacare, this article provides a variety of simple and non-technical steps to help dermatology (or other medical specialty) practices to increase the likelihood that patients can find their Websites when searching online.

Some practical suggestions available at no cost include the provision of useful patient-oriented content and listings on various directories, such as the Find a Dermatologist Directory of dermatologists.

The article also describes the benefits of enrolling for Vivacare’s free patient education service that enables to dermatologists to easily create and publish in-depth medical reviews for their patients. The content can be used to supplement an existing practice Website and provide patients with convenient access to information that helps them to better understand and manage their medical conditions.

The article is of value to practice administrators and office managers who have developed Websites for their practice and now turning their attention to helping existing and prospective patients find their Website when performing online searches.

Vivacare’s Patient Education Services Highlightedin Dermatology Times

The October issue of Dermatology Times included an article by dermatologist Helen Torok, M.D. regarding the implementation of popular Internet tools into the modern medical practice, including social networking.

Dr. Torok’s article describes the benefits of using various social media tools and announces the launch MDsConnect, a new communication network for physicians.

She went on to describe MDsConnect’s partnership with Vivacare to provide physicians with easy-to-use patient education tools. The collaboration between MDsConnect and Vivacare offers physicians a one-stop shop for a variety of personal and professional networking needs, including an innovative means to effectively reach patients online.

Epilepsy Patient Education Enhancement for National Epilepsy Awareness Month

In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Vivacare enhanced its collection of patient education content regarding the diagnosis, treatment and management of epilepsy.

New content includes handouts on different types of epilepsy and seizures, anti-epileptic medications (AEDs), epilepsy surgery and epilepsy self-management resources, such as information on driving and an epilepsy diary.

Leading neurologists, such as Selim Benbadis, M.D., FAAN, Randall Schapiro, M.D., FAAN, and Andrew Wilner, M.D., FAAN are enrolled for  Vivacare’s “From Your Doctor” service that allows them to easily manage their own Web-based, patient education resource. Enrolled physicians customize and personalize the content that is presented to their patients to reflect their subspecialty and personal approach to care. Patients can locate enrolled neurologists in their community through Vivacare’s Find a Neurologist Directory.

 

“Vivacare’s goal is to help neurologists educate their patients”, said Mark Becker, M.D., pediatrician and President of Vivacare.

Doctor Websites with Medication Information

In a recent Vivacare press release, the company announced that it has made it easier for doctors to educate their patients about the medications they prescribe.

Vivacare Inc. provides physicians with the “From Your Doctor” patient education service. Enrolled physicians receive a variety of Web-based patient education tools at no cost, including a Patient Education Library pre-loaded with hundreds of patient handouts written by Vivacare’s medical advisors and links to reputable Websites, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Vivacare recently enhanced the educational content to include medication handouts and rebate coupons. This delivers pharmaceutical information to patients from the source they trust most, their own doctor, leading to improved patient satisfaction and medication adherence.

Vivacare provides healthcare organizations with the opportunity to distribute information about their products or services through it’s physician network. Pharmaceutical firms may make their branded, FDA approved content for patients available on the Websites of physicians that prescribe their products. Similarly, patient support groups may make disease state information available in the Patient Education Library of selected medical specialists. This provides Vivacare’s partners with a cost-effective alternative to paper-based handouts that often fail to reach their intended audience.

For instance, Gerald Goldberg, M.D. provides his patients with information about the dermatology medications that he prescribes, including Aldara, Differin, Latisse® and Stelara. He also provides in-depth information about eczema and rosacea provided by the National Eczema Association and National Rosacea Society in partnership with Vivacare.

“80% of physicians admit to doing a poor job of providing educational content following office visits. Vivacare seeks to help them to deliver the right information to the right patient at the right time”, said Mark Becker, M.D., pediatrician and President of Vivacare.

The Vivacare service does not allow product advertising on the doctor’s Websites and provides physicians the opportunity to control the content to reflect their specialty and personal approach to clinical care.

Vivacare provides patient education services to physicians in 14 medical specialties, including allergists, dermatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, and primary care physicians.

Pediatricians Now Benefit from Vivacare Patient Education Service

Vivacare has expanded its free patient education service to to leading pediatricians and their medical practices.

The child health education program is part of the “From Your Doctor” service from Vivacare. The From Your Doctor service enables physicians to easily create their own customizable health information resource at no cost. The service includes a Patient Education Library that helps pediatricians to reinforce key clinical messages and direct their patients to reliable resources, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

By enrolling for a Vivacare account, pediatricians receive a practice-branded Patient Education Library loaded with several hundred patient handouts covering a wide variety of child health issues, including ADHD, asthma, eczema, otitis media (ear infections) and vaccinations.

Founded by a pediatrician, Dr. Mark Becker, Vivacare provides medical professionals with the tools to share practical health information that improve clinical care and patient satisfaction. Vivacare presently serves over 4,000 physicians and has partnered with multiple patient support organizations. Vivacare has developed educational programs to meet the needs of allergists, dermatologists, neurologists, and rheumatologists.

Read the full story about pediatric patient education.

Medical Practices Save Time and Money with Vivacare

Vivacare’s patient education service helps medical practices to save time and money. By helping physicians and their office staff to efficiently recommend and deliver health information to their patients following office visits, the use of Vivacare leads to reduced practice costs, improved practice workflow and increased patient satisfaction.

“Vivacare is an excellent patient education resource tool,” says Kate Othus, MHA Administrator of Portland Dermatology Clinic, LLP.. “Our Internet savvy patients are directed to our website and if they want more information about their disease – it’s all right there. The service saves us hundreds of dollars per month in handout copying and brochure costs while also supporting our efforts to ‘go green“.

Vivacare Inc. provides medical practices with the “From Your Doctor” patient education service. Enrolled practices receive a variety of Web-based patient education tools at no cost, including a Patient Education Library and Patient eNewsletter function.

The Patient Education Library enable physicians with no programming skills to customize the content to reflect their unique approach to care. Patient handouts appear online with the practice’s name at the top and can be printed conveniently by the patient at home. By using Vivacare, medical practices can simply tell their patients to “learn more about your condition and treatment plan at Website”.

The Patient eNewsletter function provides medical practices with a paperless means to announce new services, staff hires, awards, or community events. vivacare recently began enhancing the Patient eNewsletter with specialty-specific medical news stories to provide patients with practical and up-to-date health information.

Read the full story about time and cost savings for medical practices.

Psoriasis Doctors Provides Dermatologist Authored Psoriasis Information

“Psoriasis Doctors” which was launched July 1, 2009, publishes its dermatologist-authored health education content online to help people with psoriasis better manage their skin condition.

Psoriasis Doctors helps dermatologists educate their patients and the public regarding psoriasis and psoriasis treatment options, including topical medications (clobetasol, Vectical), phototherapy (PUVA, UVB), and new “biologics” (Amevive, Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, and Stelara).

The Psoriasis Doctors Website is part of the “From Your Doctor” (http://www.fromyourdoctor.com) service from Vivacare Inc. The From Your Doctor service enables dermatologists to easily create their own customizable education resource for their patients, including a Patient Education Library with patient handouts and a Patient Newsletter that delivers skin care updates via email. Dermatologists who have authored particularly useful content regarding psoriasis management are highlighted on the Psoriasis Doctors Website.

For instance, Helen Torok, M.D. with Trillium Creek Dermatology of Medina, Ohio, published information about psoriasis treatment services offered by her practice and appears on Psoriasis Doctors.

Medication Rebate Coupons on Physician Websites Improves Medication Adherence

Physician and patient surveys completed by Vivacare Inc. show that medication rebate coupons and medication brochures delivered via physician Websites may improve medication adherence.

Vivacare provides medical practices with the From Your Doctor patient education service. Enrolled practices receive a variety of practice-branded, Web-based patient education tools, including a Patient Education Library and Patient eNewsletter function.

From January to March 2009, 255 online visitors to a dermatologist’s Website completed an acne survey. Of these, 46% (152) reported actively taking an acne medication, and 58% of those (88) reported taking a medication that required a prescription. When asked what would help them to get their acne medicine from the pharmacy and take it as prescribed, 69% reported that access to medication rebate coupons would be helpful.

In a separate survey of 21 physicians, 86% reported that medication rebate coupons would be a useful addition to their practice Website, and 76% reported that they would benefit from making branded medication brochures available online for their patients.

In response to the needs of physicians and patients, Vivacare has made medication rebate coupons available as part of its online service to medical practices.

Vivacare is used by over 2,000 dermatologists and has recently expanded its services to support the needs of 12 medical specialties, including primary care. You can read the full story about medication rebate coupons and medication adherence.

Find a Dermatologist Updated with 2,000 dermatologists

The Find a Dermatologist directory of skin care experts provides an online directory of over 2,000 leading dermatologists who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions, such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, skin cancer and aging skin.

People seeking a dermatologist can refer to this recently updated dermatology directory to find skin care experts in their region. Participating dermatologists are the top level experts in skin care and value patient education.

The directory, managed by Vivacare Inc., has been recently updated to include a variety of health tools of value to skin care patients, including medication rebate coupons.

“Acne Doctors” Honors National Acne Awareness Month

The Acne Doctors Website  has been updated with newer and more robust acne resources in honor of National Acne Awareness Month. The American Acne and Rosacea Society (AARS) has established June as National Acne Awareness Month to increase awareness of the impact of acne on people’s lives.

“Although common, acne can be quite devastating and can lead to long-term scarring. We are pleased to support the Acne and Rosacea Society in raising awareness about the need for effective acne treatment from qualified professionals”, said Mark Becker, M.D., pediatrician and President of Vivacare.

The Acne Doctors Website is part of the  “From Your Doctor” patient education service from Vivacare, Inc. that is used by dermatologists to provide trusted health information regarding skin conditions.

The “Acne Doctors” resource highlights dermatologist-authored content that is particularly helpful for people to understand their acne treatment options. For instance, Dr. Helen Torok, M.D. posted information about topical retinoids and Dr. Lisa Benest published information about acne and diet.

Read more in the recent press release regarding Acne Doctors.