Skip to main content

Ecommerce: From and Through a Healthcare Portal

In today's on-line environment, eCommerce is already changing the healthcare industry. Current business-to-consumer sites include Drugstore.com and PlanteRx, which provide sales of prescription and over-the-counter products to consumers. WebMD and drkoop.com provide information and product promotion to consumers and doctors alike.
Non-contractual business-to-business healthcare web sites that provide sales of medical supplies to institutions are Neoforma and Medibuy. Chemdex and SciQuest are non-contractual in respect to the sales of lab supplies to pharmaceutical Research and Development companies.

Ecommerce in Hospitals: eCommerce has been identified as a leading practice in the healthcare supply chain.The 'big things' hospitals include:

  1. Electronic requisitioning
  2. Electronic replenishment
  3. Electronic fund transfers
  4. Contract database management

Implementing leading practices within the supply chain enables hospitals save on costs, allowing funds to be redirected into patient care. Once there is a critical mass of hospitals using eCommerce, suppliers become able to make changes to their systems enabling even greater efficiencies

Econsultancy & E commerce:When healthcare consultancy is provided on a health portal, Its a hard sell..Coz people log on to internet only coz it's Free. Build of a next generation eCommerce site IS NECESSARY that should combine high levels of functionality along with advanced content management, merchandising and search facilities to meet customer and business needs.

One such website is of William Ramsom & son.

Key Features:

Built on the new eibCommerce platform using Microsoft Commerce Server 2007, the site integrates with key strategic partners: Mercado for dynamic merchandising functionality, EPiServer for advanced content management and Datacash for secure payments. The site utilises advanced search functionality so that customers can shop by need, ingredient, brand and life stage. In addition the “My Cabinet” functionality enables shoppers to easily view their account history and previous purchases.

Ecommerce & E-health Records:How to assure the privacy and Security of information communicated?

  1. How to develop and Deliver effective services?
  2. How to overcome bandwidth limitations?

Research and Strategy should be focussing upon:

  1. Assessing customer perceptions of the risks and benefits of eCommerce in the life sciences
  2. Determining the percent of product orders placed online by product category
  3. Quantifying the customer value of eCommerce purchases by calculating the amount, frequency, and recency of online orders by product category
  4. To Explain the influence of pricing on the online ordering process and customer’s use of online ordering tools to obtain pricing information
  5. Specifying customer preferences for page load times, product locators, and Web site speed during the check-out process
  6. Detailing the types of information customers need to facilitate their online ordering
  7. Identifying the types of assistance customers need to facilitate their use of a Web site’s eCommerce functions
  8. Measuring customer satisfaction with key online ordering tools
  9. Highlighting Web site features that help customize the eCommerce experience
  10. Revealing Web site features that encourage repeat eCommerce business
  11. Evaluating the connection between receptivity to eMarketing and eCommerce activities

Innovation is a key part of any modern healthcare system and this innovation takes place at many levels and across multiple disciplines. Healthcare providers have access to new treatment procedures, drugs and diagnostic equipment. However, there is one area where the healthcare sector has failed to deploy technology and expertise that is widely available and used to improve the efficiency of organisations in the financial services, manufacturing and retail sectors. While most healthcare providers have experimented with ‘ehealth’ they have been slow to build the core IT services and instigate the change management programs that have to be in place before online healthcare services can be deployed.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Innovations that caught my attention recently-#Healthtech

No. 1- Lyme bacteria use the same technique as White Blood Cells to navigate and move in blood vessels In an interesting case of convergent evolution Lyme bacteria use the same technique as White Blood Cells to navigate and move in blood vessels.To zip through the bloodstream and spread infection throughout the body, the bacteria that cause Lyme disease take a cue from the white blood cells trying to attack them. Both use specialized bonds to stick to the cells lining blood vessels and move along at their own pace, biologist Tara Moriarty and colleagues report September 6 in Cell Reports. “It’s really an amazing case of convergent evolution,” says Wendy Thomas, a biologist at the University of Washington in Seattle who wasn’t part of the study. “There’s little structural similarity between the molecules involved in these behaviors, and yet their behavior is the same.” No.2- Wearable Robot for people who lost their hand function This wearable robot helps disabled patients re...
Read more

PDAs in Healthcare -Passe or in Vogue

The PDA is a very small and portable, handheld computer, which has many more functions than a calculator, and the capacity to store information much like a Personal Computer (PC). Basic functionality available on most PDAs includes an address book, schedule, calendar, note pad, and e-mail. The PDA is convenient to use in clinical and field situations for quick data management, and the information can be synchronized with a PC . By means of a wireless network, information can be exchanged anytime from anywhere to and from a PDA, and the network will provide immediate access to all kinds of necessary clinical and administrative data . Health care professionals need access to information several times a day, and the PDA has the potential to provide this. For the PDA, there are numerous documents and medical software applications available, with a wide variation in quality. A large number of medical students take advantage of the PDA for educational purposes and patient care with great sa...
3 comments
Read more

A New Dawn in Healthcare: How AI and LLMs Are Transforming Patient Care – A Story of Hope and Healing

  It was a crisp autumn morning when John, a 45-year-old father of two, first felt the sharp pain in his chest. Like many, he brushed it off as stress or indigestion. But when the pain persisted, his wife, Sarah, insisted he see a doctor. Little did John know that this visit would mark the beginning of a transformative journey—one that would redefine his understanding of healthcare and how technology could seamlessly blend into the patient experience. John’s story is not unique. Millions of patients navigate the labyrinth of healthcare systems every day, often feeling lost, overwhelmed, and underserved. But John’s experience was different. It was a glimpse into a new era of healthcare delivery, powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), generative AI, and advanced analytics—a world where technology works silently in the background, guiding every step of the care process with precision, empathy, and efficiency. The First Encounter: A Seamless Entry into Care When John walked into his ...
Read more