The study finds a healthcare organisation's website will become the virtual front door through which consumers, clinicians, aligned healthcare facilities, suppliers, employers and health insurers will engage with the enterprise. Currently, public health organisations such as NSW Health, Queensland Health and Victoria's Department of Human Services provide information for consumers and employees about facilities and general health information at state level. Some private health providers use websites to enhance patient-relative communication. For example, Hollywood Private Hospital in Perth has a website that enables visitors to send emails directly to patients and New Zealand's Taranaki Health has a baby page featuring photos, and the birth date, time and weight of new arrivals.
Awareness is created with consumers and clinicians in a level-one site.
A level-two web presence aims to attract consumers and clinicians by providing personalisation and interactivity to create value. Initial level-two functions provide medical content with effective search engines and interactive health and wellness status indicators. More mature level-two functions allow the healthcare organisation to push pertinent information through email, with hot links to desired data, thereby improving the convenience factor required to foster ongoing customer relations. Successful level three websites are established business channels providing tools critical to achieve the healthcare organisation's bottom line. Consumers will be able to make schedule requests and pay for services over the web.