New Technology Widens Gateway to Patient Interactivity

Vanguard Communications unveils the iCare Patient Center to enable more health care consumers “to join conversations already in progress on the Internet”

Denver, October 19, 2012 – Health care consumers now have four innovative ways to interact online with doctors and other patients through a package of website conveniences announced today by Vanguard Communications, a marketing and technology firm serving specialty medical practices and hospitals coast to coast since 1994.

With the unveiling of its iCare Patient Center, Vanguard introduces a distinctly innovative technology system that delivers health information and social-media-style communications to patients and doctor shoppers via medical practices’ own websites, said Vanguard CEO Ron Harman King.

“After nearly 15 years of helping grow medical practices, the biggest lesson we’ve learned is that health care consumers look for information first and doctors second,” King said. “This is the foundation of the iCare suite, which will enable patients to more easily join the information sharing and conversations already in progress on the Internet.”

The iCare Patient Center will be folded seamlessly into medical practices’ websites, preserving each practice’s existing brand and online look and feel. Within the program are four main components for use by patients and health-information seekers:

• The iCare Health Library is a highly searchable, comprehensive collection of easy-to-understand articles on health conditions and possible treatments, relevant to the specialty of each practice.

• The iCare Doctor’s Corner is an interactive Web page for each physician that acts as a website within a website. In addition to providing information about each doctor’s education, training, experience and professional interests, the section also:
  • Displays a video introduction to the physician
  • Feeds the latest posts from the doctor’s own social media accounts on Facebook or Twitter
  • Links to the physician’s website blog on useful health news and healthy-lifestyle tips
  • Links to patient reviews of the doctor on other websites
  • Permits patients to download special instructions and forms prior to appointments and surgeries
  • Allows visitors to privately ask the doctor questions through the website
• The iCare Photo Album allows patients to share personal photos and accounts of their health care journeys in a social-media format.

• The iCare Contact online forms let new patients request appointments and ask general questions. It also allows existing patients to connect to a practice’s patient portal, as well as complete special forms online in advance of treatment.

More information about the iCare Patient Center is available at VanguardCommunications.net or by calling 303-382-2999.