Caught up in Technology's Web
by Barry Freydberg, D.D.S., F.A.G.D., F.I.C.D.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Jan. 26, 1997, as people went about their usual business of diving into bowls of chips and snapping open bottles of cold beer in their living rooms, business history was made.
As usual, it was the commercials between the game action that took center stage of the world's biggest media event. But one spot made its point without a lot of fanfare. In fact, it was what this ad did not say that spoke volumes about the future of business in the Information Age. AutoByTel, an automobile selling service, uncorked an ad that reportedly cost $30 million to produce and air, that did not include a telephone number or a street address where potential customers could reach them.
What was the sole method this company chose to identify itself to hundreds of millions of consumers? Their Internet address, www.AutoByTel.com.
I relate this story to make the very serious point that those who think the Internet is just a fad that will fade away could pay a high price for being wrong. The sheer ubiquity of the Internet, and its growing power as a marketing force, alone show that this medium's future is not somewhere far down the road, but is here right now.
And dentistry will not be unaffected. If doctors aren't prepared to do what it takes to use the new technologies that are already embedding themselves in the minds of future patients, they may have a bumpy ride.
Don't sweat the details!
But beyond all of these is the growing influence of the Internet. Okay, so the Internet is here already. How can it help you? First of all, it's an ideal place to market your practice. Second, it is relatively inexpensive. It costs about as much to build a customized World Wide Web site for your practice as it does to run a Yellow Pages ad for two months, and the costs to maintain and update the site are even more reasonable. And Web pages have some big benefits over other forms of advertising, the main one being that you have complete control over the content. If you find that your site isn't generating as much interest as you would like, you can change the information you present in a matter of hours, instead of waiting months or a year for a new phone book to come out.
With your Web page, you can introduce your staff, tell prospective patients about the services you offer, show before-and-after photos of cases you've done, list your office hours, display a map of your location, and even provide links to other sites. Doctors interested in building their practices would do well to consider implementing their own Web page, as more and more people are using the Internet to conduct business and buy everyday goods and services. According to Internet sources, in 1996, Internet users spent an estimated $10 billion for products and services. By the end of 1997, that number is expected to balloon to $100 billion. And while the drop in costs associated with getting on-line is causing the average income of Internet users to drop, people who use the Internet still generally have higher incomes, making them highly sought-after consumers and patients.
Another key to the Internet puzzle that will affect your practice is the movement away from paper insurance claims to electronic claims. Until recently, e-claims were slow to catch on because despite the fact that they are faster and cheaper than paper claims they do have shortcomings, such as the inability to attach X-rays and a cumbersome transmission method. But now, with services like claimsnet.com and others, doctors will use the Internet to transmit e-claims, which will simplify the process. Internet clearinghouses are already working on ways doctors can send X-rays electronically and when that happens, the popularity of e-claims will explode.
Continuing education over the Internet is another practical application that is available to doctors today. While right now this particular aspect has limitations, for example, some Internet classes are not able to make full use of graphics and animation, the technology is catching up fast. Soon, these classes will provide not only written explanations of procedures and management concepts, but doctors will be able to view full interactive multi-media video and audio presentations, which should greatly boost the usefulness and popularity of these courses.
What will the future bring?
While there are already many ways doctors can use the Internet to help build their practices, remember that this tool is still a toddler in terms of commercial development. The future is bright for the Internet and doctors will find that it will become more useful as time goes on. Here are some other things to watch for.
It is likely that your practice will have secure patient records on the practice's Intranet. These records, along with personal practice information, will be your internal Web site. Patient records, X-rays, progress notes, retirement plans, office manuals, and employee records will be secure by a "Firewall" that will protect this information from outside computer users.
Additionally, patient records on the Internet will allow specialists and general dentists to make entries into the same records. And, is the "Virtual Group Practice", perhaps solos practices sharing one set of records, far away? Whether we like it or not, the desire for government and insurance companies to access our patient records for performing studies such as "outcome analysis" will require they be available on the Web. There is even a new Internet language under development for the sole purpose of providing secure medical records.
Security will also grow in importance as the Internet matures. At this point, I would not transmit anything over the Internet that I would want to be completely confidential, except payments for products and services from reputable companies. But with the power of the Internet as a marketing tool, major credit card companies are working hard to develop security systems that will even more effectively protect consumers. This technology is being developed at a fast enough rate that soon it will not be of much concern to people shopping on the Internet. In reality, at this point, you are more secure entering your credit card number on a Web site, than you are handing your charge card to a waiter at a restaurant, and that security will only improve.
Doctors will also find the Internet useful for buying dental supplies at lower prices. On-line supply warehouses are already operating, but expect this capability to grow, along with the availability of inventory control, MSDS sheets and product instructions. Doctors will find that multiple-provider practices who sign purchase contracts often can get the best deals over the Internet.
Soon, doctors will be able to handle appointment confirmations, billing, reactivation, recall, and other patient communications over the Internet. E-mail will be the key here, making it easy for patients and practices to stay in contact, eliminating the need to mail reminders or call patients about bills. The leading dental computer management vendors are aware of the fact that in addition to printing labels or printing envelopes they need to add the option "print to e-mail" to allow doctors to send e-mail instead of paper notices. E-mail is less expensive, quicker and most likely to be read and responded to first.
A little farther down the line, it will be possible to use the Internet to consult with leading authorities across the country in full-motion video, just as if they were in the same room. Whether in the clinical or management arenas, such access to experts will raise the caliber of dental care everywhere. Remember, we are not talking about just the United States, Canada or the UK, but the world.
These "predictions" are really not predictions at all. Some are here now, others are almost here and they're not going to go away. In the relatively near future, the Internet will grow in its starring role of an interactive television/audio medium, allowing dentistry some great opportunities to raise awareness. Like any new technology, it will take time to learn the best ways to use it, and a lot of mistakes will be made along the way. But get started learning about the Internet now, and you will be in a much better position to use it to your advantage when this technology matures and becomes more secure.