2012 eHealthcare Leadership Awards Presented at Healthcare Internet Conference in Las Vegas

PRLog (Press Release) - Dec. 4, 2012 - Some 240 healthcare organizations, representing a broad industry spectrum, received recognition for their outstanding websites and digital communications at a special presentation in Las Vegas on November 14 during the Sixteenth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference.  Winners of the 2012 eHealthcare Leadership Awards were selected from nearly 1,100 entries.  A total of 115 individuals familiar with healthcare and the Internet judged the entries.  

Among the winners was HospitalPortal client Olmsted Medical Center. The Rochester, Minn.-based regional healthcare system received a Silver Award in the Intranet category for its organizational communications hub “OMConnect.”  Jeremy Salucka, Olmsted Medical Center's Communications and Web Services Coordinator, shared his thoughts on the recognition: “We work hard to help our employees get the most out of the robust features and functionality our intranet offers, and are proud to be among the many impressive organizations awarded for that effort.”

“In spite of the unsettled healthcare environment, organizations have accelerated their investment in digital communications,” says Mark Gothberg, eHealthcare Leadership Awards chairman.  “Organizations have made major improvements in their websites, increased involvement in social media, more fully integrated newer media outlets with traditional marketing, and expanded mobile efforts to better serve current and future customers.”

Gothberg notes that improvements in websites were largely focused on enhancing visual interest, perfecting navigation, and showcasing key service lines.   Videos, audios, virtual tours, social media tie-ins, and calls-to-action now populate many key service sections.

“More organizations are also seeing the benefits of integrating digital and traditional media communications,” Gothberg adds.  “Digital receives the greatest focus.”

Winners of platinum, gold, silver, and distinction awards represented 18 industry classifications, from hospitals and health systems to pharmaceutical firms and online health companies.  Awards were given in 14 different categories: Best Mobile Communications, Best Patient Access and  

Convenience, Best Site Design, Best Health/Healthcare Content, Best Interactive, Best Care/Disease Management, Best e-Business, Best Doctor Directory, Best Social Networking, Best Rich Media, Best Integrated Marketing Campaign, Best Overall Internet Site, Best Intranet, and eHealth Organizational Commitment.

Judges looked at how websites and other digital communications compared with others in their organization’s classification.  They also reviewed entries based on a proprietary multi-point standard of Internet excellence.  The best overall Internet site category, for example, had to pass muster on more than 40 factors.

“As in previous years, competition was especially strong among large hospitals, healthcare systems, and managed care organizations,” says Gothberg.  Best Health/Healthcare Content, Best Site Design, and Best Overall Internet Site categories drew the most entries.  There were also a large number of entries in the Best Social Networking, Best Rich Media, Best Mobile Communications, and Best Integrated Marketing Campaign categories.  

The eHealthcare Leadership Awards program was developed and first presented 13 years ago by eHealthcare Strategy & Trends, a leading industry resource published by Health Care Communications, Rye, NY.  The Sixteenth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference was sponsored by Greystone.Net, an Atlanta-based strategy firm.

Major sponsors of the eHealthcare Leadership Awards were Atlanta-based Connect Healthcare, a PhotoBooks company that provides physician directories and custom websites; Geonetric, a Cedar Rapids, IA-based supplier of comprehensive online services, including content management; Medseek, an enterprise e-health solutions company based in Birmingham, AL; Private Health News, a Cincinnati-based supplier of e-health newsletters and CRM programs; and Professional Research Consultants, a market and customer research firm based in Omaha, NE.  Other supporters were CareTech Solutions, Creative Change, eVariant, Hospital Portal.net, Krames StayWell, Monigle Associates, and Primacy (formerly known as Acsys Interactive).

Photos:
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