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By Denise Murray, iTnews
Australia's e-health sector has some "world-class ideas"
but IT punters in the health arena need to forget about health consumers
and focus on getting doctors on-side if they want to survive. According
to e-health analyst John Mitchell from John Mitchell Associates,
many IT providers have been wasting time and money trying to convert
the masses - health consumers - to new technologies. "If you
push too hard and get too far ahead of the health consumer, you'll
go broke," he said. Mitchell said companies that haven't had
an "over-focus" on the patient in the e-health arena have
been "sensible". "Customer demand is immature ...
The focus on the general practitioner's desk really started about
two years ago and I think it's an important [focus] and one to monitor,"
he said.
Research has shown the computerisation of general practice and
getting doctors comfortable with the use of technology are vital
steps towards health consumer buy-in to online health projects.
Research also shows many health consumers would trust health information
and Web sites operated by their doctors above any other source.
With medical practitioners as the fulcrum in future e-health initiatives,
IT vendors and service providers should make it their priority to
win them over.
Mitchell said Australia has a "small but growing" base
of users that don't want to know the ins and outs of the latest
technologies - such as public key infrastructure (PKI) - they just
want to know what's in it for them.
Speaking at an e-health conference in Sydney on Monday, Mitchell
encouraged IT product and service providers to move away from a
'project mentality' in the way they tackle health market. "Because
of that we can now start talking about sustainable competitive advantages.
SCAs are normally derived from an organisation's exceptional skills,
assets and resources, brand name or customer base. Health organisations
can develop SCAs in e-health through [skills] and by developing
a strong reputation with a particular customer group," he added.
Mitchell said IT providers could also milk more value out health
through better use of CRM. "CRM is at the heart of what a business
can achieve. I don't think CRM as a concept has been picked up strongly
in the e-health zone," he said.
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