Last week the hospital Web Services team received the following email from a person who had been using a hospital web site:
I'm sorry but I find your website to be useless. I can't even order a new Rx for an existing medication unless I wish it filled at your pharmacy, which I don't.
The alternative, calling the Dr.'s office in Florence, is almost as unsatisfactory having to leave a voice message after going through the "numbers game", then hoping that I will in fact receive a call when the Rx is ready to be picked up.
Conclusion: The more you automate, the more difficult, and less satisfactory it is for the patient. Perhaps that's who has gotten lost in the shuffle.
This is our challenge: how do we harness the power of technology to improve the healthcare system without leaving behind or alienated those who don't interact well with technology?
