A study published in The Journal of Healthcare Management has named Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s website in the top ten on its list of 25 best hospital or health system websites in the U.S.
“Effective U.S. Health System Websites: Establishing Benchmarks and Standards for Effective Consumer Engagement” was authored by Eric W. Ford, Timothy R. Huerta, Richard A. M. Schilhavy and Nir Menachemi. The study analyzed each website and measured the scores based on four criteria: accessibility (ease of use for people with low computers skills), content (freshness, quality and amount of content), marketing (how readily and reliably information can be accessed using search engines) and technology (download speed, site structure, code quality).
According to the study authors, hospitals and health systems are playing increasingly important roles as care coordination hubs and consumer information sources. Consumers research much, if not most, of their healthcare needs online and expect to find what they're seeking. Nationwide Children's Hospital recognizes the importance of having a robust website by offering tools parents and patients want so they can obtain the information they need.
The study also states that accountable care organization (ACO) and medical home models promoted in the Affordable Care Act place hospitals at the center of many activities related to health information exchange, and for this reason, it is increasingly important for these organizations to have effective websites.
"Our patient families expect excellent care and we strive to provide them with a positive online experience before and after they use our services," said Stephanie Cannon, Nationwide Children’s Director of Web Communication and eBusiness.
Access the Nationwide Children’s Hospital website at NationwideChildrens.org.
Nationwide Children's Hospital Website Ranks in Top 10 National List
February 27, 2012
About Nationwide Children's Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs, as well as prioritizing quality and safety, are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of more than 14,000 that provides state-of-the-art wellness, preventive and rehabilitative care and diagnostic treatment during more than 1.7 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.