Significant Enhancements to the AAOS Group Practice Web Sites
Overview: In 2000, the AAOS launched as a new member benefit an application that allows any Academy member to create his own group practice web site. These sites allow members to showcase and market their practices to patients and the public. Since inception, over 500 group practice web sites have been built using this tool. The online membership directory, Find an Orthopaedist, automatically lists the web site link for any member who is referenced in an AAOS-sponsored group practice web site.
Major Enhancements in 2009: While these sites have served our members’ practices well over the past eight years and new features have occasionally been added, no significant enhancements to the system has been made in the intervening years. That’s all changed in 2009. Using feedback received from many of our members, these sites have been significantly improved and enhanced, both in their appearance and functionality and in the creation and maintenance process. If you already have built a group practice web site using the AAOS supplied templates, be sure to review the changes that have been made and are now available for your site. If you’ve never built a web site using this member benefit, now is the time to do so!
Here’s a list of what’s changed and what’s new:
- The number of base templates (look-and-feel) that you can choose for the site has increased to eight.
- The system setup and maintenance screens are simpler and more intuitive.
- The headings and navigation tags on each template can be changed to reflect your nomenclature. For international members, these can be re-tagged in your native language.
- Google maps are now used to pinpoint office locations for the public.
- As an option, members can use a custom domain name (URL) for their group practice site instead of the generic OrthoDoc.aaos.org/PracticeName web address.
- Images, logos, and photographs can be easily uploaded to the site; the system automatically takes care of scaling and sizing issues.
- A new section has been created that allows you to create an image gallery for your web visitors; this might include photos of your staff, your facility, and perhaps the equipment you utilize.
- Short video clips can easily be added to your site.
- Each web page can now be bookmarked in a browser and each page has a built-in printer-friendly option.
- Automated pick lists are now provided for many of the medical associations you may belong to including state medical and orthopaedic societies, regional orthopaedic associations, and orthopaedic specialty societies.
Templates: The original system provided members with a choice of two templates. The new version contains upgrades of these two plus six additional new ones. It is easy to switch between any of these templates. A template decision made today can easily be changed to another whenever you want. The new templates are crisper and utilize modern technology to correctly display page content in various web browsers as well as the more popular mobile devices such as an iPhone. When this new software was installed in June, the existing web sites were automatically converted to the new format. Web sites using the original templates were migrated to their respective upgraded versions.
All templates contain seven main headings: Home, About, Library, Location & Hours, Specialties, Forms & Payment, and Image Gallery.
Setup and Maintenance: The web site creation and maintenance screens have been greatly streamlined and simplified. A wizard approach has been used that helps lead members through the process of developing and then enhancing a group practice web site. Unlike the original system, which used one long page that listed every option, the new system has separate maintenance screens for every main heading (refer to the above list).
In addition, links or tabs that are not used are not displayed on your site. For example, if you choose not to post any pictures to the Image Gallery, that link will not appear as a tab on your site.
Headings and Navigation Tags: Not only can you customize the content that is placed on your site, but you can also modify the nomenclature of the headings and navigation links that are used. This allows you to customize the verbiage with terminology that you may feel more comfortable using.
In addition, this feature allows international members to create an AAOS group practice web site that is written entirely in their own native language. For example, the web site navigation headings labeled Home, Location & Hours, and Forms & Payments could, for Spanish users, easily be renamed respectively as Inicio, Locales y Horas, and Formulario y Pagos.
Google Maps: Google Maps are now used to pinpoint office locations on the web sites. The Location & Hours page contains an embedded Google Map for the primary office address. When additional addresses appear on the page, a corresponding “Get directions on Google” link is automatically added to each specific location. Most international members can also successfully utilize this mapping tool.
Web Site Domain Names (URLs): All AAOS template-driven group practice web sites utilize a generic web site address that begins with http://OrthoDoc.aaos.org and ends with a name that each member chooses (such as MillerOrthopaedics or GlenviewOrthos, etc.). Many members have requested more flexibility and the ability to use a custom address of their own choosing (such as www.MillerOrthopaedics.com or www.GlenviewOrthos.net). The new system allows any web site address (URL) to be pointed to a group practice web site.* The generic web site address will continue to appear within the web site, but the custom specific address can be used on all business cards, correspondence, publicity, etc.
* Domain names must either already be owned by the member or purchased before this option can be used. AAOS can help with this process. Contact Pam Butenshen (Butenshen@aaos.org; 847-384-4282) for assistance. There is a fee for this service.
Images, Logos, and Photographs: As before, members can upload pictures and graphics for display on their web site. (The new templates have reserved spots for a group practice photograph, a practice logo, and one to three additional images that will be displayed in the upper right-hand corner of each page.) Unlike the old system which required the submitter to properly size and scale each graphic, the new system automatically performs this task. This should make it easier for web site owners to more easily maintain, change, and update their sites.
Image Gallery: This is a new section that was not previously available. In it can be placed any image, graphic, photograph, or radiograph that a member believes will describe and promote his services. This could include photos of other MDs or staff in his practice, graphics of the building that houses his practice, interior views of his office, or pictures of the medical equipment that he uses. The file uploading process for the Image Gallery uses the same software that is described above. All images are automatically scaled and re-sized as needed.
Videos: Video clips* can now be uploaded into the Library section of a group practice web site. These will automatically play in a separate pop-up window using the viewer’s computer’s default movie player. This is a feature that many members have requested over the past several years.
You may also want to consider this suggestion: If you have uploaded any video clips onto streaming video sites such as YouTube, you can add a link to them under the Recommended Web Sites section.
* The following video formats are currently supported: .wmv, .mov, .avi, .mpg, and .mpeg.
Web Pages: In the old system, the interior web pages (About, Library, Location & Hours, etc.) could not always be bookmarked in the viewer’s browser or sent as links through an E-mail system. The new system has rectified this problem and any internal page on the web site will now correctly and reliably display at all times.
In addition, an automatic printer-friendly option has been built into the templates. Office staff, patients, and the public can easily print the content of each page without the display of superfluous information.
Pick Lists: The Society Memberships section in the About landing page now contains lists of each state medical and orthopaedic society, many regional societies, and all BOS specialty societies. This makes it easy to list those associations that your practice is a member of to your patients and the public.
As before, members can dynamically link their AAOS-sponsored group practice web site to any of the medical education content that is available on Your Orthopaedic Connection (YOC), the Academy’s web site for patients and the public. YOC articles linked to your site will, when printed, automatically display your practice contact information at the top of the document. This provides additional personalization that ties your practice to the patient.
These changes and improvements make it even easier to place your practice on the Internet. If you have previously built a group practice web site using the AAOS templates, be sure to review the new features. You may want to add some new images or video clips, change your template to one of the six new ones, or take advantage of any the new features that are now available to you. Just point your browser to www.aaos.org/OrthoDoc to log into the maintenance screens for your site. If you haven’t yet built a site using this system, now is the time to do so. You’ll be joining over 500 practices are already using this convenient member benefit. If you need help or require assistance, please contact Pam Butenshen (Butenshen@aaos.org; 847-384-4282).