It’s fun to talk about the big, new features of a product. But sometimes little features represent really important changes. One of these small but mighty features came out in our latest VitalSite® release. It’s a neat application but more important than what it does is what it stands for. It represents a shift in the way clients are using digital — and therefore a shift in the way we develop VitalSite.
One of our clients is adding digital signage at its organization. Digital signage is a great way to keep patients and their families’ up-to-date on important announcements, educational information and even advertisements. Connecting that digital signage to VitalSite made sense for our client, so we added a simple API that allows the organization to pull the day’s classes and events from VitalSite to the new digital signage, so it’s always 100% up to date.
On the surface, it’s a simple feature. Barely worth mentioning. But it’s the sign of a shift.
The expanding digital frontier
Once upon a time, when we worked with clients on their digital strategies, almost every discussion centered on website. The website was the only thing that mattered, and the only thing most healthcare marketers considered as part of their digital arsenal.
The world isn’t so simple anymore.
Today, the website is still a critical player in the organization’s digital strategy. It’s the hub. And more often than not it’s where we want consumers to go when it’s time to make a healthcare decision.
But the digital universe now includes social channels, email, microsites, mobile apps and a host of other digital platforms. Including digital signage.
And more often than not, a well-built website is the source of record for many consumer-facing data sources. In other situations, the website needs to connect consumers to data sources that exist elsewhere.
Either way, hospital websites need to work seamlessly with a host of other data producers and consumers, and do so simply and easily. This new feature in VitalSite is a small step toward helping create that seamless network of information. We can’t wait to see where our clients go from here!
