Considering the opportunities that are created almost on a daily-basis
by the current trends, one can utilize the Internet to develop a platform
that can tie together the fragmented parties such as healthcare service
providers, payers, and patients. The technology made possible by the
Internet has the potential to establish a rather comprehensive communication
network among these participants. By using this network, the efficiency
and the satisfaction in the marketplace can be improved as the
overhead costs are lowered. While these are valid potentials, they
should not be taken for granted. As with every new practice, there are issues
that one needs to explore fully to take advantage of these potentials.
It is necessary to look into these issues since they present serious
concerns in terms of practicality of e-commerce in healthcare marketing.
Even though one may be able to combine the marketing perspective
with the new information technologies offered by the Internet, one has
to recognize and incorporate the human factor unique to the healthcare
field. This factor includes concerns ranging from the accuracy of the
Internet information to the privacy of the personal information communicated
among the parties on the net. These concerns can present lot
more serious challenges in the future if they are not addressed properly
by the current participants. It is hoped that the review of the issues
raised in this paper will provide researchers with added incentives to
conduct further inquiries about e-commerce in healthcare marketing