How to use the Internet to improve care delivery--without changing the way physicians work

Martin's Point Health Care is a nonprofit organization with more than 30 primary care physicians and 280 health care professionals serving 43,000 patients in four sites in Maine and New Hampshire. Like many medical group practices, Martin's Point believed its patients needed more channels to communicate with their physicians. An increasing number of patients wanted more in-depth advice from their doctors, and many already used the Internet to obtain health care information. This article describes how Martin's Point developed an interactive Web communications program to build physician/patient relationships and improve practice efficiency.