AAOS Physician and Group Practice Web sites

Important Considerations

Before building your web site, please give some thought to these items:

Select your Web site address (URL):

All AAOS-sponsored web site URLs look like this: http://OrthoDoc.aaos.org/YOURCHOICE

Examples:

• http://Orthodoc.aaos.org/JohnSmithMD
• http://Orthodoc.aaos.org/DrJohnSmith
• http://Orthodoc.aaos.org/RosemontOrthopaedics

Pick a name (URL) that is easy to remember, that describes either you or your practice, and is easy for your patients to type.

Make sure that your web site address is included on your business cards, your patient education literature, Yellow Pages listings, etc.

• Note: You can change your web site address at any time by returning to the maintenance screens (under Administrative Information). However, once you have publicized your address, changing it may not be beneficial.

Custom Domain Name: You can purchase your own domain name (URL) and point it to your OrthoDoc Web site. Domain names that end with .com, .net, and .org can currently be purchased for approximately $115.00 for a period of five years. There is a one-time setup fee of $75 if you elect this option. For assistance with this option, please e-mail Pam Butenshen or call 847-384-4282.

Homepage message: The homepage of your web site contains these sections:

• My Approach to Treating Patients
• Anatomical & Treatment Specialties

Please give careful consideration to these sections. This is where you will differentiate yourself from other practices, and where you can highlight the special services that you provide to your patients. Make sure you use important keywords that will be indexed by Google, Yahoo and other search engines.

Patient education materials: Select any or all of the patient education materials in Your Orthopaedic Connection (OrthoInfo.aaos.org) to include on your web site. Here are the advantages:

• These materials become part of your web site - accessible from the Health Library link on your homepage
• The return links in the patient education material navigate back to your web site.
• All patient education materials will be co-branded with your name, logo, and primary address.
• All material is peer-reviewed by AAOS-sanctioned committees.

This area is a potential time-saver for you and your staff and allows your patients and prospective patients to learn about the various diseases and treatment options you specialize in.