AMA's enhanced Web site

Thanks to the World Wide Web, a wealth of information truly can be found at one's fingertips. In the best cases, it's just a few clicks away.

With that in mind, the American Medical Association has taken steps to ensure that its vast online resources are within easy reach of physicians at all points in their careers and training.

The AMA unveiled late in January a redesign of its online identity -- an interactive Web site, full of easy-to-find resources. It's a new look, the result of months of work, at the same address the AMA has used for years (link).

The makeover represents an important step for the organization because it will streamline the AMA's ability to communicate online with physicians, ensuring they have easy access to timely information about the practice of medicine.

The result, what its creators have tagged "AMA 2.0," will achieve this goal by being more physician-focused and easier to navigate. It's viewed as the next generation Web site woven part and parcel into the fabric of the AMA.

The first step of this endeavor was an inventory of the utilization challenges posed by the existing Web site. For instance, that format lacked the flexibility to accommodate the AMA's evolving communication and marketplace needs. As a consequence, it spawned numerous offshoots, which were often confusing to members and consumers. The ultimate concern was that the AMA's resources were going unnoticed by those who could benefit from them -- the physicians of America.

The project gained momentum in July 2008 when the AMA brought in a team of interactivity specialists and set to work, staging surveys with physicians to ensure the site's organization made sense. More than 1,100 physicians were questioned about their use of the site's previous iteration. Physician focus groups also were convened to determine how they would perceive and arrange content.

Now that the product has been launched, the results are evident. Notably, it follows a clear navigational path -- an intuitive interface that helps visitors navigate it with greater ease.

Site offerings are arranged in categories such as education and careers, legislation and advocacy, and medical journals. Each has a mouse-over menu to show some of the most popular resources.

In addition, more content is directly available from the home page. Examples are the links to continuing medical education, clinical procedure terminology and medical journals. Medical students can connect to FREIDA Online to find accredited training programs. The site also features expanding and collapsing topic menus that can be tailored to the user's preference. The AMA's popular DoctorFinder will still be available.

The site also offers dedicated sections designed to help physicians and physicians-in-training easily zero in on what is most relevant to their individual needs.

For instance, practicing physicians can obtain useful billing and reimbursement resources, along with patient-education tools, practice-management tips and information about clinical references and practice standards.

Residents can benefit from advice about the rigors of residency and handling medical school education debt. For medical students, the revamped Web site will provide insights on topics such as financial aid and choosing a medical specialty.

Even with all these changes, this redesign is only the beginning. The goal is to continually improve the AMA's online presence. That vision also focuses on making the information it provides dynamic and timely -- updated daily with advocacy messages and news pages. Speaking of the news, every day you'll find a prominent link on the site's home page that will take you to the full content of American Medical News.

Years of experience in the online world have amply shown that it is not enough to offer information -- site visitors must easily be able to sort through it. Now the AMA's wealth of resources will be more readily accessed by all who visit.

Because of this streamlined access, the revamped Web site will be an even more potent way to aid physicians not only in the day-to-day practice of medicine, but in shaping the health system's future. In every regard, it will provide physicians with more of the tools they need to help patients.