Groupon now if doctors do it. With certified offers and communication according to the rules of professional ethics. The idea comes from the Order of Bologna, the same one that a few months ago put some professionals under "observation" for the advertisements published on the well-known social shopping site: if the crisis sharpens the search for savings also in the field of health services, then the OMCEO provides its members with communication tools in which respect for ethics and transparency are elements of absolute guarantee for the patient. Hence Trovamedicobologna.it, the portal from which doctors in the province of Bologna will be able to present services and services provided in the private sector to the public. Since last week, the site has been online only for professionals, so that they can register and prepare the elements of their communication: professional curriculum, indication of the studios or structures in which they work, services and any offers. Then, from September, the portal will also become navigable by citizens, who will thus be able to search for what is right for them. «The portal» explains the president of Omceo Bologna, Giancarlo Pizza «aims to be a showcase in which doctors can present themselves to the public to communicate their services, or if necessary launch offers or services. In this era of wild low cost, we wanted to propose an initiative that would provide the public with every guarantee».
The difference compared to Groupon? All the promotions that will pass from Trovamedicobol! ogna.it will be filtered in advance by the Order, which will approve the contents of the communication and will supervise the correctness of qualifications and specializations. And it will collect any comments or reports from those who have used some service. «The orders exist above all to protect citizens» observes Pizza «therefore the portal will also be the tool with which to allow patients to make reports which we will then examine with due attention».
Registration on the portal, which is managed by an external company, involves the doctor paying an annual fee of 100 euros plus VAT, to which must be added the payment to the manager of a 10% commission for each service booked through the portal (free the first 5). «We have already received requests for information from other Orders» concludes Pizza «the initiative seems to attract interest».
July 23, 2012 – DoctorNews
