Methodist Healthcare in Memphis, Tenn., has launched a Web site that provides a virtual tour of Methodist University Hospital, the Memphis Daily News reports. The site also includes educational and preregistration information, and a system for scheduling appointments or receiving physician referrals.
The online Virtual Welcome Center features videos focusing on general hospital information, and introduces patients to the hospital's Neuroscience Institute. The videos detail specific services offered at the institute, such as brain tumor treatments, spine surgeries, and epilepsy and stroke treatments.
The Web site is an extension of a Methodist surgical program that posts video of procedures on the Internet. Since 2004, Methodist has broadcasted live surgeries on the Web, including a brain tumor removal, a total knee replacement and a herniated disc repair, the Daily News reports.
When the hospital began advertising and marketing the Welcome Center earlier this month, traffic on the Web site increased 60%, Kim Ogle of Methodist's marketing and communications department, said (Hearn, Memphis Daily News, 10/24).