The Banner Health Organization

The Banner Health Organization collects a lot of information from its clients since the business is on medical and health services which requires that the client provide personal information, medical histories, family background, employment conditions, personal habits and living conditions as well as family medical and health conditions. The online website of the organization also collects a number of information such as name, age, credit card number, billing addresses, email, and gender.

Banner Health Organization is located in several cities and states in the country with the objective of providing quality medical and health services to the American public. When a client comes to the hospital for medical attention, the organization necessarily collects pertinent information that would aid in the correct diagnosis and assessment of the client’s condition. Personal information, current vital signs, medical conditions, laboratory test results, and the like are immediately gathered from the client upon seeking medical assistance (Castle, 2003).

These data would help doctors and medical personnel assess and monitor the health of the patient. Other information like family background, living conditions, type of job, and the like are also asked if needed and requested for further analysis of the patient’s conditions. On the other hand, the online website offers services and information which only requires minimum personal information that would enable the organization to contact the client for future services.

Most of the information gathered from the website would be demographic (Bennett, Briggs & Triola, 2009) and those of a cyber trail than anything else. The type of information collected in this organization can be varied ranging from simple demographic data such as name, ethnicity, religion, gender, age and job to more complex ones such as narratives of medical histories, personal habits, working conditions and the events that led to the present condition. Laboratory test results, x-rays, ultrasound, or any imaging test results are all very technical in terms and needs to be read by a qualified doctor.

Information are documented and placed in the patient’s chart for easy access of the doctor and nurses attending to the patient. The website information is encrypted and the organization strictly enforces the privacy act and protects the identity of the client. As a medical and health services organization, the goal is always to accurately diagnose, treat and prevent illnesses and medical conditions. In most cases, customers browse the website for information and to find out whether visiting a hospital or doctor is warranted.

The website however does not collect information regarding the purpose or objective of the customer for viewing and accessing the site (Castle, 2003). I think that finding out the reasons of the customer for visiting the site should be collected from the customer. Although it should not contain specific medical or health details but rather a simple checklist would do, for example when the client goes to the physician’s tab, the customer should be asked whether he/she is in need of medical assistance at that time or not.

This would help the organization identify which type of customers visit the site and what their needs are when they click on the services provided in the website (Bennett, Briggs & Triola, 2009). At the same time, the actual facility or hospitals also must collect information on how the customers heard about Banner Health and whether they had visited the online website or not and whether the information and services provided in the website had influenced the patient to go the actual hospital.

These information are important so that the organization would be able to define the relationship of the website to that of the hospital. The objective was to find out whether prior experience with the website hence the organization would lead to actual health and medical consultation or treatment. It is a reality also that most illnesses or medical conditions are caused by the hectic and stressful lifestyle of the individual (Milloy, 2001).

The hospital actually does not collect information about the stress level of the patients unless the patient has exhibited psychological distress. It is important to know whether the patient is stressed or not since it would help in determining the health status of the patient. The emotional state of the customers is also not recorded unless a personal interview has been conducted. However, knowing the emotional state of the patient would be useful to the nurses and staff who must interact with the patient.

Even a general assessment of emotional state should be included in all incoming patients and this information should be shared to the staff attending to the patient. Gathering information on the purpose for accessing the organization’s website would aid in the development of the website to become more aligned to the patient’s needs. It would also tell the organization whether patients are significantly influenced by the website, such that the website inspires trust of Banner Health’s integrity as a healthcare provider.

It would also aid in the development of a marketing research for the organization which would later lead to more innovations and programs and decision-making shortcuts. Finding out how patients heard of Banner Health and whether they had accessed the website would indicate that the website was useful and the best in the field. It would also aid in reaching a decision on whether the organization should improve the website, build awareness of the services and facilities of the organization and more.