ABSTRACT

Orienting information allows a provider organization to introduce itself to patients and prospective patients with basic information about the organization, as well as setting the tone for how to navigate the system. Some might even characterize a website’s orienting information as the organization’s “electronic brochure”, because Orienting is a uniquely unidirectional activity with all communiques flowing from the provider organization to the intended consumer/patient audiences in a publicly accessible format. Perhaps the most basic and frequently sought Orienting information on a provider’s website involves the “where” and “when” of the service delivery. A critical topic under the Orienting umbrella involves “how” patients can pay for the services rendered. While Payment information will vary significantly by country as well as the type of service covered, all provider organizations have some type of expectation regarding a patient’s financial obligations.