Recent laws in New Jersey and California represent a disturbing trend that will negatively impact a practice’s ability to collect monies from patients, as well as expose them to significant penalties if the practice does not follow the mandatory guidelines to a T. Please be aware that a similar law may be coming to your state. The time to act is before the law is passed.
The Internet -- an "Indispensable" Medium
Ten years ago, most Americans were not even aware of the existence of the Internet, let alone surfing the World Wide Web or sending and receiving e-mail. Now, nearly 3/4 of American adult Internet users say they simply can't do without that access.
According to the latest results from the "1997 American Internet User Survey," 73% of the adults queried said the Internet was "very indespensable" or "somewhat indispensable." Only 27% said that they could manage without Internet access.
Considering the fact that 31 million Americans currently use the Internet and e-mail, the survey results would extrapolate to more than 20 million users dependent on the Internet being in their daily lives. It also strongly indicates that the Internet is not a fad; that it is here to stay and will only continue to grow as a medium for communications, advertising, information gathering, and the exchange of ideas.
Reference
The 1997 American Internet User Survey. Available from the Emerging Technologies Research Group ([url=http://etrg.findsvp.com]http://etrg.findsvp.com[/url]).