Henry Ford Health Products decided to launch a Web site with their healthcare product offerings several years ago, in order to make it easier for patients to order products for their medical needs, and to take advantage of e-commerce features and cost reductions.

The Web site, www.henryfordhealthproducts.com, has been up and running for about a year and half now, and John Geerer, manager of marketing and customer relations, is happy with the way it’s been working.

“Henry Ford Health Products saw a real need to make ordering products as easy as possible for our customers,” he said.  “People are often so busy that being able to order online and have products delivered without any hassle can make a huge difference in their lives.”

The end goal, he said, is to offer “high-quality products at as low a price as possible.”

One way Henry Ford Health Products accomplishes that is by drop-shipping orders directly to the customer, thus reducing overhead and decreasing overall costs.

The Web site sells everything “from A to Z” for home medical equipment, “but that’s not where we want to stop,” Geerer said, noting products such as Cover FX make-up for people with disfiguring scars or discoloration.  He is looking to introduce new product lines in the near future, the result of partnerships in diverse product areas.

The Web site allows customers to order using their insurance, where eligible, although it cannot tell individual co-pay amounts since those must be verified by the insurance company.  (Customers are notified of co-pays after the order is processed.)

Customers are encouraged to sign up for email reminders to alert them to reorder products.  Geerer used the example of diabetes testing supplies.  “Reminders will be sent out when it’s time to reorder,” he said.

Once the email recipient clicks “yes,” he or she is taken to a Web page with the products to order, already checked off, based on their reorder history and order eligibility.  Another couple of clicks and the customer is done.  “It’s literally about four clicks,” Geerer said.  “It couldn’t be easier.”