Banner ads for hospitals... raising awareness or patients?

[Dawn Torrence Ireland]

Is anyone else a little bit disturbed by the banner ads all over myspace and facebook and google when you search for CDH? Tonight I was blasted with the following one for hours on end:

Sponsored Links
CDH Fetal Surgery

Diaphragmatic hernia treated by experienced fetal surgeons

It had a link to a hospital. Yes, they do fetal surgery. Rather new at it but doing well from what I hear. But still.... is this just marketing for patients or actually offering help? Maybe because I saw it 100's of times in one night, it's annoying me. But still not sitting well.

What do you all think? I'm curious on how everyone feels about hospitals doing this.

[MelissaKelly]

Hospitals are a business like everything else. I don't take it any more seriously than billboards all over town proclaiming which one has the better cardiac center, or women's clinics, or whatever. I'd rather see popups online for this stuff than penis enlargements. =D

Although it should be a bonus that they're advertising that they treat CDH patients, since awareness of the defect is one of the goals here. I guess it's a win?

[Corin Nava]

I think that it registers what you search for and gives you ads based on that. I am always getting the banners for CDH and for Wedding cakes and I highly doubt its a coincidence.

It is sad that our entire health care system is run as a business. What really ticks me off is all these medication ads you see on TV. You should not go to your doctor and say I need THIS drug. You should go to the doctor and say I have THESE SYMPTOMS and let the doctor prescribe something. Grrrr.... it all gets to me. Especially since symptoms are often so broad.