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RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology is a critical topic when discussing the continuum of care for a patient, especially in the hospital setting where facilities are expecting to see increases in Joint Commission compliance standards. Nowhere was that more evident than at the Baltimore Waterfront Marriott last week where TeleHealth Services held their marquee patient education event of the year.
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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081023/NY41120 )
The TIGR User Conference, a forum where best practices, resources and experiences with patient and staff education systems can be shared, had executives from more than 50 of the nation's leading hospitals attend to learn more about maximizing interactive patient education systems in their daily workflow. The sessions focused on enabling attendees to develop and deliver solutions that leverage the full capabilities of the interactive on-demand systems. Keynote speaker, and one of the nation's leading authorities in pediatric nursing and Joint Commission standards, Francine Westergaard said: "It's refreshing to see an educational initiative like the TIGR User Conference emerge into to such a powerful concept within the healthcare community."
The event began with a keynote address from Westergaard on the importance of education in the accreditation processes. Said Westergaard: "Hats off to TeleHealth Services for being visionaries within the healthcare industry, and being responsible corporate partners in bringing an educational endeavor of such validity and importance to the healthcare technology community."
The program featured clinical and technical learning tracks to enhance the capabilities of the system within the facility. The technical track focused on the solutions knowledge and how to capitalize on rapidly evolving opportunities such as EMR interactivity, High-Definition (HD) content and discharge management. The clinical track concentrated on maximizing the on-demand system's value and utilization in improving the hospital's quality of care initiatives. Ruth Gonsoski, Perinatal Program Manager at Northridge Hospital said, "Our TIGR system serves as the cornerstone for our facility's drive for exemplary service. Since the implementation of our TIGR patient education system our OB unit won the most improved OB unit for exemplary service in 2007. This was the only OB unit recognized out of 283 hospitals considered for the award. The TIGR system played an integral role in winning all 19 Avatar awards for service, quality of care and patient education excellence throughout the CHW system. Venues like this allow for thought collaboration between leading hospitals to discuss inventive new ways to utilize the system to further our patient and staff satisfaction aptitudes."
The final portion of the curriculum was a panel of interactive patient education system practitioners in which attendees could gain perspective and insight on best practices for delivering a patient facing solution. The panel featured users in various stages of implementation and provided a wealth of content dealing with topics from internal and external product awareness, innovative uses of the system, meshing the functionality into daily workflow, and quantifiable metrics on the benefits that interactive patient and staff education systems provide. George Fleming, President and CEO of TeleHealth Services said, "From all the feedback we have received, hearing the perspectives of our panelists was a huge advantage for all involved. The technology is evolving, giving us increasingly patient-friendly, simple and effective solutions to aid in delivering quality care within a medical setting. Patients and providers are embracing connected health systems to improve care, communication and quality of life." With a mix of healthcare executives, educators, and staff working with an on-demand solution, synergies on maximizing the solution's potential in a number of cross functional areas resonated for everyone in attendance. It made the benefits of an interactive patient education system an achievable reality.
TeleHealth Service's TIGR(R) brand of products include cutting-edge interactive communications and information systems that deliver patient amenities and provide the quantifiable metrics to drive facility quality initiatives and satisfaction standards. By delivering the most scalable and extensive selection of powerful communication and educational tools, TeleHealth Service's TIGR and TigrNet customizable platforms improve patient satisfaction scores, provide support for clinical staff, help automate workflow and aid in clinical accountability. By using a familiar delivery channel, patients and staff can access valuable education, communication and entertainment resources to improve the recovery process.
About TeleHealth Services:
TeleHealth Services, headquartered in Raleigh, NC, is the nation's leading provider of integrated communications solutions for the healthcare market: bedside access to entertainment, education and services; patient and staff video-on-demand education systems; hospital-grade televisions and accessories; education and entertainment content; system installation, maintenance and financing services. TeleHealth Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation, which has been headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, since its founding in 1957. Telerent itself is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc., a U.S. company based in New York City and a Global 500 corporation.
For more information on TeleHealth, call 800-733-8610, or visit at http://www.telehealth.com/.
Contact: Matthew K. Barker Director of Marketing TeleHealth Services 919-772-8604 [email protected]
SOURCE TeleHealth Services
