Issue Brief Addresses Patient Education and Engagement Initiatives, and Their Positive Impact on Achieving Meaningful Use Requirements

RALEIGH, N.C., March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Patient education and engagement play an important role in hospitals' quests to  improve medical outcomes, boost patient satisfaction ratings, and achieve meaningful use requirements issued by The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS). The third in a series of issue briefs from TeleHealth Services examines specific patient education efforts and results at a large acute care hospital, and how improved patient engagement is helping clinicians better prepare patients and their families for post-discharge care, resulting in reduced readmissions, cost savings, and improved quality of care.

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in addition to improved outcomes and increased patient satisfaction, patient education efforts can lower underuse or overuse of medical services and reduce readmissions, which in turn reduces healthcare costs and aligns with new federally mandated Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement requirements.

This third installment of TeleHealth's three part series on meaningful use, written by Jodi DeMarco Ph.D, Interactive Solutions Advisor for TeleHealth Services, explores these topics more closely, and documents how Mission Hospital in Asheville, North Carolina is finding a balance between technology and the human touch in healthcare to make significant progress in patient education, multi-cultural communication, and care plan coordination. It is available for free download at http://www.telehealth.com.

"Well-informed and involved patients demonstrate enhanced compliance, and better understand how to take care of themselves more effectively following discharge," explains TeleHealth Services President and CEO, George Fleming.  "Hospitals are using comprehensive care planning and interactive tools to help patients and their families better understand their conditions and treatment, facilitating communication, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Armed with the information they need to better understand their conditions and care plans, patients and their families are taking a more active role in healthcare decision making and sharing in treatment decisions."

This article is written by Jodi DeMarco Ph.D, Interactive Solutions Advisor for TeleHealth Services. She has spent more than a decade in the hospital/patient setting serving as project manager for patient education at the Cleveland Clinic, and has taught at several universities.

The third of three TeleHealth meaningful use briefs is available for free download at http://www.telehealth.com/. The first and second briefs are still available at http://www.telehealth.com/hospital-televisions-news-events.

About TeleHealth Services
With more than 2,500 healthcare clients across the country, TeleHealth Services is the nation's leading provider of integrated technology and communications solutions for the healthcare market. Combining 50+ years of healthcare expertise and partnerships with industry leading manufacturers, TeleHealth Services is uniquely positioned to offer a full suite of hospital technology solutions that includes:

• Interactive patient and staff education platforms
• Healthcare grade televisions and accessories
• Bedside patient entertainment solutions
• The latest educational and entertainment content
• Comprehensive design, implementation, and service packages
• Flexible financing solutions

Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., TeleHealth Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation. Telerent, founded in 1957, operates as a subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc. For more information on TeleHealth, call 800-733-8610, or visit at http://www.telehealth.com/.

SOURCE TeleHealth Services