LodgeNet Healthcare and Washington D.C. VA Medical Center Partner on Improving Care for Veterans

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LodgeNet Healthcare today announced a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Washington DC (DCVAMC) to provide interactive patient television to enhance care provided for hospitalized veterans.  The Washington DC VA Medical Center is one of the most dynamic hospitals in the nation's largest health system.  The tertiary care teaching facility treats over 75,000 veterans each year and has over 600,000 outpatient visits.  

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Dr. Divya Shroff, DCVAMC's Associate Chief of Staff for Informatics, has been spearheading this project cooperatively with LodgeNet Healthcare.  "Our effort with LodgeNet is aimed at improving access to information for our patients.  Veterans will find themselves much more knowledgeable about the care they are receiving, able to access their education on demand, and better acquainted with the people providing that care," explains Dr. Shroff.  The solution from LodgeNet provides an interactive television experience giving patients easy access to relevant care information.  The LodgeNetRX Interactive Patient Television System will be integrated with the VA's VistA health information system and will display patient specific care team information in addition to the patient's schedule.  This will allow patients to better comprehend who is involved in their care and the role that person plays.  "Patients have told us this is the kind of information they want to know and LodgeNet helped us find a way to deliver it," said Dr. Shroff.  

Dr. Shroff is no stranger to listening to patient feedback.  She was part of a team that developed an electronic patient discharge instruction template making it easier for patients to follow their doctors' post hospitalization instructions.  The effort helped earn her team first place in the VA Under Secretary for Health's National Customer Service Award program.  "It has been a privilege to work with Dr. Shroff and the VA team on this project," said LodgeNet Healthcare's General Manager Gary Kolbeck.  "Our products ease of use coupled with our company's integration capabilities will improve care for veterans at the VA Medical Center and create a better patient experience."  

LodgeNet Healthcare, a division of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (Nasdaq: LNET) continues to expand their footprint with hospitals dedicated to improving the patient experience.  Kolbeck adds, "We've worked very closely with our hospital partners to identify what information their patients want access to.  Once identified, we display it in a very practical and easy to use fashion."  LodgeNet has over 30 years of experience in delivering reliable interactive television.  Their understanding of network architecture, integration, and interactive content delivery makes them unique.  LodgeNet Healthcare will be discussing and demonstrating their capabilities at the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) conference in March 1 – 4 in Atlanta, and the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) Conference March 14-17 in San Diego.

About LodgeNet Interactive

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation is the leading provider of media and connectivity solutions designed to meet the unique needs of hospitality, healthcare and other guest-based businesses.  LodgeNet Interactive serves more than 1.9 million hotel rooms representing 10,000 hotel properties worldwide in addition to healthcare facilities throughout the United States.  The company's services include:  Interactive Television Solutions, Broadband Internet Solutions, Content Solutions, Professional Solutions and Advertising Media Solutions.  LodgeNet Interactive Corporation owns and operates businesses under the industry leading brands:  LodgeNet, LodgeNetRX, and The Hotel Networks.  LodgeNet Interactive is listed on NASDAQ and trades under the symbol LNET.  For more information, please visit www.lodgenet.com. 

LodgeNet and LodgeNetRX are registered trademarks of LodgeNet Interactive Corporation.  Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

SOURCE LodgeNet Interactive