Nash Health Care Systems Partners with TeleHealth Services to Enhance Patient Experience and Improve Clinical Operations

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. and RALEIGH, N.C., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare-grade televisions and interactive patient education solutions, today announced that it has partnered with Nash Health Care Systems as part of the hospital's strategy to increase patient satisfaction and advance their interactive healthcare initiatives. In an effort to further balance their patient engagement efforts with their EMR strategy, Nash determined the need for securing a partner who could provide a full turnkey solution and increased interactivity with other hospital technologies.

Looking to enhance its facility operations, Nash began a comprehensive strategy to improve the hospital experience by being progressive and consumer responsive. Nash sought to create a multi-sensory education program to aid in meeting their "meaningful use" criteria for patient and family engagement, and began a thorough search for an interactive patient education and entertainment system provider. After comparing providers, Nash chose TeleHealth because of its extensive background in the healthcare industry, robust entertainment and patient education offerings as well as its full service solutions mantra. TeleHealth Services' integrated patient education solutions combined with leading support and flexible financing options were forefront in the decision.

"Excellent healthcare today is defined not just by clinical services, but by the quality of the patient experience," said Vandora Holt, Director of Patient Education for Nash Health Care Systems. "We wanted to provide the best experience available, in a way that flawlessly meets the wants and needs of our patients. TeleHealth Services understands the healthcare setting and is the ideal partner to help us employ a patient-driven model to achieve that goal. Although exceptional care is already a significant part of the Nash culture, we are committed to addressing the constantly changing needs of our patients. Healthcare is more consumer-driven than ever, and the key to continued success is evaluating our business through the eyes of our patients and shifting our strategy to meet their needs."

As the nation's leading interactive patient education solution, TIGR enables hospitals to improve the patient experience while increasing the value, quality and service of healthcare delivery. TIGR is an interactive patient and staff education system featuring video-on-demand access to a hospital's entire library of educational videos available directly at the patient's bedside. Complemented by automated documentation capabilities and comprehension testing, TIGR simplifies education delivery while providing automated service recovery to proactively respond to patient feedback. TIGR helps healthcare facilities engage patients throughout the recovery continuum.

"As hospitals prepare for stimulus incentives and the implementation of Electronic Health Record systems, interactive care systems have become very powerful tools in providing exceptional care and empowering patients in the health care process," stated Richard Bootes, vice president of development of TeleHealth Services. "Nash Health Care Systems has always taken an innovative approach to providing interactive patient education, seeing the true benefit in the documentation of the education session and reducing the cost of care while providing optimal clinical care. Nash Health Care Systems is an organization that embraces the idea that technology, when used properly, can clearly improve the patient and clinical experience. By maximizing the interoperability of our solution, Nash can standardize care delivery resulting in enhanced compliance with Joint Commission standards, National Patient Safety Goals and CMS reimbursement criteria. We are looking forward to working with their staff to deliver new tools to help enable patient-centered care."

About Nash Healthcare Systems:

Nash Health Care Systems is a hospital authority in Rocky Mount, NC, comprised of four distinct hospitals: Nash General Hospital, Nash Day Hospital, Coastal Plain Hospital and the Bryant T. Aldridge Rehabilitation Center. It serves Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax, Wilson and Johnston counties, but draws patients from beyond these areas as well.

Nash Health Care Systems boasts a diverse and growing medical staff of approximately 170 physicians including general surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, family medicine specialists, neurosurgeons, internists, gastroenterologists, plastic surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists, urologists, gynecologists and more. NHCS' philosophy of health care has been shaped by its vision of the future and its spirit of excellence. Recent system-wide quality improvement efforts have received national awards. Numerous other programs and initiatives have received national recognition and generated interest from across the country.

For more information on Nash Health Care Systems, visit www.nhcs.org.

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
• Patient protection and security systems
• Bedside patient entertainment solutions
• The latest educational and entertainment content
• Custom designed communication systems
• 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