Piedmont Healthcare and TeleHealth Services Collaborate to Improve Patient Health Initiatives

ATLANTA and RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare-grade televisions and interactive patient engagement solutions, is partnering with Piedmont Healthcare (PHC) in implementing a comprehensive, customized patient-centered environment designed to improve patient education and provide interactive communication. These technological and process enhancements will help speed patient recovery, reduce readmissions and length of stay and involve patients more directly in better understanding and managing their care.

Piedmont Healthcare sought a solutions provider that embraced utilizing the latest in technology to enhance quality of care. Knowing that improved patient engagement reduces preventable readmissions and could help them meet their care coordination objectives, Piedmont decided to implement a system-wide interactive patient education system. By aiding education adherence during key transitional periods during their recovery, patients are better equipped to manage their conditions and health behaviors. Based on their ability to provide a full technology solution and a wealth of experience in the healthcare industry, Piedmont immediately turned to long-time partner, TeleHealth Services.

TeleHealth is equipping Piedmont Hospital and Piedmont Fayette Hospital with a full enterprise TIGR™ system, providing on-demand patient education and patient engagement solutions to the hospitals in the system. Additionally, the TIGR system features patient surveying and reporting to facilitate immediate service recovery and aid in Piedmont's quality and patient satisfaction efforts. Piedmont's patient-centered solution also includes enhancements to their healthcare television system. Samsung healthcare-grade televisions and new Curbell Gen4™ direct-access pillow speakers will help to create a home-like atmosphere for patients, while providing flexibility for future entertainment options.

"The dedication and hard work of our clinicians, leadership and IT teams have enabled PHC to use healthcare information technology to improve our clinical effectiveness, as evidenced by the system's awards for nursing and clinical excellence," said Beth Nault, corporate director of training and development at Piedmont Healthcare. "By integrating support tools such as interactive patient education systems within the clinical care environment, our patients are making more informed decisions about their care, which creates better, safer outcomes for our patients. Additionally, TeleHealth has truly shared our vision of using technology as an aid in creating improved staff workflow efficiencies. Our nurses," Nault added, "are invaluable resources, and TeleHealth's TIGR on-demand interactive patient engagement solution allows them to spend more time providing care at the patient's bedside. We look forward to our continued collaboration, working together to improve patient care, satisfaction and workflow efficiencies."

"The leadership team at PHC had a true vision of using home-like amenities and interactive patient education to improve patient safety, clinical outcomes and overall patient satisfaction," said Richard Bootes, vice president of Development at TeleHealth Services. "We're proud to be working with Piedmont to help transform healthcare, and we congratulate them on being recognized as one of the top technology-focused systems in the United States."

About Piedmont Healthcare:

Piedmont Healthcare (PHC), a not-for-profit organization, is the parent company of Piedmont Hospital, a 481-bed acute tertiary care facility in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead and the top acute-care community hospital in metro Atlanta in the 2011-12 U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals list; Piedmont Fayette Hospital, a 157-bed, acute-care community hospital in Fayetteville; Piedmont Mountainside Hospital, a 42-bed community hospital in Jasper; and Piedmont Newnan Hospital, a 143-bed, acute-care community hospital in Newnan. PHC also is the parent company of Piedmont Heart Institute (PHI), comprising of more than 100 affiliated cardiovascular specialists in Piedmont Heart Institute Physicians with over 30 locations across north Georgia; the Piedmont Physicians Group, a multi-specialty group with more than 100 primary care physicians in over 35 offices, in addition to more than 20 specialists in over 15 locations across greater Atlanta; Piedmont Clinic, a 700-member physician network; and Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, the philanthropic entity for private fundraising initiatives. Three Piedmont Healthcare hospitals--Piedmont Hospital, Piedmont Fayette Hospital and Piedmont Mountainside Hospital--have received top ratings from patients among metro Atlanta hospitals according to the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey results for the past three years. For more information about Piedmont Healthcare, visit piedmont.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 877-432-9076, or visit at http://www.telehealth.com/.

SOURCE TeleHealth Services