TeleHealth Services and Stormont-Vail HealthCare Partner to Drive Positive Patient Outcomes through Interactive Education

TOPEKA, Kan. and RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare-grade televisions and interactive patient education solutions, today announced a partnership with Stormont-Vail HealthCare as part of the facility's strategy to drive optimal patient outcomes through enhanced patient education. Recognized as a Magnet hospital for excellence in nursing services, the Kansas-based not-for-profit community hospital determined the need for securing a partner who could provide improved patient education while aiding in their patient satisfaction efforts, and drive efficiency in their clinical workflows.

Looking to bolster its national reputation for excellent medical care and being a leading source for healthcare information, Stormont-Vail wanted to provide its patients with an interactive patient education experience. After comparing providers, Stormont-Vail HealthCare chose TeleHealth Services for their expertise in providing cutting-edge interactive patient engagement technology and over fifty years of healthcare experience. TeleHealth Services' reputation for quality service also played a big role in the decision.

"The patient experience has been the No. 1 initiative of our hospital for many years," said Michelle Niedens, Director of Education Programs at Stormont-Vail HealthCare. "TeleHealth's TIGR family of interactive education and entertainment systems will help enhance the patient-centered experience we are providing at our facility. We strongly believe that providing on-demand education sessions will result in safer and more efficient care by increasing the number of teachable moments. By providing patient education at the opportune moment, the system's integration can lead to improved patient satisfaction, enhanced outcomes and clinical workflow efficiencies. We see TeleHealth, with their rich history in providing turnkey solutions to enrich the patient setting, as the industry leader when it comes to interactive patient education, giving them unique insight into our initiatives and making them a true partner in our success."

As the nation's leading interactive patient engagement solution, TIGR enables hospitals to improve the patient experience while increasing the value, quality and service of healthcare delivery. TIGR features 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. "The ease of use of this interactive patient education system makes it a versatile teaching method for patients of any age or education level," added Niedens.

"TeleHealth Services serves as a trusted business partner, helping facilities adopt technology to provide an interactive education experience. The families and patients are the ultimate beneficiary. Stormont-Vail has an impressive history of driving innovation through its use of healthcare information technology," said Dan Nathan, Vice President and General Manager of TeleHealth Services. "The hospital's decision to offer interactive patient education is the next logical step in the evolution of its mission to achieve increasingly higher standards of clinical excellence, improve outcomes and build a healthy future for the patients in its community."

About Stormont-Vail HealthCare

Stormont-Vail HealthCare is an integrated health care system comprised of Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center, a 586-bed acute care hospital, and the Cotton-O'Neil Clinic, which employs 191 physicians, and features a Heart Center, Cancer Center, Digestive Health Center and Diabetes Center. Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center has the region's only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care unit, the region's only verified Trauma Center and the region's only Primary Stroke Center. Stormont-Vail employs more than 4,000 people and serves a 14-county area in northeast Kansas.

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