VA Long Beach Healthcare System Launches Innovative Education Program to Enhance Veteran Experience and Engagement

LONG BEACH, Calif., Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- VA Long Beach Healthcare System of Long Beach has announced today the launch of an innovative patient education program to improve outcomes and the Veteran Experience. The program, titled VIP Experience - Patient Education Transformed, gives Veterans a state-of-the-art healthcare experience while providing new tools to enhance provider-Veteran engagement both in-person and virtually.

To effectively educate and engage patients and their care providers across the care continuum, the program is comprised of:

• Over 3,000 video and print patient-focused educational resources.
• Guideline-compliant education modules with targeted learning objectives for patient-specific assignments.
• Custom animated videos aimed at improving health system navigation and promoting essential system resources.
• Robust analytics tools to monitor the use and engagement of the program.
• Promotional tools and materials that can be tailored to specific patient populations to prompt engagement

The solution is fully integrated with VistA-CPRS (the VA's proprietary electronic medical record (EMR) and will also integrate with Cerner following the Vista-to-Cerner migration. Veterans can see useful information 24/7/365 on any internet-enabled device, on-demand via patient TVs, and in video books to support learning for non-Wi-Fi enabled delivery.

"We are very excited to have such innovative, virtual education programs on hand for our patients," said Walt Dannenberg, Director at VALBHS. "This project will allow us to have a collection of a multitude of different types of videos for our Veterans and family members or anyone interested in the Long Beach Healthcare System. It allows Veterans to access different educational tools 24/7 so they can come to their appointment and interact with their provider equipped with the educated list of questions that they've developed themselves. I think it's going to be a terrific opportunity for us to improve not only our experience but also the education of our Veterans on the services we provide."

This program was developed by a team of experts in outcomes-driven patient education and engagement solutions. The team - comprised of content and EMR implementation experts from The Wellness Network, digital solutions and outcomes experts from eVideon, and the Emmy Award-winning animation production team from Health Nuts Media – is working with division chiefs at the VA to build the VIP Experience to meet their patients' needs and clinician's workflow.

"As a long-time partner in over 30 VA hospitals, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage and activate Veterans with education and connect it to workflow," said Dave Ross, CEO at The Wellness Network. "VA Long Beach's vision is to leverage their electronic health records infrastructure and our educational content and software to reimagine the Veteran-specific education and experience. This program complements the Long Beach clinical, quality, patient support, and experience teams' expertise and will deliver measurable results that can be used to improve the Veteran experience and outcomes continuously. This solution is easily adaptable and scalable to other VA centers looking to become a center of excellence for their Veterans."

"We are honored to work closely with another VA," said Jeff Ingle, Founder and President at eVideon. "VALBHS continues to work hard for the Veterans of Southern California and provide some of the most unique offerings to their patients. We anticipate a great partnership, with results that provide wide-reaching benefits for the community. Providing opportunities for learning, engagement and follow-up for our Veterans is so important, and I am honored that eVideon can help provide solutions to make engagement easier for all involved."

One of the program's most creative elements is a series of custom animated videos from Health Nuts Media. Ranging in focus from welcoming new patients to the Long Beach VA to explain what to expect in a patient journey to tips on accessing specialized eye care, these videos use animation to help tell the story. Tim Jones, CEO of Health Nuts Media, notes, "Going back to Frank Capra, Ted Geisel, Mel Blanc, and the animators at Warner Bros. who produced animated videos for the military in the 1940s, animation has long been used to overcome literacy and health literacy issues, break down cultural barriers, and deliver important health information. The leadership team at VA Long Beach has an impressive vision for delivering a transformational patient education experience for Veterans in the 21^st century, and we are honored to be a part of it."

Marrying an innovative education program with digital tools to enhance the provider-patient experience, VALBHS with the support of eVideon, The Wellness Network, and Health Nuts Media, aims to improve outcomes and the overall experience for Veterans in Southern California.

About VALBHS: 
VA Long Beach Healthcare System (VALBHS) is one of the most diversified health care systems in VA, and it includes Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center located in Long Beach, California, and six Community-Based Outpatient Clinics located in Anaheim, Gardena, Laguna Hills, Santa Ana, Santa Fe Springs, and Villages at Cabrillo in Long Beach. VALBHS provides comprehensive inpatient, outpatient, and extended care programs. It employs over 3,000 employees and is the healthcare provider of choice for more than 50,000 Veterans. Active in both research and education, VALBHS partners with universities and education centers across Southern California to train new generations of healthcare leaders.

About eVideon:
eVideon provides patient experience and engagement solutions for hospitals via a suite of bedside engagement systems, TV, digital signage, digital whiteboards, video visiting solutions, and other interactive displays. Patients enjoy the convenience of self-service at the bedside with access to entertainment, education, hospital services, and more while staff enjoy streamlined, paperless workflows. Interactive surveys and patient feedback help patients communicate needs and help hospitals respond before dissatisfiers turn into HCAHPS issues. The platform leverages integrations with the hospital's EMR, along with other technologies to provide a streamlined, digital patient experience. Data analytics provide valuable insights into patient behaviors and pain points, letting hospitals improve service and outcomes. Learn more at www.evideon.com.

About The Wellness Network:
The Wellness Network (TWN) improves health outcomes through thoughtful development and innovative delivery of clinically reviewed health, wellness and patient education for health systems, payers, employers, and health care providers. With 42 years of experience providing actionable education solutions that impact over 12 million patients and caregivers annually, TWN continues to innovate as a dedicated partner with a commitment of education for better health. For more information, please visit TheWellnessNetwork.net.

About Health Nuts Media:
Health Nuts Media (HNM) specializes in understanding the barriers and facilitators of successful communication, using animation and narrative storytelling to engage, educate, and empower patients and staff alike. The human brain is a story processor, not a data processor; that's why HNM uses the power of story to create highly entertaining "teachable moments" that are Seriously Fun! HealthNutsMedia.com

SOURCE VA Long Beach Healthcare System; The Wellness Network; eVideon; Health Nuts Media