RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TeleHealth Services, the nation’s leading provider of interactive patient engagement solutions, has partnered with Healthwise to create an evidence-based patient education program for their healthcare clients.
Healthwise’s award-winning patient education videos will be delivered through iCare Navigator, TeleHealth Services’ next generation interactive patient engagement solution. iCare Navigator was recently launched as the industry’s first enterprise-scale interactive patient engagement platform using an adaptive and empathetic virtual personal health coach.
This transformative approach to patient engagement, driven by an artificial intelligence engine, is designed to connect with patients in new ways and improve health, change behaviors and reduce readmissions and healthcare costs. The cloud-based system integrates with Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) and other clinical operations to drive quality improvements.
Through hospital in-room TVs, tablets and other mobile devices, patients remain engaged and are educated about their condition and treatment plan through the entire continuum of care from pre-admission, in-patient and post-acute care, to at home during recovery. iCare Navigator’s integrated artificial intelligence engine enables the personal health coach to determine the optimal times when patients are most receptive to receiving information about their care. Unique gaming strategies are also built into the iCare Navigator system to reward patients for completing care plan tasks and motivate them to take the next steps in managing their medical condition.
Research has shown that incorporating interactive video for patient education increases comprehension and retention up to 50 percent compared to conventional paper handouts that often are not read or easily understood. Using patient-tailored, easy-to-understand video content as an integral part of the patient education process has further implications considering a significant portion of the U.S. patient population is only marginally or functionally health literate.
“Quality patient education content is vital to an effective health education program,” said Dan Nathan, president, TeleHealth Services. “The powerful combination of the next-generation iCare Navigator technology with Healthwise award-winning videos will help patients make better decisions about their care with support from family members. The iCare Navigator system also establishes a personal care network of family and friends to advocate and encourage adherence with the patient’s post-discharge care plan.”
“TeleHealth Services new iCare Navigator is an ideal way for patients and their family members to interact with our health education and to get the information they need to make better health decisions,” said Dave Mink, chief client officer at Healthwise.
Supporting Nurses to Provide Better Care
Nurses have numerous responsibilities ranging from completing shift reports, handoffs, admissions and transfers, and managing clinical records to assorted other patient coordination activities—all taking time away from the bedside. By streamlining the education process, nurses can devote more time to patient-centered care—a key driver of improved patient outcomes, reduced errors, and increased patient and nurse satisfaction.
iCare Navigator and Healthwise educational videos address this need. Caregivers prescribe health videos that the patient controls from the bedside via a tablet or television. iCare Navigator generates activity reports for staff to review, and measure learning and patient comprehension to assess when additional education (such as teach back) is required. Condition-specific clinical education is automatically documented in the electronic medical record and can be accessed post-discharge to further reinforce adherence to medications and follow-up care plans.
About Healthwise
Healthwise is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help people make better health decisions. People have turned to Healthwise information two billion times to learn how to do more for themselves, ask for the care they need, and say “no” to the care they don’t need. Healthwise partners with hospitals, electronic medical record (EMR) providers, health plans, care management companies, and health websites to provide up-to-date, evidence-based information to the people they serve. For more information, please visit www.healthwise.org.
About TeleHealth Services
TeleHealth Services is driven to enhance the patient experience and positively impact health outcomes across the continuum of care using innovative patient engagement and audiovisual technologies. With 60 years of patient-centered expertise and 2,500+ healthcare clients, the company designs and delivers turnkey solutions that increase patient satisfaction, improve quality of care, and maximize clinical and operational efficiencies. TeleHealth recently introduced the first and only interactive patient engagement and education system driven by artificial intelligence.
TeleHealth is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation. TLC creates unparalleled customer experiences in the use of collaborative communication solutions serving the healthcare market through TeleHealth Services; the corporate market through Avidex Industries; and the public and education markets through Digital Networks Group. TLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International Inc. For more information about TeleHealth Services, please visit www.telehealth.com.
