RALEIGH, N.C. and JACKSON, Miss.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mississippi Baptist Medical Center (MBMC) is improving patient health in an approach to reduce readmissions with a comprehensive strategy including patient-specific education and pharmacy fulfillment supported by the interactive patient engagement and education system from TeleHealth Services.
Making sure patients and families understand their prescribed medications is a priority for hospitals across the nation. This focus addresses the growing evidence that patients who understand their discharge medications and fill their prescriptions before leaving the hospital have lower readmission rates and better outcomes.
Medication communication is among the nation’s lowest overall Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction scores. A lack of understanding about patient medications can also lead to unnecessary hospital readmissions. In recognizing the value of medication education and the convenience of offering prescription fulfillment through its on-site pharmacy, MBMC created an initiative to highlight these services, provide comprehensive medication education and improve health outcomes.
The 639-bed hospital has worked with TeleHealth Services to install an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) system and healthcare-grade televisions. Television services including broadcast TV, video-on-demand and other multimedia content are delivered over the hospital network to enhance the patient experience with information, entertainment, education and integration services through network-based TVs.
MBMC also uses TeleHealth’s Interactive Patient Engagement solution to deliver condition-specific education videos to the patient’s bedside. The system is able to showcase and automate many hospital services for patients and families including gift shop purchases, requesting visits from chaplains and cancer-related services. Providing timely medication education and information about the hospital’s pharmacy is one of many ways MBMC uses the system from TeleHealth Services to advance the quality, safety and efficiency of care while engaging patients and family as care team members.
Patients and families are reminded about the availability of additional medication education in a “My To-Do List” displayed on their in-room television and available on-demand from the interactive system patient education video library. Patients navigate the information through their pillow speaker and nurses are automatically informed of videos viewed. A “Family Pharmacy” menu option was created on the system’s main menu. Patients and family are provided options, including self-pick-up at discharge from the pharmacy or prescription delivery directly to the patient bedside. The system also invites patients to ask questions about the purpose or side effects of their medications. This interaction triggers messaging to hospital support staff who monitor requests for information and address any questions.
Since launching the program, approximately one third of patents are now using the pharmacy service with MBMC experiencing increased revenue generated from the hospital pharmacy. Working with TeleHealth Services’ Outcomes Team to improve the education about the family pharmacy has led to doubling the rate of patient’s filling prescriptions at the hospital.
“Patient education and engagement systems are investments that favorably impact clinical outcomes and make hospitals more efficient,” said Kevin Colores, general manager of TeleHealth Services. “Improving the health of patients, reducing readmissions and increasing revenues, all while creating greater operational efficiencies is a smart investment for hospitals and their patients’ health.”
About Mississippi Baptist Medical Center
Located in Jackson, Mississippi, MBMC, a Magnet-designated hospital, is part of Baptist Memorial Health Care, regarded as one of the premier health care systems in the nation. Baptist Memorial Health Care regularly serves communities in the Mid-South by offering safe, integrated, patient-focused, high quality, innovative and cost-effective medical care. To learn about services and programs at MBMC, please visit www.baptistonline.org/mbmc.
About TeleHealth Services
TeleHealth Services is driven to enhance the patient experience and positively impact health outcomes 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 is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation (TLC). 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.
