TeleHealth Services Continues to Grow Customer Base Despite Economy's Impact on Healthcare Industry

TeleHealth Services Continues to Grow Customer Base Despite Economy's Impact on Healthcare Industry

Two Hospitals Partner with TeleHealth Services to Enhance Patient Experience and Improve Clinical Operations

RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- TeleHealth Services, the nation's leading provider of healthcare grade televisions and interactive patient education solutions to hospitals, today announced the addition of two new partnerships to its growing interactive patient education client base. Peace River Regional Medical Center in Port Charlotte, Florida, and SSM St. Clare Health Center in St. Louis, Missouri, have selected TeleHealth Services' TIGR on-demand patient education system to aid in patient-centered hospital strategies to increase optimal patient outcomes.

In an effort to balance patient satisfaction with its lofty clinical goals, Peace River sought a partner that could provide a full turn-key solution to meet its aggressive initiatives. Peace River sought to create a home-like experience and began a thorough search for an interactive patient education and entertainment system. After comparing providers, Peace River chose TeleHealth Services based on its extensive background in the healthcare industry, robust entertainment and patient education offerings, and its commitment to full service solutions. TeleHealth Services' ability to integrate patient education solutions with leading support and flexible financing options was foremost in the decision.

"Excellent healthcare today is defined not just by clinical services, but by the quality of the patient experience," said Richard Bootes, VP of Development for TeleHealth Services. "Our goal is to provide the best solutions in the industry, which enables our clients to provide the best evidence- based treatment available, customized to meet the wants and needs of their patients."

TeleHealth will provide Peace River with a rich patient television experience with its industry leading TIGR interactive patient education system, including Philips' 22-inch healthcare-grade LCD televisions that offer superior image quality and power saving technologies. Additionally, Peace River will benefit from TeleHealth Services' new relationship with DIRECTV and customized, fully assembled DSS headends.

SSM St. Clare Health Center opened its doors on March 30, 2009. This innovative new facility's key focus was to create an environment where innovative technology meets patient-friendly design. After the design process was complete, the next step was to identify a strategic partner that could provide the technology solutions to support the hospital's fiscal goals and help drive the overall patient experience. After thorough investigation and consideration of three healthcare technology vendors, St. Clare chose TeleHealth Services.

TeleHealth's total solution package includes 287 Philips commercial and hospital televisions throughout the hospital, a 28-channel DSS digital headend and a four-channel TIGR system. The TIGR System will serve as the foundation of St. Clare's patient education initiatives. The TIGR video-on-demand system provides patient access to the hospital's entire education library at the bedside. The on-demand functionality allows the education to be delivered at a "teachable" moment, while additional survey functionality will aid in proactive service recovery efforts for Joint Commission accreditation.

"As the industry prepares for government stimulus incentives and the implementation of Electronic Health Record systems, optimizing the use of health IT has become a high priority for hospitals and physicians," stated George Fleming, CEO of TeleHealth Services. "Our customers have long understood the role that health IT can play in reducing the cost of care while providing the best possible treatment to patients. By maximizing the unified capabilities of our products, both Peace River and St. Clare can standardize care delivery, resulting in enhanced patient satisfaction, improved clinical outcomes and creating alignment across many of their technology systems."

About Peace River Regional Medical Center

Founded by a group of local physicians who were passionate about serving the city's expanding population, Peace River Regional's original 50-bed hospital opened on June 4, 1962. Over the years, PRRMC has expanded to a 220-bed Joint Commission Accredited full service hospital that serves residents in Charlotte, Sarasota, and Desoto counties. The Peace River Regional staff includes roughly 900 employees, with over 300 physicians representing more than 50 specialties. Supporting our healthcare staff is over 300 volunteers who donate thousands of service hours each year.

Peace River Regional Medical Center has the only Licensed Obstetric and Pediatric Units, as well as a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, in Charlotte County, Florida. We also offer the only Fellowship-Trained Bariatric Surgeons in Charlotte County.

About SSM St. Clare Health Center

SSM St. Clare Health Center is an innovative 154-bed hospital that is the first new hospital to open in Missouri's St. Louis County in nearly 35 years. St. Clare Health Center offers a 24-hour emergency department and comprehensive medical/surgical services including heart, cancer, orthopedics and women's services. The new facility also features an outpatient care center offering one-stop convenience to a full range of diagnostic and outpatient services, along with a medical office building and an outpatient surgery center. SSM St. Clare Health Center is a member of SSM Health Care. The SSM Health Care system is sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary and owns, manages and is affiliated with 20 acute-care hospitals and two nursing homes in four states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma. SSM has more than 24,000 employees, 5,000 physicians and 5,000 volunteers. It is the first health-care recipient of the 2002 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

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. With more than 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:

-- Patient and staff video-on-demand 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, North Carolina, TeleHealth Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation, which was founded in 1957. Telerent is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc., a U.S. company based in New York City and Global 500 Corporation. For more information on TeleHealth, call 800-733-8610, or visit at http://www.telehealth.com/.

Source: TeleHealth Services

CONTACT: Matt Barker, Director of Marketing of TeleHealth Services,
+1-919-772-8604, or matt.barker@telehealth.com

Web Site: http://www.telehealth.com/

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