Released on: October 23, 2008, 6:45 am

Press Release Author: Matt Barker/ TeleHealth Services

Industry: Healthcare

Press Release Summary: TeleHealth Services' educational endeavor explores maximizing
clinical benefits and facility quality initiatives with interactive patient
education systems

Press Release Body: Raleigh, NC- October 23, 2008- Technology is a critical topic
when discussing the continuum of care for a patient, especially in the hospital
setting where facilities are expecting to see increases in Joint Commission
compliance standards. Nowhere was that more evident than at the Baltimore Waterfront
Marriott last week where TeleHealth Services held their marquee patient education
event of the year.

The TIGR User Conference, a forum where best practices, resources and experiences
with patient and staff education systems can be shared, had executives from more
than 50 of the nation's leading hospitals attend to learn more about maximizing
interactive patient education systems in their daily workflow. The sessions focused
on enabling attendees to develop and deliver solutions that leverage the full
capabilities of the interactive on-demand systems. Keynote speaker, and one of the
nation's leading authorities in pediatric nursing and Joint Commission standards,
Francine Westergaard said: "It's refreshing to see an educational initiative like
the TIGR User Conference emerge into to such a powerful concept within the
healthcare community."

The event began with a keynote address from Westergaard on the importance of
education in the accreditation processes. Said Westergaard: "Hats off to TeleHealth
Services for being visionaries within the healthcare industry, and being responsible
corporate partners in bringing an educational endeavor of such validity and
importance to the healthcare technology community."

The program featured clinical and technical learning tracks to enhance the
capabilities of the system within the facility. The technical track focused on the
solutions knowledge and how to capitalize on rapidly evolving opportunities such as
EMR interactivity, High- Definition (HD) content and discharge management. The
clinical track concentrated on maximizing the on-demand system's value and
utilization in improving the hospital's quality of care initiatives. Ruth Gonsoski,
Perinatal Program Manager at Northridge Hospital said, "Our TIGR system serves as
the cornerstone for our facility's drive for exemplary service. Since the
implementation of our TIGR patient education system our OB unit won the most
improved OB unit for exemplary service in 2007. This was the only OB unit recognized
out of 283 hospitals considered for the award. The TIGR system played an integral
role in winning all 19 Avatar awards for service, quality of care and patient
education excellence throughout the CHW system. Venues like this allow for thought
collaboration between leading hospitals to discuss inventive new ways to utilize the
system to further our patient and staff satisfaction aptitudes."

The final portion of the curriculum was a panel of interactive patient education
system practitioners in which attendees could gain perspective and insight on best
practices for delivering a patient facing solution. The panel featured users in
various stages of implementation and provided a wealth of content dealing with
topics from internal and external product awareness, innovative uses of the system,
meshing the functionality into daily workflow, and quantifiable metrics on the
benefits that interactive patient and staff education systems provide. George
Fleming, President and CEO of TeleHealth Services said, "From all the feedback we
have received, hearing the perspectives of our panelists was a huge advantage for
all involved. The technology is evolving, giving us increasingly patient-friendly,
simple and effective solutions to aid in delivering quality care within a medical
setting. Patients and providers are embracing connected health systems to improve
care, communication and quality of life." With a mix of healthcare executives,
educators, and staff working with an on-demand solution, synergies on maximizing the
solution's potential in a number of cross functional areas resonated for everyone in
attendance. It made the benefits of an interactive patient education system an
achievable reality.

TeleHealth Service's TIGR(r) brand of products include cutting-edge interactive
communications and information systems that deliver patient amenities and provide
the quantifiable metrics to drive facility quality initiatives and satisfaction
standards. By delivering the most scalable and extensive selection of powerful
communication and educational tools, TeleHealth Service's TIGR and TigrNet
customizable platforms improve patient satisfaction scores, provide support for
clinical staff, help automate workflow and aid in clinical accountability. By using
a familiar delivery channel, patients and staff can access valuable education,
communication and entertainment resources to improve the recovery process.

About TeleHealth Services:
TeleHealth Services, headquartered in Raleigh, NC, is the nation's leading provider
of integrated communications solutions for the healthcare market: bedside access to
entertainment, education and services; patient and staff video-on-demand education
systems; hospital-grade televisions and accessories; education and entertainment
content; system installation, maintenance and financing services. TeleHealth
Services is a division of Telerent Leasing Corporation, which has been headquartered
in Raleigh, North Carolina, since its founding in 1957. Telerent itself is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of ITOCHU International, Inc., a U.S. company based in New
York City and a Global 500 corporation.
For more information on TeleHealth, call 800-733-8610, or visit at
http://www.telehealth.com/.



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

Contact Details: Contact:
Matthew K. Barker
Director of Marketing
TeleHealth Services
919-772-8604
matt.barker@telehealth.com