REDONDO BEACH, CA – May 9, 2016 – Patients should be at the center of healthcare—and now Idaho’s Kootenai Health Hospital has given this a new emphasis, thanks to the implementation of an interactive patient care system overseen by T2 Tech Group.
T2 Tech, a leader in IT infrastructure consulting, worked with Kootenai to establish a system that promotes patient engagement in their own care. Using software from GetWellNetwork® Inc., the system encompasses patient care communication, education, room service, feedback and entertainment. The establishment of the interactive patient care system in March is expected to increase patient engagement, resulting in improved satisfaction and lower readmission rates.
“Kootenai Health’s focus has always been on the patient’s health, safety and comfort,” said Julie Hoerner, Patient Engagement Specialist at Kootenai Health. “Working with T2 Tech, we’ve deployed a system that extends this commitment into the technological realm, developing new IT structures and processes that systemize our patient-centered philosophy. We believe this innovative approach will help us attain our ultimate goal: improved outcomes for Kootenai patients.”
Using GetWellNetwork software, Kootenai patients use wireless keyboards and large-screen televisions in their rooms to interact with hospital services.
T2 Tech collaborated with Kootenai to replace the dry-erase careboards used throughout the hospital to communicate patient care and treatment.
T2 Tech worked with hospital staff and leadership to implement a patient-centered interactive careboard to better educate and inform patients about their care and health. Patients can view careboard information on their televisions via a user-friendly interface that clearly presents information about their caregivers, schedule, clinical notes and goals.
T2 Tech and Kootenai Health also worked together to reshape the hospital’s patient education program. Existing education systems often present a list of videos covering all kinds of topics, forcing patients to scroll through them to find titles that are relevant. The new system is specifically tailored to each user, providing easy access to patient-focused content that has been approved by clinicians.
For hospital meal services, T2 Tech managed the implementation of interfaces that created an intuitive meal ordering system that shows a customized menu of selections based on each individual’s ordered diet and allergies. Users can select their next meal from a menu that presents photos of each hospital food item.
For all of these services, T2 Tech collaborated with Kootenai to guide best practices and worked with various departments and committees in the hospital to define workflows, refine processes and ensure the projects met scheduling and budget targets.
T2 Tech believes the expertise and experience it gained in helping implement this innovative system will pave the way for similar deployments across the country.