GetWellNetwork

GetWellNetwork, Inc. develops interactive software to help hospitals get patients more involved in their care process. Using the bedside TV, the GetWellNetwork system enables patients to view movies, access the Internet, play games and get health information on the television. Using technology in this way to achieve a more patient centered care experience is often referred to as, interactive patient care.^[1][2]

Background

GetWellNetwork was founded in 1999 by CEO Michael O’Neil Jr., based on his experience with his own hospital experience during his 1999 battle with cancer.^[3]Over the next several years, the company deployed GetWellNetwork systems in hospitals around the country. In 2009 the company launched GetWell Town, an interactive patient care system designed for pediatric patients.^[4][5]

GetWellNetwork is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Products

The GetWellNetwork system, formerly named PatientLife, provides hospital patients with an assortment of entertainment amenities such as access to cable/satellite television, on-demand movies, email, web browsing, music and video games. In addition to entertainment, the GetWellNetwork system offers educational resources tailored for the patient's specific condition. The system includes a library of educational videos and content on specific health conditions, medications, tests and procedures. The patient education library offers material from content providers like, Milner-Fenwick, KidsHealth, Blausen Medical, Swank Motion Pictures, Wired.MD and others. Patients also have access to information about the hospital including visiting hours, staff profiles and patient care initiatives.

The GetWellNetwork system delivers educational content relevant to patient diagnosis, prescribed medication, and overall health. Patient education is delivered to the patient using pre-defined workflow referred to as Patient Pathways.

Patient Pathways are patent-pending, dynamic clinical workflows that utilize best practice templates which guide patients through a unique path of tasks and education relevant to their condition. Patient Pathways prompt meaningful interactions with the patient by leveraging patient-specific data pulled from the various hospital information systems. Hospital staff has the ability to modify the variables of Patient Pathways – staff can modify how long to wait between patient prompts, how the organization will clinically or operationally respond to patient responses, or which videos and sets of survey questions are delivered to the patient. The Patient Pathway handles the rest of the process. Data inputs from an existing hospital information system like medication prescriptions, patient diagnosis or discharge orders trigger Patient Pathways to begin. Prompts then appear on the patient’s TV to proactively engage each patient, at the appropriate time, to learn more about his/her care, condition and safety.

Patient Pathways streamline many common care tasks such as patient discharge, medication teaching, patient education and pain management. Patients proceed at their own pace through a variety of coordinated, automated prompts that engage the patient in award-winning education and care tasks – from simple tasks like patient surveys to complex, coordinated care plans that span multiple days. The patient’s progress is recorded for reporting and to allow nurses and staff to monitor the patient’s real-time progress. GetWellNetwork can notify caregivers via pager, phone or email if the patient has not viewed the required educational video(s), failed sections of the comprehension test, or has additional questions. Completion of education, tasks and comprehension assessments are documented to the patient’s GetWellNetwork patient profile, and optionally in the patient’s electronic medical record (EMR).

Many of the Patient Pathways have been tailored for specific safety and quality initiatives. For example, GetWellNetwork provides Patient Pathways in the areas of fall prevention, pain management, hand hygiene, pediatric asthma, heart failure, medication teaching and patient-specific education – all of which can automatically document to the EMR for improved compliance.

Financial

GetWellNetwork is privately held by Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe.

Partnerships and affiliations

GetWellNetwork's partnerships and affiliations include;

• Exclusive endorsement by the American Hospital Association (AHA) for Interactive Patient Care Solutions
• Corporate partner with Children's Hospital Association
• Exclusive partnership with KidsHealth, part of The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media
• The company also works with DAISY Foundation to recognize and reward extraordinary nurses

References

External links

• GetWellNetwork, Inc.