SAN DIEGO and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Feb. 22, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Scottsdale Healthcare, the city's only locally based healthcare system, announced it has once again partnered with Skylight Healthcare Systems, a San Diego-based provider of interactive patient system technology. Scottsdale Healthcare will be launching Skylight's ACCESS Interactive Patient System into its third and newest hospital, Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak. This partnership extends the existing relationship shared between Scottsdale Healthcare and Skylight for the System's first two hospitals -- Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn and Scottsdale Healthcare Shea.
Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak is a new community medical-surgical hospital, uniquely based on its patient- and family-centered care. The hospital will offer an elegant, intimate setting for those needing general medical and surgical care, featuring all private inpatient rooms that are decorated for a home-like environment and include a loveseat/sleeper for family members.
Skylight's ACCESS Interactive Patient System transforms in-room televisions into robust, multi-media centers, offering information, education, integrated reminders and messaging, in-room dining services and more. The System furthers Scottsdale Healthcare's strategy to improve patient satisfaction by personalizing the patient experience.
"Our goal was to create a hospital from the patient's perspective," said Thompson Peak VP & Administrator Jean Knoedler. "By designing the rooms to be as comfortable as possible, we hope to achieve the optimal balance between aesthetics, functionality and efficiency."
Patient-focused planning was incorporated into every aspect of the facility, including the layout and design of the rooms, the placement of services and amenities and the enhancement of integrated communication options. In selecting a partner for their interactive patient system, Scottsdale Healthcare assembled an evaluation team representing constituents from administration, technology and information services, nursing leadership and consolidated services. The group examined business models, architecture, technology platforms, implementation programs and customer support practices from a variety of vendors. Skylight Healthcare Systems again proved to be the right fit for the organization's new facility based on the company's breadth of experience in the industry and possessing the most robust interactive patient system offering.
"Choosing an interactive patient system to facilitate our objectives was a vital part of our planning," said Scottsdale Healthcare's CIO, Jim Cramer. With the arrival of new competitors in the interactive patient system marketplace since their initial launch with Skylight several years ago, Scottsdale Healthcare administrators felt a responsibility to their patients and staff to conduct and in-depth analyses of each system, including Skylight's ACCESS Interactive Patient System.
"Although we were extremely satisfied with our partnership with Skylight, we believed we had to step-back and reexamine all available options." said Cramer. "And our extensive due-diligence brought us full circle back to Skylight. Skylight has a solid foundation in this industry. The company has a comprehensive product offering, a robust, scalable network infrastructure, and customer support services that are unparalleled. In fact, customer service played a key role in our decision. We pride ourselves on service excellence, and expect the same from our partners. Skylight Healthcare has proved time and again, they understand true customer service," continued Cramer.
"This may seem like an obvious partnership," says David Schofield, Skylight's CEO, referring to the ACCESS System currently installed in Scottsdale Healthcare's other two medical centers, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea and Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. "However, it is a great achievement because it not only endorses the success of our ACCESS system, but also that of our technology platform, business practice and client relations. Skylight Healthcare was the pioneer then and is today the leader."
About Scottsdale Healthcare
Scottsdale Healthcare is committed to being the healthcare provider of choice for the northeast Phoenix metropolitan area. Led by a community-based board of directors, Scottsdale Healthcare's mission is to identify and meet the healthcare needs of its community and to meet or exceed its patients' expectations of service. A nonprofit organization, Scottsdale Healthcare was founded in 1962 as City Hospital of Scottsdale. Today it serves a wide geographic area through its three medical centers, outpatient services, home health services and a wide range of community health education and outreach programs. For more information, visit www.shc.org.
About Skylight Healthcare Systems
San Diego-based Skylight Healthcare Systems is the proven choice for interactive patient system technology. The company focuses on products and services that create operational efficiencies improve patient satisfaction and enhance productivity. Skylight's ACCESS Interactive Patient System provides a bi-directional patient communication platform at the bedside. Hospital services include custom content and interactive communications, on-demand health education, patient survey technology, and in-room dining service capabilities. Digital entertainment services include feature film rentals, premium cable TV, music, high-speed Internet, e-mail access and interactive games. For more information, visit www.skylight.com.