SAN DIEGO, Oct. 13, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skylight Healthcare Systems' 3rd Annual Client Conference (Enhancing the Patient Care Continuum '09) served as the venue for leading hospitals to present results pertaining to increased patient satisfaction, innovations in discharge planning and bed throughput, cost savings with digital dining, plus advances in patient education. Executives and clinical professionals from hospitals nationwide gathered at the historic Hotel del Coronado to explore ways in which they can use Skylight ACCESS to meet core operational objectives including improving HCAHPS and patient satisfaction scores while also addressing Joint Commission standards for providing education and training to patients based on their need and condition. Additional sessions addressed improving quality of care and patient safety, increasing system utilization, reducing costs with online dietary systems, and enhancing service excellence nurse productivity and satisfaction.
Additionally, EPCC'09 served as the launch showcase for Skylight's pioneering set of new products that support the company's strategic vision of "enhancing the patient care continuum" from pre-admission through post-discharge. As the next generation extension of Skylight ACCESS, iCarePassport(TM) provides exceptional communication throughout the continuum of care starting before patients arrive at the hospital and continuing after they've left -- including outcomes tracking and analysis. Skylight also announced the release of iCareRounds(TM), a full-featured video communications program that connects hospital patients to connected members of their care team -- enabling virtual rounding right in the patient room at the push of a button. (See separate news releases for more details on iCarePassport and iCareRounds.)
As a testament to the importance that Skylight clients place on integrating interactive patient care in order to achieve critical operational goals -- in addition to finding ways to engage and extend the continuum of care -- attendance at Enhancing the Patient Care Continuum'09 increased by over 30% from 2008 with record numbers of attendees and sponsors. The Skylight Client Conference is the largest of its kind, and in a post-conference survey, nearly 100% of attendees indicated they would attend the event again.
Conference sessions were content-rich and provided a platform to understand the material by seeing presentations through the perspective of patients, physicians, and nurses.
Through the Eyes of the Patient:
* Taking Service Excellence to the Next Level
* Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian - Newport Beach, CA
* Custom Content, Language, and Hospital Specific Branding
* Stanford Hospital and Clinics - Stanford, CA
* The Journey to Improved Patient Satisfaction
* The Christ Hospital - Cincinnati, OH
* Online Meal Ordering - From Pilot to Full Production
* Scottsdale Healthcare Hospitals - Scottsdale, AZ
Through the Eyes of the Physician:
* Virtual Rounding - Enhancing Physician Relationships with Next
Generation Patient/Physician Communications
* Mercy Gilbert Medical Center - Gilbert, AZ
* Enhancing the Patient Care Continuum -- A Real-Time Review of Skylight's
Strategic Technology Initiative at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
* Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and
Hoag Orthopedic Services - Newport Beach, CA
Through the Eyes of the Nurse:
* Automated Documentation of Patient Education into Hospital EMR
* St. Vincent Carmel Hospital - Carmel, IN
* Introduction of Skylight Clinical Advisory Board - Update on Goals and
Activities on Discharge Planning
* Bringing Diagnosis Driven Content Direct to the Patient
* Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center - Fountain Valley,CA
"The extraordinary thing about the Skylight conference is the knowledge transfer and the ability to experience first hand how other hospitals are extending the continuum of care to meet operational goals," commented Joseph White, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, MA. "At Lowell, we continually focus on improving our nationally recognized efficiency, service and quality and Skylight helps us meet these goals."
"This client conference supported our formal launch of the strategic vision we articulated two years ago -- to provide a platform for our clients to extend their reach well beyond the hospital stay," stated David Schofield, Skylight's President and CEO. "The announcement of our new services -- iCarePassport and iCareRounds -- clearly supports that Skylight has delivered the most innovative and unique offering within the industry providing the biggest impact and greatly enhanced value for our clients."
About Skylight Healthcare Systems
Skylight(R) Healthcare Systems is the industry pioneer and leader in interactive patient care technology. With patient communication as the cornerstone of a safe, comfortable and clinically optimal hospital experience, the Skylight ACCESS(R) Interactive Patient System encourages patient and family to actively participate in their health care, improves communication between staff and patient/family members, and can provide a smoother and faster recovery and discharge plan. Skylight's vision is to provide hospitals with a robust tool which will allow them to greatly enhance interactive communication along the entire patient care continuum, from pre-admission to post-discharge. In nearly 15,000 installed locations, leading hospital administrators have confidently selected Skylight Healthcare Systems as the proven choice for their interactive patient care technology. Skylight Healthcare Systems is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information about Skylight Healthcare Systems, please visit: www.skylight.com.
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