MedStar Health Pioneers Innovative Patient Education Platform with Tech Partner

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - September 06, 2016) - MedStar Health is working with a Bethesda-based tech startup firm, Mytonomy, to implement a novel approach to patient education that delivers individualized instruction through a unique, digital microlearning software platform. Based on a highly successful pilot with interventional cardiology patients at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, MedStar and Mytonomy announced today that they are expanding the project to cardiovascular patients across the system and will be adding new learning modules to address other types of procedures and conditions, including diabetes, obstetrics, and gastroenterology.

Traditionally, patient education materials are provided through pamphlets or printouts of broad information. This one-size-fits-all approach is not as effective for personalized instruction, and is often not reviewed or understood by patients. In the pilot that was conducted at MedStar Washington Hospital Center involving more than 300 patients scheduled for heart catheterizations, nearly 90 percent completed the education modules. Patients reported feeling less anxious, more confident, more satisfied with their experience, and appeared to be more engaged.

Physicians and education specialists with the MedStar Simulation Training and Education Lab (SiTEL) and the MedStar Heart and Vascular Institute created the innovative educational content, and Mytonomy's software platform provides the methodology, access and analytics that measure engagement and effectiveness of the microlearning system.

"Engaging patients as active partners in their care is an essential aspect of achieving better outcomes and improving chances for long-term health," says Stephen R.T. Evans, MD, MedStar Health's chief medical officer. "Giving patients the information and tools to manage their care needs becomes more important than ever when the measure of health is viewed across a person's life, not in episodic encounters with a hospital."

Anjali Kataria, CEO of Mytonomy, said, "Our goal was to deliver an easy-to-use system that was incredibly powerful behind the scenes. We built an industrial strength system via an extensive user centric design process incorporating diverse patient and clinician feedback we gathered from MedStar and other major healthcare systems."

About MedStar Health

MedStar Health is a not-for-profit health system dedicated to caring for people in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, while advancing the practice of medicine through education, innovation and research. MedStar's 30,000 associates, 5,000 affiliated physicians, 10 hospitals, ambulatory care and urgent care centers, and the MedStar Health Research Institute are recognized regionally and nationally for excellence in medical care. As the medical education and clinical partner of Georgetown University, MedStar trains more than 1,100 medical residents annually. MedStar Health's patient-first philosophy combines care, compassion and clinical excellence with an emphasis on customer service. For more information, visit MedStarHealth.org.

About Mytonomy

Mytonomy is transforming health care through microlearning. We enable providers to educate and activate patients longitudinally so they understand and comply with their patient instructions before, during and after a procedure. Our microlearning platform, specialized content, and tracking tools enable improved patient comprehension, satisfaction and reduced risk. Best of all, Mytonomy is incredibly simple and easy to use. The Mytonomy team consists of former executives from Google, Oracle, the Obama Administration, FDA and other Silicon Valley Tech companies who have deep consumer internet and enterprise software experience over the last 20 years, a rare combination. The team has also attracted top clinicians and online learning talent. To learn more about Mytonomy, visit mytonomy.com.