KidsHealth® and GetWellNetwork Partner to Empower Pediatric Patients and Their Families

Nemours Enterprise
Tuesday, March 11, 2008 @ 07:11 PM EDT
by: Odette Struys
Ph: (904) 232-4186
ostruys@nemours.org

Wilmington, DE & Bethesda, MD - GetWellNetwork, Inc., a leading provider of Interactive Patient Care (IPC) solutions, and KidsHealth, the largest provider of online pediatric health information, today announced a partnership to co-develop a comprehensive suite of pediatric patient education content specifically designed for parents, kids, and teens. The KidsHealth patient education videos will be exclusively accessible at the patient bedside through the GetWellNetwork® PatientLife System®. The partnership is intended to help hospitals engage pediatric patients and their families in their own healthcare process while addressing objectives from the Joint Commission and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).

"We believe that health information should be as engaging and interesting as most of the other entertainment that kids see on their in-room TVs," says Neil Izenberg, MD, founder and editor-in-chief of KidsHealth. "The time families spend in the hospital provides important teachable moments and opportunities to present information that doctors and nurses need patients to really understand. The KidsHealth-GetWellNetwork partnership will present this information in new ways that significantly improve the overall experience for the patients, their families, and the staff."

The KidsHealth partnership is a result of the leadership and direction provided by the GetWellNetwork Children's Hospital Task Force, which consists of more than a dozen children's hospital representatives from across the country dedicated to leveraging technology to improve the quality of patient care and the patient and family experience in the pediatric environment.

"Golisano Children's Hospital is excited about the partnership between GetWellNetwork and KidsHealth," said Elizabeth Lattimore, executive director of clinical services at Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital. "There has been incredible demand by both hospital staff and patients for innovative patient education content designed exclusively for children and their families, and now we are finally able to deliver this through the GetWellNetwork system."

The GetWellNetwork system empowers patients and their families by placing them at the center of their own care experience. The system turns the television in the patient room into an interactive resource during a hospital stay. By using a wireless keyboard, touch screen, or handheld device, patients and families can interact with the system to access valuable education, communication, and entertainment tools directly at the bedside.

"In working with our Children's Hospital Task Force, GetWellNetwork identified a tremendous need for quality patient education geared specifically toward the pediatric audience," said Michael O'Neil Jr., founder and CEO of GetWellNetwork, Inc. "By working with KidsHealth to develop specialized, age-appropriate patient education materials for children, teens, and their parents, we are able to bring children's hospitals an unparalleled opportunity - resulting in an improved patient experience and satisfaction."

The first suite of pediatric patient content will address pediatric asthma, specifically focusing on treatment and management, prevention measures, lifestyle impact, and resources for families. Additional suites are scheduled to follow.

GetWellNetwork and KidsHealth will preview the pediatric patient education videos at the NACHRI Creating Connections Conference (Miami, Fla), March 16-19, in booths 4 and 5.

About KidsHealth®
KidsHealth creates engaging online, print, and video media about a wide range of health and family issues. KidsHealth licenses online content that can be private-labeled and displayed on a licensee's website. KidsHealth has a physician-directed, professional editorial staff - and is the largest resource of online children's health, behavioral, and developmental information written for three distinct audiences: parents, kids, and teens. Recent accolades include the Webby Awards for Best Family/Parenting Website and Best Health Website and selection as one of the 30 Best Websites by U.S. News & World Report and one of the 50 Coolest Websites by TIME magazine. KidsHealth comes from The Nemours Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit organizations devoted to children's health. For more information about KidsHealth, please visit KidsHealth.org.

About GetWellNetwork, Inc.
GetWellNetwork, Inc., is the leading provider of Interactive Patient Care (IPC) solutions. In partnership with more than 50 thought-leading hospitals and healthcare systems, the company delivers innovative technology and services to drive optimal patient outcomes. Empowering patients as active participants in the healthcare process, IPC solutions are patient-centric applications delivered at the point-of-care to ensure the completion of service and quality requirements, while driving new revenue opportunities and operational efficiencies for healthcare providers. GetWellNetwork and its clients have been widely acknowledged for their IPC innovations by the healthcare community. In 2007, the GetWellNetwork solution received the exclusive endorsement of the American Hospital Association (AHA). GetWellNetwork, Inc., headquarters are in Bethesda, Maryland. For more information, please call 877.MEET.GWN or visit www.getwellnetwork.com.

Contacts:

Ryan Biliski
KidsHealth
302.651.4046
biliski@KidsHealth.org

John Plunkett
GetWellNetwork, Inc.
240.482.3134
jplunkett@getwellnetwork.com

Pauline Louie
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
781.684.0770
getwellnetwork@schwartz-pr.com

modified: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 @ 07:20 PM EDT
created: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 @ 07:15 PM EDT

About Nemours

Nemours, one of the nation’s largest pediatric health systems, is dedicated to achieving higher standards in children’s health. Nemours offers an integrated spectrum of clinical treatment coupled with research, advocacy, and educational health and prevention services extending to all families in the communities it serves. Starting with Alfred I. duPont’s bequest over seventy years ago, Nemours has grown into a multi-dimensional organization offering personalized clinical and preventive care focused on children.

Nemours owns and operates the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and major children’s specialty clinics in Delaware (Wilmington), Florida (Jacksonville, Orlando and Pensacola), Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Bryn Mawr) and New Jersey (Atlantic City and Voorhees). Having recently received preliminary approval from the State of Florida, Nemours will establish a new full-service children’s hospital as part of an integrated pediatric health campus in Orlando. KidsHealth.org, the world’s most visited pediatric health care Web site for parents, kids and teens, is a project of Nemours.

Nemours employs over 4,400 individuals, including 430 pediatric physicians, specialists and surgeons who cared for approximately a quarter of a million children in 2007. The organization’s goal is to align with parents, physicians, community leaders, children’s advocates and elected officials to ensure optimal wellness for every child. Additional information about Nemours can be found at www.nemours.org.