GetWellNetwork
Encyclopedia
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 (IPC)
.
GetWellNetwork is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland
.
, 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.
, The Grosvenor Funds, Valhalla Partners
and Village Ventures
& Affiliates.
Interactive Patient Care (IPC)
Interactive patient care refers to an approach in health care that puts the emphasis on providing entertainment and educational resources to the patient bedside via the in-room TV. The technologies can provide interactive services that are personalized to the patient’s condition and provide...
.
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. 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.GetWellNetwork is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
.
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 MedicalBlausen medical
Blausen Medical Communications, Inc. produces informative and aesthetically pleasing medical animations to illuminate the human body and alleviate patients' fears and concerns. Leveraging the ever decreasing cost of technology, Blausen Medical produces interactive media and engaging rich media...
, Swank Motion Pictures
Swank Motion Pictures
Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. is an international non-theatrical motion picture distributor and licensor. Founded in 1937, it is a business privately owned and operated by the Swank family. Swank Motion Pictures is one of the world's largest non-theatrical distributors of motion pictures for public...
, 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
Hospital information system
There are various titles and acronyms which all declare similar approaches to managing the information flow and storage in hospital routine services, as*Hospital Information System , or*Healthcare Information System, or...
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
Patient education
Patient education is the process by which health professionals and others impart information to patients that will alter their health behaviors or improve their health status...
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
Electronic medical record
An electronic medical record is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office...
(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
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, heart failure, medication teaching and patient-specific education – all of which can automatically document to the EMR for improved compliance.
Financial
GetWellNetwork is a privately held company. Since being founded in 1999, GetWellNetwork has successfully secured two rounds of financing. The company growth was funded venture investors such as Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation, Point Judith CapitalPoint Judith Capital
Point Judith Capital is a venture capital investment firm focusing on early stage investments in healthcare, communications and information technology companies....
, The Grosvenor Funds, Valhalla Partners
Valhalla Partners
Valhalla Partners, based in Vienna, Virginia, is a venture capital firm.The Valhalla team has invested in or served as senior executives in over 100 entrepreneurial companies. Valhalla currently manages approximately $440 million over two funds....
and Village Ventures
Village Ventures
Village Ventures is a private equity investment firm focusing on seed and early stage venture capital investments. The firm operates in various regions throughout the United States and focuses on two basic sectors: media and financial services....
& Affiliates.
Partnerships and affiliations
GetWellNetwork's partnerships and affiliations include;- Exclusive endorsement by the American Hospital AssociationAmerican Hospital AssociationThe American Hospital Association is an organization that promotes the quality provision of health care by hospitals and health care networks through such efforts as promoting effective public policy and providing information related to health care and health administration to health care...
(AHA) for Interactive Patient Care Solutions - Corporate partner of National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI)
- Affiliated with Child Health Corporation of America (CHCI)
- 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
Awards and recognition
- GetWellNetwork Rated First in New KLAS® Interactive Patient Systems Category
- GetWellNetwork Ranked Among Fastest Growing Companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2010 Technology Fast 500™
- Client Hospital, Winchester Medical Center, Wins Nursing IT Innovation Award from Health Data Management