Improving the Patient Experience with a Highly Valued Amenity:High-Definition Television

Michael HarrisKinetic Strategies

Improving the Patient Experiencewith a Highly Valued Amenity:High-Definition Television

Delivering outstanding medical care is the top priority of every hospital and healthcare facility. Increasingly, hospitals are broadening their vision of care to provide a better patient experience. The shift is motivated by concerns for the wellbeing of patients, physicians and staff, as well as the financial performance of the organization.

Hospitals scoring in the top 25 percent for patient satisfaction generate more than twice the margin of those ranking lowest.¹ Not surprisingly, 70 percent of healthcare leaders say focusing on patient experience is among their organization’s top priorities for the next three years.²

Patient experience measures are increasingly important for public payers. Administered by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Value-Based Purchasing initiative offers financial rewards or penalties to hospitals for meeting performance standards. Depending on their HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) score, hospitals may currently earn up to a 1.25 percent bonus on their regular Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, with that total climbing to 2 percent within the next three years. When calculating a hospital’s HCAHPS score for compensation incentives, patient experience metrics account for 30 percent of the total. Hospitals not performing well on their HCAHPS scores are also assessed a penalty by CMS.

Patient experience matters for private payers, too. Management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. found that when it comes to choosing a hospital, a patient’s nonclinical experience is twice as important as the facility’s clinical reputation. Furthermore, a majority of insured U.S. patients indicate they are willing to switch hospitals for better service and amenities. In particular, 63 percent say they would switch facilities for improved in-room entertainment and food options.³

“Amenities play an increasing role in the competition for market share,” concluded healthcare researchers reporting in The New England Journal of Medicine. “Improved amenities have a greater effect on hospital volume. So a hospital seeking to strengthen its financial position might view investment in amenities as a sound strategy.4

Hospitals also appreciate whether patients “like” their experience. The patient experience extends long past their medical procedure through the reach of the Web and social media. A study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality found a correlation between Facebook “likes” and patients’ positive hospital recommendations.5 Patient opinions are increasingly important as nearly half of consumers read healthcare reviews online, and among those that gather this information, more than two out of three use online reviews to choose where to get their healthcare.6 In today’s dynamic and competitive marketplace, hospitals want to ensure patients receive the medical care they need with the amenities they like.

The Importance of HD VideoHigh-definition television (HDTV) is a service that is highly valued by U.S. consumers. Research finds that 77 percent of U.S. households now have at least one HDTV set. Consumers who subscribe to an HD video service say they enjoy an average of 82 HD programming channels, nearly double the amount from five years ago.7 Among their choice of electronic media options, U.S. consumers continue to spend the most time with live television—an average of five hours per day. 8

“A hospital seeking to strengthen its financial position might view investment in amenities as a sound strategy.”

of healthcare leaders say focusing on patient experience is a top priority

70%Source: The Beryl Institute

of patients are willing to switch hospitals for improved in-room entertainment and food optoinsSource: McKinsey Quarterly

63%

White Paper: Improving the Patient Experience with a Highly Valued Amenity 01Time Warner Cable Business Class

To help patients and their families feel at home during their stay, healthcare facilities are increasingly offering live and comprehensive HD video programming services. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities understand that providing a homelike HD viewing experience can help improve patient satisfaction and loyalty.

Featured Video:Home Away From HomeRonald McDonald Houses provide complimentary or highly affordable lodging to families of children being treated in hospitals away from their homes. Key to Ronald McDonald House Charities’ mission is to bring families together and provide a comfortable environment during a trying time.

Watch the Home Away From Home video to learn how the non-profit organization fulfills this mission by providing video, Internet and phone services to Ronald McDonald Houses across the country.

“The facilities are meant to be a home away from home for the family, so that when they come here they have nothing to worry about except the health of their child,” explains Jenna Westbrook, Communications Director, Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte,NC.

Video Infrastructure ConsiderationsTo contain costs and minimize operating interruptions, healthcare facilities adding HD video amenities require turnkey delivery solutions that leverage existing infrastructure investments, such as network cabling and television sets, as well as pillow speaker systems.

Coaxial cable distribution networks and drops: Using existing coaxial connections for HD video delivery—a valuable asset already installed in many healthcare facilities—can avoid additional wiring expenses. Installing new Cat 5, 5e or 6 network cabling can exceed $100 per drop for the materials and labor required for fishing walls, pulling and terminating wires, plus testing, labeling and certifying installation. Avoiding the operational inconvenience that comes with a major wiring replacement project is another important benefit.

Existing investments in HD-capable television sets: Some healthcare facilities have chosen to pay a premium of approximately 20 percent per display for televisions with integrated Pro:Idiom encryption. Other facilities opt to save as much as $200 per television by purchasing sets without the technology.9 In either case, any HD video solution must be able to accommodate a healthcare facility’s current installed base of televisions.

Pillow speaker systems: Existing hospital pillow speaker systems must also be supported. Designed to comply with medical-grade product standards, bedside pillow speaker units can integrate audio, TV remote control, room lighting, nurse call and other functions.

Management of HD video headend equipment: It is important to note that previously installed on-site video-network distribution gear—known in the industry as headend equipment—is unlikely to meet the requirements for robust homelike HD video services. Partnering with a service provider that can install and manage HD video headend equipment minimizes capital expenditures and simplifies operation

Pillow speaker photo courtesy of Curbell Medical

Average Number of HD Channels for U.S. HD Video Service Subscribers90

80

70

60

50

40

302009 2014

42 HD Channels

82 HD Channels

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On-Demand AdvantagesIn addition to cable and broadcast HD video, on-demand programming is an important option for patients and hospitals alike. Many facilities offer patients a selection of DVD movies. However, maintaining a DVD library with hundreds of titles can be expensive and time consuming for a hospital as discs are damaged, lost or stolen. With on-demand delivery of movies and other video content, hospitals avoid the complexity of managing movie libraries while patients enjoy instant, around-the-clock access.

Beyond entertainment, healthcare facilities can leverage on-demand video solutions to provide required medical educational information that empowers patients and their families to participate more actively in their care.

For example, while recovering from surgery a patient and their family members can view an on-demand video presentation about the procedure, their present condition and pathways to recovery, including discharge and home care advice. Patient education is increasingly required for meaningful use compliance for electronic health records regulations.

The Set-Back Box SolutionA new solution, called a set-back box (SBB), is helping healthcare facilities cost-effectively deliver a homelike HD video experience for patients via coaxial cable infrastructure.

As the name implies, the small set-back box attaches unobtrusively to the back of a television set. The low-profile device decodes HD video signals and delivers on-demand programming and an interactive programming guide, plus Closed Captioning (CC), Second Audio Programming (SAP) and Parental Controls. Since the device handles authentication and decryption, HD video service delivery is enabled for televisions with or without Pro:Idiom technology.

Leading solution providers in the healthcare and hospitality markets, such as Time Warner Cable Business Class, leverage the set-back box to deliver an innovative offering. (See Featured Industry Article on page 4.)

Called HD Video for Healthcare Set Back Box, the Time Warner Cable Business Class solution provides access to more than 100 HD channels and thousands of hours of free on-demand content, including popular movies, TV shows and series. To ensure patients give their full attention to healthcare staff during room visits, the solution offers the ability to pause live TV, as well as rewind or fast forward for up to 60 minutes. Likewise, on-demand bookmarks allow users to return and restart programs where they left off. The interactive program guide is similar to what patients are accustomed to at home, but customized and co-branded with the healthcare facility’s logo.

Additionally, local programming insertion options are available for facilities to deliver customized video content. A pillow speaker interface enables integration of the SBB solution with existing in-room patient television controls. Alternately, a user-friendly anti-microbial remote control is available as a handheld interface.

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Additionally, local programming insertion options are available for facilities to deliver customized video content. A pillow speaker interface enables integration of the SBB solution with existing in-room patient television controls. Alternately, a user-friendly anti-microbial remote control is available as a handheld interface.

Designed to be cost-effective for hospitals, nursing homes, surgical centers, assisted living centers, as well as physician offices and diagnostic facilities, the Time Warner Cable Business Class HD video service does not require on-site headend equipment or rack space. A video services customer portal enables administrative access to monitor and manage individual set-back boxes. Through the web-based portal, administrators can view the status of each SBB and change settings—such as Closed Captioning, PIN and Parental Controls—without interrupting service to the end user.

Featured Industry Article: How Digital TV Drives Hospital Patient SatisfactionBecker's Hospital Review recently featured James T.C. Moore, Director of Video Product Management for Time Warner Cable Business Class. In this article Moore provides industry insight into new reliable and advanced systems for healthcare that require less upkeep and maintenance to provide more operational benefits.

A Highly Valued AmenityHealthcare facilities are pursuing innovative paths to enhance both quality of care and the patient experience. Research finds that high-quality amenities play an important role in driving patient satisfaction and financial performance for healthcare organizations.

Since high-definition television is part of the everyday lives of patients, providing a homelike HD video viewing experience as a healthcare amenity can help improve patient satisfaction and loyalty.

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1 National Hospital Service Performance Study, J.D. Power and Associates, 2008.2 “The State of the Patient Experience in American Hospitals in 2013,” The Beryl Institute.3 Kurt Grote, John Newman, and Saum Sutaria, “A Better Hospital Experience,” McKinsey Quarterly, November 2007.4 Goldman, Vaiana, Romley, “The Emerging Importance of Patient Amenities in Hospital Care,” The New England Journal of Medicine, December 2, 2010. 5 “Do patients ‘like’ good care? measuring hospital quality via Facebook,” Timian, Rupcic, Kachnowski and Luisi, American Journal of Medical Quality, September-October 2013. 6 “Scoring healthcare: Navigating customer experience ratings,” PwC’s Health Research Institute, April 2013. 7 HDTV XI, Leichtman Research Group, March 2014. 8 “An Era of Growth: The Cross-Platform Report,” Nielsen, March 2014. 9 “iSuppli Digital Signage & Professional Displays Market Tracker,” IHS, 2012.Pillow Speaker Cover Photo: Curbell Medical Products, Inc

About the AuthorMichael Harris is principal consultant at Phoenix, Arizona-based Kinetic Strategies, Inc. Applying more than 15 years of experience as a strategist, research analyst and journalist, Michael consults with select clients in the networking, Internet and telecommunications industries.

About Time Warner Cable Business Services Time Warner Cable Business Services, a division of Time Warner Cable, offers a full complement of business communications tools to small, medium and enterprise-sized companies under its Time Warner Cable Business Class brand. Its Internet, voice, television, network and cloud services are enhanced by award-winning customer service and local support teams. Through its NaviSite subsidiary, Time Warner Cable Business Services also offers scalable managed services, including application services, enterprise hosting, and managed cloud services primarily in the U.S. and U.K. Time Warner Cable Business Services, founded in 1998, serves approximately 625,000 business customers throughout Time Warner Cable's service areas.

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