Frequently Asked Questions
What is HealthWatch?
HealthWatch is a computer-driven, video-on-demand system designed for hospitals to deliver education and information to their patients and staff.
How does HealthWatch work?
A patient or staff person simply picks up the phone and dials into the system. Easy-to-follow telephone voice prompts and television menus then guide the user in selecting a video. Once the selection is made, the video begins playing instantly.
Does HealthWatch interfere with the hospital's existing cable or telephone systems, and is any additional wiring necessary?
HealthWatch operates with the hospital's existing cable and telephone systems, so no additional wiring is needed. Our system requires the use of 2-4 DTMF phone lines on your existing phone system and only 1 dedicated phone line for remote diagnostics.
Is any additional equipment required in the patient rooms or staff areas?
No. The system utilizes your existing telephones, cable-ready televisions, pillowspeakers, bedside controls and PC local area network.
What makes HealthWatch different from other systems?
HealthWatch is a lower cost, self-contained, video-on-demand, educational system that requires very little maintenance. Using state-of-the art digital server technology, our system allows for multiple viewers to simultaneously or randomly access a single video from different locations.
How does our technology differ from the competition?
HealthWatch uses a full-motion, digital, video server that stores and manages information that is downloaded from CD-ROM or satellite. Competing systems, on the other hand, either rely on a bank of VCRs that play VHS tapes, or they resemble a "CD-ROM jukebox" that plays one CD-ROM at a time. In either case, these systems do not permit simultaneous, multiple viewing without a second copy of a CD-ROM or a VHS tape. Competitors offering a digital solution come from the analog world and are trying to adapt that technology to the digital world. HealthWatch has been supplying computer systems and networks to fortune 100 customers for 12 years.
How will video-on-demand technology benefit the hospital's educational efforts?
Video-on-demand (VOD) eliminates both the needs for closed circuit scheduled programming and the time required securing a VCR cart and videotape. Simply put, VOD provides convenient education for the viewer.
Does HeathWatch provide the videos for the hospital system?
No. HealthWatch will customize your current library of videos for use on the system.
How do we convert your VHS tapes to digital format?
HealthWatch will digitize your current library of videos to be used by our system, as well as any future videos you wish to use for a small service fee.
Can I also use HealthWatch for the education of hospital staff?
The hospital can store information for both patients and staff. In fact, our system offers an excellent way for hospital staff members to view required material at their convenience either via a television set or a PC connected to the facility local area network. Patients and staff can be tested for comprehension with our optional testing module.
Is the system able to document the hospital's education efforts?
Because the system is computer driven, it is able to record the date, time, patient or staff ID number, length of video, and title associated with each viewing. This information is matched up with the viewer, thereby providing a complete data file on your educational efforts. Using our optional testing module, testing can be performed and documented for certification and accreditation requirements.
How many videos can I store on HealthWatch?
That depends upon the size of the system you choose. The system size can vary from 30 hours to over 1000 hours of content.
How many users can access the system at one time?
That depends upon the size of the system you purchase. The HealthWatch server can scale to over 1,000 channels. There are 4 standard sizes that the hospital industry uses for their TV cable system: an 8-channel, 16-channel, 24-channel, or 32-channel system. Since the number of channels equals the number of simultaneous users, a 16-channel system, for example, would allow 16 users to access the same or different videos at the same time. The number of additional PC users depends on the size purchased and the bandwidth of the hospital network.
How is the price for HealthWatch determined?
The system price depends upon three issues:
- The number of video storage hours; and
- The number of user channels; and
- The number of concurrent LAN users
Once the above information is determined, a complete cost breakdown would be calculated for your hospital.
Want to know more?
Request more information by calling 1-866-447-8550
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