Synergy Broadcast Systems Announces Enhancements to MMDS Patient Education System



Synergy Broadcast Systems recently launched several new interface options to it's popular MMDS Patient Education System (http://www.synergybroadcast.com/mmds.htm). MMDS was introduced in 1991 and was the first true video on demand system designed for the healthcare environment. Originally a robotics-based system, it was re-designed as an MPEG2 digital solution in 1998. MMDS has been providing patient education and staff development solutions to hospitals and medical centers for over 18 years. Designed as a turnkey solution, MMDS helps hospitals deliver and better manage patient education to meet the needs of a diverse patient population and also fulfill Joint Commission requirements for patient education and documentation.

MMDS is a cost-effective, multi-channel solution that provides hospitals with a low-cost solution for Video On Demand by utilizing the hospital's existing televisions, cabling system, phone and LAN. This approach saves significant capital versus wiring for a specialized system. In addition to patient education , the system can also be used for staff development, in-service training and mandatory education. It can also be expanded to provide sophisticated welcome and information channels and digital signage to expand communication beyond the patient room into staff areas and the general population or common areas such as waiting rooms, food service areas and entry ways.

"We recently completed work on a new Touch Screen and Pillow Speaker application for our customers that are ready to begin the migration to digital television," according to Chuck Jones, Executive Vice President. "The Touch Screen is perfect for applications where a personal TV is more appropriate than a wall-mounted television such as dialysis and cancer clinics and hospitals that use small personal TV's that you find mounted on swing-arms next to the patient's bed." In addition to TV, the Touch Screen application also provides access to Video On Demand movies and education, Survey and Testing, Music, Hospital Services and Internet Access with a "user-friendly" touch screen keyboard built into the application. Hospital staff can also access the system from their desktop computers for in-service education and mandatory training programs.

Peter Kiddy, Synergy Broadcast Systems President points out that "the Touch Screen solution has transformed the patient's experience in "chair-bound" treatment centers by providing patients with finger-tip access to TV, the Internet and healthcare related education. Patients can browse the Internet, work, shop, or watch their favorite program thus making a physical limitation of their treatment much easier to manage." The Pillow Speaker interface is combined with a wireless keyboard to enhance the hospital experience for footwall mounted televisions. It gives the patient an experience much more like their home environment with cable television and Internet access.

MMDS is available in configurations to meet the needs of any size medical facility or group from clinics spread across town, surgery centers, or hospitals and medical centers from 50 to over 1,000 beds. The system's report documentation assists facilities in meeting Joint Commission standards for patient education and compliance with both paper-based and HL7 interfaces to Medical Records. In addition to the Touch Screen and Pillow Speaker interface a phone-based interface is still available and very cost-effective for hospitals with analog TV's.

For additional information about MMDS and how healthcare facilities can benefit from video on demand for patient education please contact Synergy Broadcast Systems at 800-601-6991.

About Synergy Broadcast Systems:

Synergy Broadcast Systems, located in Addison, TX, provides video automation solutions for broadcast (http://www.synergybroadcast.com/broadcast_overview.htm), education (http://www.synergybroadcast.com/video_in_the_classroom.htm), business, government and healthcare organizations. SBS solutions are modular, flexible and economically scalable to fit the needs of each facility and provide a migration path for future growth and technology changes. The Company's solutions include television automation, video on demand, digital signage (http://www.synergybroadcast.com/cg_overview.htm) and video delivery and distribution (http://www.synergybroadcast.com/videocourier.htm)to remote locations. For additional information contact Synergy Broadcast Systems at 800-601-6991 or visit their web site at www.synergybroadcast.com.





Synergy Broadcast Systems Announces Enhancements to MMDS Patient Education System