Help / FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions
The Patient Channel

10.

GE Healthcare is offering this upgrade at no additional charge, and does not currently plan to charge fees to access patient channel programming. Even if our policy changed, we would not begin charging for the channel without giving you the option of declining it. It would be your option to discontinue the subscription; GE would retrieve the equipment and discontinue service.

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Our licensing arrangements with the content providers prohibit taping.

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You may make The Patient Channel available anywhere that your cable TV system reaches. Taping programs for use off site is not allowed. For a small subscription fee, GE will install additional facilities to receive The Patient Channel. We are happy to install at our expense any facility eligible for the TiP-TV upgrade, even if they have never installed previously.

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Our programming schedule will always be available at www.thepatientchannel.com. In addition, the web site will have a transcript or content summary of all programs currently airing, as well as a printable version of any recommended actions contained within the program. The intent is to make available any relevant content, which the patient, or their family and friends, can use to manage their health once they leave the hospital.

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GE Healthcare currently has several specials available for those who would like to purchase The Patient Channel. Please contact our offices and a representative will explain the current options. Contact Us

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This promotional offer is valid for a limited time. You will be eligible for the upgrade with no additional cost to your facility as long as you have a signed agreement before this offer runs out.

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The educational content is primarily targeted to hospitalized patients but we recognize that some of the programming will be of interest to various other health care consumers. The majority of the programs are 25-30 minutes long. The no cost upgrade is only available to acute care facilities but you may purchase the channel at any time. Contact Us

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Canadian sites are not eligible for the "no cost" upgrade. You may purchase the Channel for your facility, but the US centered advertising may not be relevant to your patients. Contact Us

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Channel access is determined by your distribution system. Another way to control viewing locations is through the individual televisions. Most hospitals limit TiP-TV access by adding or removing the specific channel from the televisions menu, normally via the remote control.

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Our programming schedule will always be available on www.thepatientchannel.com. We provide two types of schedules online for printing and distribution.

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Healthcare related companies such as pharmaceutical companies, drugstores, medical device manufacturers and consumer or retail product companies with an interest in reaching healthcare consumers.

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The frequency of updates, number of viewing facilities and total hospital beds in the network make it impractical to print and distribute most of the materials. Posting materials on the web helps keep overall costs to a minimum which is one reason why this upgrade is available at no cost. Facilities with Internet connections are able to access the materials from their Patient libraries or through administrators with web access.

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In order to provide the network free of charge to our current customers, we are supporting the cost through advertising on the channel. There will be fewer ads than on network television, and the types of ads are the same as what patients see on any other cable television station playing in the room.

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Regulations for patient education are increasing, and the BEST education source- the nursing staff and the physicians- are stretched and are being asked to spend more time on procedures and less time educating. What we're trying to do is help provide the basics, engage patients in their treatment and recovery to improve their compliance, and give them a better experience.

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Programming will cover the most common conditions and diseases including heart disease, diabetes, pulmonary disease and cancer. We're also addressing common problems in patients such as arthritis, smoking cessation, nutrition, stress management and anxiety. Click here to view our programming schedule and learn about our content.

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You can make your own reference videotape copies of our programs to use with staff and patients. Please note the following restrictions:

-You must continue to provide the live channel via satellite 24/7 to all patient rooms
-You may not edit or change the programs in any way
-Programming can be used only within the facility that is licensed to receive The Patient Channel
-You are responsible for making your own copies to use on site; GE cannot supply videotapes of the programs
-GE updates programming continuously and therefore is not responsible for the accuracy of copies

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We conduct surveys of all hospitals in the network, as part of our formal needs assessment process, in developing the channel programming. All content is reviewed by an advisory board made up of board certified physicians and healthcare education experts with expertise in the areas that we cover on the network. In addition, an ethical, legal and regulatory review board will review all programming and ads to ensure that it meets the appropriate standards.

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Patient Channel programs air 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Programs are scheduled in rotating blocks so that the same program repeats during a 24 hour period - giving your patients more than one opportunity to tune in to a broadcast. To view the full schedule, go to http://www.thepatientchannel.com.

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The broadcast schedule will only change once per quarter (every 3 months) and the web site will be updated at the same time. For the entire quarter, the same programs will air on the same days and times and will not change until the following quarter. Patient Channel coordinators are notified by email and fax about 1 month before the change, so they can relay the new information to staff and patients.

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Yes, The Patient Channel programs are continuously refreshed with new and updated content. To minimize the frequency of scheduling changes, however, new programs are only added to the broadcast schedule once per quarter. Patient Channel coordinators are notified by email and fax so they can communicate changes to staff and patients. Contact Us

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Our intent is to periodically collect information, to quantify that The Patient Channel is being made available to patient rooms, and to improve the effectiveness of the channel. In all cases, such requests will be coordinated through your assigned representative. Under no circumstances will GE Healthcare collect information in a way that violates HIPAA or other patient privacy and confidentiality standards.

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Beginning July 1, 2004 The Patient Channel will provide closed captioning. Currently, there are no programs available in other languages. In the meantime, we have published the video transcripts and made them available online for both English and Spanish.

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All of our programs are intended to provide the most current and accurate information on the topics covered. We interview and consult with nationally known experts to guide the content. In addition, each of our programs is reviewed by our Programming Review Board. In that vein, we rely heavily on nationally accepted guidelines. For example, In the field of cardio-pulmonary medicine, we specifically consult the guidelines developed by NHLBI, the ACC, AHA, AAAAI, and ACCP.

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Hospitals have provided feedback on how The Patient Channel benefits nurses and physicians and say they are supportive of the channel. The information provided on the channel will help them to streamline basic education and information that is provided to multiple caregivers associated with each patient.

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