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GE Medical Systems’ Patient Channel Responds to Patient Demand with the Latest Information on Smoking Cessation, Living with Cancer, and Hypertension |
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WAUKESHA, WI. – To meet consumer demand and keep pace with rapidly advancing medical knowledge, GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), announced today the development of new educational programs on smoking cessation, living with cancer, and hypertension available through The Patient Channel, GE’s hospital-based patient education television network. Annually, nearly 13 million people spend time in the hospital because of cancer, hypertension, and tobacco abuse. Launched just over a year ago by GE Medical Systems and NBC, The Patient Channel (www.thepatientchannel.com), now reaches patients and families in more than 700 hospitals across the United States. The service is delivered via satellite television and provides high quality educational programs to patients and their families in hospital rooms. “When patients can learn about their illness by simply viewing educational programs in their hospital room, they can make huge gains in dealing with their condition,” said Dr. Bruce B. Dan, Executive Director and Managing Editor of The Patient Channel. “We firmly believe that smarter patients are healthier patients, and for many patients and their families, simply knowing more about their condition lessens the “fear factor” so often involved in a hospital stay.” “The Patient Channel gives patients and their families the option to tune in for specific programs that can help them get involved in the treatment and care delivered by the hospital,” said Paul Mirabella, President and CEO of GE Medical System Americas and Healthcare Services. “The hospitals on our network tell us that The Patient Channel has improved communication between patients and families, as well as with their nurses and physicians, and has given patients a greater sense of control over their own well-being.” The new programming will be available September 29th: Smoking Cessation: One Day at a Time: By popular demand, a new program has been created to help patients better understand the dangers of smoking and how they can successfully kick the habit. A report released in April from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, resulting in almost a half-million premature deaths each year and approximately $157 billion in annual health-related economic losses. Living With Cancer: In conjunction with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) a new program on cancer has been developed to provide patients and families with the latest information for improving quality of life following the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Cancer—in all its forms—affects millions of patients and families every year. The SEER Cancer Statistics Review, published through the Cancer Statistics Branch of the NCI, estimated that in 2003 there will be 1.3 million new cancer cases and more than a half-million deaths. Controlling Hypertension: As a result of the newly released guidelines from the National Institutes of Health, all hypertension programs are being updated for The Patient Channel. Updated programs align with clinical practice guidelines of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure published by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). According to the new guidelines, millions of people who thought their blood pressure was normal or perhaps borderline are finding that they actually fall into a category termed “prehypertension”—a condition affecting 22 percent of adults in the United States. The development of such programming is part of the ongoing effort by GE Medical
Systems to ensure that The Patient Channel continues to provide the most timely,
accurate and useful information for patients and caregivers. This service fills
a vital niche in healthcare, since rising demand and dwindling resources have
hindered educational capabilities for many hospitals. |
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About The Patient Channel Programming on the channel covers a wide spectrum of topics including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, cancer, asthma, smoking cessation, parenting, health/wellness, and other healthcare topics. The goal of the channel is to educate patients and their families and to increase their awareness of medical issues and treatment options. The educational content is meant to stimulate communication with healthcare providers, improve the ability to make informed decisions, and promote a sense of empowerment at the time when accurate information is most needed.
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About GE Healthcare GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers
to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and
other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "early
health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease
detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare
is a $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE
Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals
and their patients in more than 100 countries. |