Skylight® Healthcare Systems Launches Interactive Patient Systems into the Future with New User Experience

SAN DIEGO --(Business Wire)--

Skylight® Healthcare Systems, the pioneer in interactive patient systems, will debut the industry's most efficient and visually appealing user experience at Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's Annual Conference and Exhibition (HIMSS13) March 3 - 7 in New Orleans.

The new user experience of Skylight CareNavigator™ features the industry's first single-digit shortcuts that significantly reduce the number of clicks required to navigate its rich functionality. Preview panes display an overview of options available at the next level of navigation. Alert icons guide the patient to essential feedback forms and health education videos. Coupled with enhancements to the electronic whiteboard, these upgrades to the user experience put the patient at the center of care.

Incorporating knowledge gathered from years of clinical and patient feedback and usability studies, the Skylight team has created the most user-friendly and attractive interface available to help healthcare organizations engage patients and families while meeting the needs of the shifting landscape in healthcare. The new navigation paradigm takes into account the need for improved clinical workflow, far-reaching technology integration, and patient-centric services while delivering the essential features, functionality and simplicity clients have come to expect.

"From conception to delivery, it has been phenomenal to see how patient and clinician feedback has driven the development of a highly unique, but usable approach to interactive patient systems," said Karie Ryan, chief clinical informatics officer at Health First. "With the new user interface, Skylight will set a new standard for the inpatient user experience."

The new look more effectively addresses te changing needs and usability requirements of patients ranging from children to the elderly and was tested across multiple television viewing environments. Additionally, Skylight verified that essential text remains legible across a wide visual acuity range.

"The new interface takes interactive patient systems beyond anything available today," said Cindi Karl, director of product management for Skylight Healthcare Systems. "The navigation alone is unlike any other. Our clients have told us that the new look and feel will dramatically improve the user experience and will help demonstrate the overall impact Skylight CareNavigator can have on improving patient satisfaction."

Working together with Skylight's design and development teams was Starfish, a NYC-based brand experience agency with deep experience in user interface design. One member of the Starfish team was well-known human-computer interaction expert, Larry Tesler. At Xerox's Palo Alto (News - Alert) Research Center (PARC) in the 1970's, Tesler was the main inventor of the ubiquitous "cut, copy, paste" editing method. Subsequently, he served as chief scientist at Apple, vice president of shopping experience at Amazon.com (News - Alert) and vice president of user experience and design at Yahoo!.

"The CareNavigator user experience has been propelled by advancements in consumer and healthcare technologies," said Tom Klopack, CEO for Skylight Healthcare Systems. "Patients expect the same level of interactive technology and experiences across the board, including during their hospital stay. Our new user interface goes beyond today's typical television menu structure and truly delivers the most unique, usable, and efficient interface that will propel interactive patient systems into the future," he concluded.

Key features and enhancements include:

Modernized graphics
Single-digit and icon-based navigation
Intuitive "To-do" alert icons displayed throughout
Preview panes offering an overview of options available
Enhanced electronic whiteboard with options to include current care team information, pain goal and pain medication schedule, patient goals, discharge planning and more

To view the new user interface, visit Skylight in the Intelligent Hospital Pavilion, kiosk 25, at HIMSS13.

If you would like to schedule a demo of the new user experience, please contact Tara Plappert, tplappert@skylight.com or 858.523.3794.

About Skylight® Healthcare Systems

For more than a decade, San Diego-based Skylight® Healthcare Systems has been transforming the patient experience throughout the continuum of care. From pre-admission through post-discharge, Skylight CareNavigator™, the company's innovative interactive patient care system, uses common communication devices including televisions, computers, and mobile devices to address patient and family needs in health education, services and communication with physicians and care teams. Hospitals subsequently experience improved HCAHPS, reduced readmissions, greater clinical efficiencies and increased reimbursements. Together with Skylight's account management and clinical consulting teams, hospitals, health systems and Accountable Care Organizations deploy CareNavigator™ to manage populations, increase patient satisfaction and achieve meaningful use. CareNavigator also integrates with existing hospital systems to streamline clinical workflow, improve operational efficiencies, and enhance revenue through additional service offerings including pharmacy and retail. For more information about Skylight's tools and impact on the patient experience, visit www.skylight.com.