Online retail healthcare store launched

http://www.healthcareitnews.com/story.cms?id=8746

By Eric Wicklund, Managing Editor

BETHESDA, MD - Hospitals looking to make their patients a little happier while tapping into a overlooked revenue stream might be interested in a new partnership between GetWellNetwork, Inc. and The Paquin Group, a provider of healthcare-based retail solutions.

GetWellNetwork, a Bethesda, Md-based provider of interactive patient care (IPC) solutions, is joining forces with The Paquin Group to provide hospitals and their patients with quick and easy access to a customized online healthcare retail store.
Using GetWellNetwork's PatientLife System, patients can visit a hospital's online store directly from their hospital bed to shop for products and services designed to help improve their recovery and overall health. Hospitals, in turn, can use the system to develop their own online stores that include more than 250,000 products, including items targeted specifically to new mothers, diabetics, orthopedics and heart health. The service could help hospitals capture hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

"In recent years, the online healthcare industry has grown to a billion-dollar-plus market," said Tony Paquin, CEO of The Paquin Group. "By integrating online shopping into the delivery of patient care, hospitals are able to not only improve the patient experience but also effectively generate additional revenue streams."

"In development for more than seven months, our partnership with The Paquin Group enables us to offer hospitals a powerful solution that adds a new dimension to the patient experience," added Michael O'Neil, Jr., GetWellNetwork's founder and CEO. "Patients will enjoy the ease and convenience of ordering products and services to aid in their recovery before they even leave the hospital."

GetWellNetwork's IPC solution allows patients, through the use of a keyboard, touchscreen or handheld device, to interact with the hospital's online network to access education, communication and entertainment tools from the bedside. With the integration of the Paquin solution, patient will be given an on-screen prompt to visit the hospital's online retail store for products and services recommended by the patient's physicians to aid in the recovery process and post-discharge care.

The Medical University of South Carolina has been using the GetWellNetwork solution for more than two years and plans to include access to an online store this spring.

"Giving access to the online store from the patient bedside is a wonderful convenience for patients, allowing us to deliver a better hospital experience - one that is becoming increasingly expected by patients," said David Bennett, director of Web resource services for the Medical University of South Carolina.