New JCAHO standards consider pain a national health priority.

November 1, 2002.... NEW YORK.... The Health Television System Inc. (Healthtv) recently launched an initiative with leading pain management clinicians from 12 University-affiliated hospitals.

Pain has been identified as a major healthcare crises by consumer advocacy group, The American Pain Foundation (APF) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO) - the largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare." According to the APF, more than 75 million Americans suffer from pain.

In consultation with JCAHO and in partnership with APF Healthtv used a national teleconference to kick off the pain management educational campaign.

"Only minutes after Healthtv extended invitations, all phone lines were taken "Says Kathy Kastner, CEO and Director of Programming for The Health Television System Inc. "This tremendous response clearly shows the value of a coordinated effort towards a standardized patient education tool that addresses consumers pain management issues

Among the participants in the recent Healthtv teleconference were:

• University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
• George Washington University Hospital, DC
• Rush St. Luke's Presbyterian, Chicago
• New York Presbyterian
• Shands University Hospital, Florida
• University of Maryland Medical Society

The Healthtv effort includes production of a video/DVD to broadcast on its hospital-based patient-education television networks. As of May 2002, the pain management video/DVD will be accessible on Healthtv via patients bedside televisions in major healthcare centers across the nation.

In a pre-conference survey with healthcare facilities, all participants agreed the focus of the video/DVD should be on educating patients about the importance of reporting their pain and their right to receive treatment. It should help put also perspective the benefits of the right kind of pain relief

Recognizing pain as an under-treated, complex major public health problem affecting all types of patients with a number of diseases and injuries, JCAHO has developed standards that create new expectations for the assessment and management of pain in accredited hospitals and other healthcare settings. Pain management is now in center stage.

According to JCAHO:

• Many people believe they have to suffer with pain and don't know their rights when it comes to treatment
• Studies show unrelieved pain can slow recovery, increase healthcare costs
• According to Dennis O'Leary, MD President, Joint Commission,
• Unrelieved pain has enormous physiological and psychological effects on patients and is a crucial component of good care.

With JCAHO standards in place, hospitals are scrambling to implement patient education that will satisfy goals and needs for pain management.

"Now that hospitals have agreed on the video/DVD content, we will pursue funding from pharmaceutical and other health companies that have expressed interest in underwriting this highly targeted initiative," explains Ms. Kastner

Production will begin in the new year. Each program is screened by a medical advisory board, and underwritten by socially-responsible sponsors including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis.

The HTS service, established in major US and Canadian hospitals, is accessible to patients and their families 24/7.. Launched in 1997 it is the only service providing patient education to heart, cancer and general medical units. Patients get a program guide with a complete listing of topics and times. Surveys show that 85% of patients watch Healthtv up to 3 hours a day, over an average 4 day length of hospital stay. "Viewership is high because of the relevant subject, the ability to see programs repeatedly which reinforces learning, and the engaging format" Explains Kastner.

All programs feature 'real' people, sharing their experiences. Healthtv's most recent release is a program on Care for the Caregiver.

Currently Healthtv is seen in 20 hospitals in 12 states and 45 Canadian hospitals. Growing quickly, the company has just signed on The Jewish Hospital, OH, Good Samaritan, LA, St. Mary's SF.