KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 21, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Would you prefer a healthy salad or even a not-quite-so healthy cheeseburger for lunch? Just let your Catering Assistant know.

Want to surf the Net or pick out and watch a movie as you enjoy your meal? Just click on the new interactive system that's connected to the TV right in front of your bed.

Would you like for someone to tidy up your room as you catch up on emails? Just click a button or ask any one of those courteous staff members with the big smiles on their faces.

The best part is, you can do it all without even having to get out of bed.

Despite all of these amenities, you're not at a swanky Five-Star resort. But you are enjoying a Five-Star Experience.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center recently launched its Five-Star Experience, a comprehensive set of customer service standards designed to go far beyond what you and your family would expect from a stay in the hospital.

"While we're extremely proud of our track record of delivering the best patient care, we're also continuing to seek new opportunities to improve the overall customer experience," said Steve Ross, senior vice president for strategic development at UT Medical Center. "From our Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System to our Catering To You individualized meals, we are delivering a five-star experience for our patients, their families and other visitors."

The Five-Star Experience is a promise by employees at The University of Tennessee Medical Center to exceed the expectations of patients and their families through providing personalized care and outstanding service. Some of the more recognizable elements to the customer service initiative, according to Ross, include the Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System for patients and their families, and the Catering To You dining options offered to patients before every meal.

Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System

Brand new to The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System is now installed and operational in patient rooms. Patients now have right in front of them through their televisions, a multi-media center that includes an entertainment and education system by Skylight Healthcare Systems, a California-based provider of interactive patient-system technology.

The system features a number of hotel-like services, all with bedside access such as movies, music, games, high speed Internet, email, patient education videos, information about medical conditions and diseases and information about or from The University of Tennessee Medical Center.

"If patients want to set up an appointment with a primary care physician for when they leave the hospital, they simply enter a message into the Skylight ACCESS system and our folks in Healthcare Coordination will get to work for them," Ross explained. "Whether the patients want to be better informed, have concierge-like services in the room, communicate with their friends and family from across the country or simply kick back and watch a movie, they can do it from their bed at UT Medical Center by using the Skylight ACCESS system."

"Skylight ACCESS is a powerful communication tool that keeps patients connected, informed and empowered," said David Schofield, President and CEO of Skylight Healthcare Systems. "We are honored to be a part of the University of Tennessee Medical Center's commitment to enhancing the patient experience."

Catering To You

The resort experience continues with The University of Tennessee Medical Center's new Catering To You program. Designated Catering Assistants visit each room well in advance of meals offering an actual menu of options from which patients can choose.

The Catering Assistant then prepares the meal for the patient and delivers the meal to the patient's room. The specialized menu options are offered to patients prior to breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System and the Catering To You program are merely two components of the new Five-Star Experience offered by The University of Tennessee Medical Center. Under the Five-Star program, all employees of the medical center work diligently to adhere to several customer service standards designed exclusively to enhance the visit to UT Medical Center by patients, their family members and other visitors.

San Diego-based Skylight Healthcare Systems is the industry pioneer in interactive patient system technology. With patient communication the cornerstone of a safe, comfortable and clinically optimal hospital experience, the Skylight ACCESS Interactive Patient System encourages patient and family to actively participate in their health care, improves communication between staff and patient/family members, and can provide a smoother and faster recovery and discharge plan. Skylight's overall vision is to provide hospitals with a robust tool that will allow them to greatly enhance communication along the entire patient care continuum. In nearly 10,000 installed locations, leading hospital administrators have confidently selected Skylight Healthcare Systems as the proven choice for their interactive patient system technology. For more information about Skylight Healthcare Systems, please visit: www.skylight.com.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The Medical Center, the region's only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.