December 2012
Wilmington VA Medical Center unveils new LogicJunction way-finding avatar
Starting Wednesday, veterans and their loved ones at the Wilmington VA Medical Center will be greeted with some new technology: a digital way-finding system with a talking avatar.
"Hello. Welcome to the Wilmington, Delaware VA Center. I'm Val. How can I assist you today?" said, um, Val, which stands for Veterans Affairs locator.
The video image of the woman - an actress from Cleveland - appears on 10 4-foot-tall touchscreen kiosks scattered throughout the medical center.
"The point of Val is to provide a personal touch to the interactive touchscreen system," says Mike Drozda, chief operating officer at Logic Junction, the Cleveland-based company that sells the kiosks.
"She greets you and provides you with information on how to use the system," Drozda explains, "and provides you with directions to get from your starting location to your end destination."
It's the fifth hospital the software company is working with, and a nationwide first for the VA system. Logic Junction and an official from one of its main competitors say the trend toward digital way-finding systems is likely to grow in the coming years.
Over the next year alone, nearly $1 billion in federal payments to hospitals will be based in part on patient satisfaction, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report.
Wilmington VA spokesman Charles Quesenberry says the technology isn't meant to replace the human touch.
The kiosks are just another tool, he says, for making easier medical visits that are often stressful enough.
"Being lost is even worse. It just adds to that anxiety and that fear," said Quesenberry. "So this is a system that's very interactive, very easy to use and it helps you get to where you need to be and really reduces that level of stress."
The project cost $232,000, according to Quesenberry.
Wilmington VA officials say Val may also take up work elsewhere. Other VAs around the country have already expressed interest in cloning her.
Article from Newsworks.org, By Zack Seward, Video by Paul Parmalee, WHYY
May 2012
LogicJunction's interactive, touch-screen Wayfinder featured at the TEDMED conference in Washington, DC!
The TEDMED conference, held April 10-13, attracted thought leaders in Healthcare, as well as other fields of expertise.
The Cleveland Clinic, one of the conference's major sponsors, included LogicJunction's wayfinding system, which is employed on the Clinic's main campus in Cleveland, OH, in their display space featuring technologies focused on "what the ideal healthcare system of the future will look like".
May 2012
LogicJunction sponsors the 2012 Patient Experience Innovation and Empathy Summit
Again this year, LogicJunction is a major sponsor for The Patient Experience: Empathy and Innovation Summit. The Summit is a three-day, multidisciplinary conference devoted to exploring patient experience as a key differentiator essential to the future of healthcare delivery.
LogicJunction will be displaying its' self-service, interactive wayfinding and digital signage solutions to educate attendees on technology available to help optimize the patient and visitor experience by assisting in navigating healthcare facilities.
The Summit will be held on May 20-22 at The Bank Of America Conference Center at The Cleveland Clinic main campus.
October 2011
Interactive Hospital Wayfinding System Deployed by Sarasota Memorial Hospital
The interactive system went "live" on August 16, 2011. The system's touch screen display and friendly avatar provides individualized instructions to hospital visitors, patients and staff to help them navigate a complex and growing healthcare campus.
"Making your way around a large hospital is never easy, but it has become a greater challenge during our current campus improvement project," said Leigh Wilcox, Community Relations Coordinator at Sarasota Memorial. "We are in the midst of a $250 million construction project that is changing the face of the hospital. While our staff is always on hand to help visitors from getting lost, our new direction-giving avatar offers an added level of service that adapts instantly to sometimes daily changes."
The LogicJunction Hospital Wayfinding System provides detailed step-by-step directions via interactive touch screen wayfinder stations at key locations in the hospital. Maps and individualized walking instructions are generated for each location. The computerized avatar encourages use with its gentle, reassuring presence. Because the wayfinders employ a "dynamic" mapping technology, they are easily re-located if necessary. More importantly for evolving healthcare campuses and those under construction, the wayfinders' dynamic mapping easily accommodates changes to a structure or pathway, keeping them continually accurate as construction progresses.
"We were impressed by the wayfinders' ability to adapt to our changing campus," said Wilcox. "Initial reaction from staff, physicians and volunteers has been very positive. Our volunteers, which include many seniors, have embraced the technology to help them guide our visitors. We've even given the wayfinders' avatar a name: we call her "Sara," which seemed to be a natural."
Founded in 2000, LogicJunction, Inc. is an interactive software company that creates digital characters to help organizations connect with and educate their users. Headquartered near Cleveland, OH, LogicJunction's patented products and solutions combine these helpful, life-like avatars with artificial intelligence to serve clients in many fields including healthcare, education and insurance.
For more information, call (877) 286-2631 or visit http://www.logicjunction.com. The company is located at 23950 Commerce Park Road, Beachwood, OH 44122.
About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System:
Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional referral center offering Southwest Florida's greatest breadth and depth of inpatient, outpatient and extended care services, with more than 700,000 patient visits a year. Sarasota Memorial's 806-bed acute care hospital has been recognized repeatedly as one of the nation's largest, safest and best, with superior patient outcomes and a complete continuum of outpatient services– from urgent care walk-in clinics and physician groups, laboratory and diagnostic imaging centers, to home health and skilled nursing & rehabilitation. For information, visit: www.smh.com
Sarasota Memorial Media Relations: Kim Savage (941) 917-6271
September 2011
Hospital Wayfinding System Receives Architect's Choice Award at Healthcare Symposium
Beachwood, OH - September 21, 2011 - LogicJunction, Inc., an interactive software development company specializing in hospital wayfinding technology was presented with the Architect's Choice Symposium Distinction Award at the 2011 Healthcare Facilities Symposium and Expo. The award was presented by Emily Howard, Editor of Facility Care magazine to Craig Knowles, General Manager of LogicJunction's Wayfinding Division at Chicago's Navy Pier.
"It is very gratifying to be recognized by the healthcare architecture profession for our hospital wayfinding system," said Knowles. "These professionals have realized a significant problem of modern medicine is simply getting lost at the hospital. Our interactive wayfinding technology addresses this problem with a sophisticated yet simple system that easily accommodates ongoing changes to hospital floor plans and facility usage."
The Symposium Distinction Awards were judged by a panel of healthcare architecture experts from throughout the United States. The Architect's Choice Product Award is presented yearly to the product whose design contributes to the enrichment of a healing environment through unique design and operational support.
The LogicJunction Hospital Wayfinding System provides detailed step-by-step directions via interactive touch screen wayfinder stations at key locations in the hospital. Maps and individualized walking instructions are generated for each location. A computerized avatar encourages use with its gentle, reassuring presence. Because the wayfinders employ a "dynamic" mapping technology, they are easily re-located if necessary. More importantly for evolving healthcare campuses and those under construction, the wayfinders' dynamic mapping easily accommodates changes to a structure or pathway, keeping them continually accurate as construction progresses.
Founded in 2000, LogicJunction, Inc. is an interactive software company that creates digital characters to help organizations connect with and educate their users. Headquartered near Cleveland, OH, LogicJunction's patented products and solutions combine these helpful, life-like avatars with artificial intelligence to serve clients in many fields including healthcare, education and insurance.
For more information, call (877) 286-2631 or visit www.logicjunction.com. The company is located at 23950 Commerce Park Road, Beachwood, OH 44122.
LogicJunction Inc.
23950 Commerce Park Road
Beachwood, OH 44122
Phone: (877) 286-2631
Fax: (216) 292-6661