SAN MATEO, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 19, 2016) - UPMC, one of the nation's leading medical centers based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and SmartStory Technologies, located in San Mateo, California, have teamed up to introduce the first fully automated and personalized mobile video delivery system to be deployed in leading retail pharmacies to educate and help consumers manage their health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 50 percent of the U.S. population is taking more than 2.3 billion drugs prescribed by physicians to manage a variety of chronic illnesses. This new approach helps pharmacy staff engage newly diagnosed patients by using short-form video content to provide patients critical education related to their health condition during the first days of their diagnosis.
The six conditions targeted will be Type 2 diabetes, asthma, acid reflux, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and depression. UPMC experts are featured in the videos and provide consumers the most current and trusted medical information for each condition. Giant Eagle is one of the largest retail pharmacies participating in this new program to educate consumers, and the videos will be distributed in 10 states.
The SmartStory technology enables a pharmacy's medication dispensing system to synchronize real-time patient data with a sequence of short videos delivered to the patient's mobile, desktop or tablet devices. The content is designed to lower anxiety while building confidence as patients are educated on their particular condition, treatment and suitable lifestyle changes for achieving better health outcomes.
"Managing a newly diagnosed condition like diabetes can seem overwhelming and difficult at first," said Mary Korytkowski, M.D., professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology at UPMC. "We are hopeful these mobile-based educational videos will reach patients in new, convenient ways, and help them live healthier lives."
"We are delighted to partner with such a distinguished health care system as UPMC," said former Apple executive and SmartStory President C. Lloyd Mahaffey. "Their ability to bring some of the best research and clinical minds to collaborate on the construct of next generation mobile video content targeting key diseases has been invaluable."
About UPMC
A world-renowned health care provider and insurer, Pittsburgh-based UPMC is inventing new models of patient-centered, cost-effective, accountable care. It provides more than $892 million a year in benefits to its communities, including more care to the region's most vulnerable citizens than any other health care institution. The largest nongovernmental employer in Pennsylvania, UPMC integrates 60,000 employees, more than 20 hospitals, more than 500 doctors' offices and outpatient sites, and a more than 2.9 million-member Insurance Services Division, the largest medical and behavioral health services insurer in western Pennsylvania. Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, UPMC ranks No. 13 in the prestigious U.S. News & World Report annual Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. UPMC Enterprises functions as the innovation and commercialization arm of UPMC while UPMC International provides hands-on health care and management services with partners in 12 countries on four continents. For more information, go to UPMC.com.
About SmartStory Technologies
SmartStory™ Technologies is an enterprise content delivery and analytics platform company dedicated to helping pharmacies, hospitals, consumer electronics retailers, financial institutions, and other providers of complex products and services communicate effectively with customers through automated delivery of personalized, short-form videos. By providing expertly produced and curated, client-branded advice and product information, triggered by a purchase or other consumer interaction, businesses can close the "knowledge gap" that prevents customers from enjoying the full benefit of their experience. Closing this gap can lead to increased customer satisfaction, revenue, brand loyalty, can lower business costs and encourage ongoing customer engagement and behavior changes. For more information, visit www.smartstory.com.