BIA/Kelsey Launches ActiveAccess Application for Ingham Regional Medical Center to Deliver Regional Health Information to Lansing Michigan Community

CHANTILLY, Va.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--BIA/Kelsey announced today it has created an ActiveAccess desktop application for Ingham Regional Medical Center in Lansing, MI to communicate important health information to the local community. Users of the “Ingham Health Bug” will have continuous direct access through their computers to updated information on flu outbreaks, CDC updates, health education events and breaking medical news. The desktop application is offered free to the public and is available for download from the hospital’s website and Facebook page.

“It will organize and distribute information via one interactive icon located on the computer desktop.”

“This cold and flu season we’re dedicated to ensuring people have the tools they need to stay up-to-date on the latest outbreaks and prevention techniques,” said James Wardlaw, director of marketing and communications at Ingham. “We will use this application to push out breaking news immediately to keep people informed. The “Ingham Health Bug” puts people just one click away from timely information and keeps them connected with credible flu updates and public health information.”

As part of its kickoff, the “Ingham Health Bug” will present a series of brief streaming videos that address frequently asked questions related to H1N1 swine flu. The videos feature infectious disease expert Dr. Chris Farnum of Capital Internal Medicine Associates in Lansing.

“Ingham Health Bug” users will have access to a wide array of customizable health information and the opportunity to share their concerns directly with Ingham Regional Medical Center staff. Users can also choose to receive RSS feeds of their choice through the application.

“With the “Ingham Health Bug” people won’t have to worry about hunting or browsing for information any longer, especially during a time when people are anxious to be informed,” said Wardlaw. “It will organize and distribute information via one interactive icon located on the computer desktop.”

As more Americans go online for health information (61% according to a 2009 study by Pew Internet), ActiveAccess gives medical facilities a valuable way to create a community beyond the browser for people to come to for health information and networking. It creates value around a hospital’s website by creating one-click access to the content and giving medical facilities rich functionality (i.e., text crawls, RSS feeds, streaming video and audio, and links to health blogs) to interact with users.

“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with the Ingham Regional Medical Center to help them fully engage with their local community,” said Thomas Buono, CEO BIA/Kelsey. “At BIA/Kelsey, we are focused on helping companies on the local level be more successful with their clients, advertisers and target audiences. Our ActiveAccess solution gives hospitals a tactical way to interact with their local community in a win-win scenario. Patients receive information in an easy to consume way and the hospital achieves brand awareness for themselves and ROI for their digital content. Also valuable is that through the “Ingham Health Bug” physicians, caregivers and health educators will connect directly with people in Greater Lansing.”

The ActiveAccess technology behind “Ingham Health Bug” is a light-weight download that requires about as much memory as a single webpage to operate. Once installed by users, it sits as an icon on the computer’s desktop until activated by the user or the hospital, at which time it will open on the desktop. For breaking news, hospital officials can send a text crawl or flashing alert that will appear along the bottom of the computer screen to provide critical information. The alerts appear in front of any open programs so they cannot be missed.

For more information on ActiveAccess solutions for hospitals, visit http://www.activeaccess.com/healthcare.asp or email info@activeaccess.com to request a personal demonstration.

A graphic of the “Ingham Health Bug” is available along with the full version of this press release at http://www.activeaccess.com/press091104.asp.

About BIA/Kelsey

BIA/Kelsey advises companies in the local media space through Consulting and Valuation Services, Research and Data Products, Continuous Advisory Services, and Conferences. Since 1983 BIA/Kelsey has been a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directories markets, as well as to government agencies, law firms and investment companies looking to understand trends and revenue drivers. BIA/Kelsey’s annual conferences draw executives from across industries seeking expert guidance on how companies are finding innovative ways to grow. Additional information is available at www.bia.com and www.kelseygroup.com. The company’s blogs are located at http://blog.bia.com/bia/ and http://blog.kelseygroup.com, and it can be found on Twitter through http://twitter.com/BIAKelsey.

About ActiveAccess

ActiveAccess is a private-label application that integrates all forms of digital content and emergency alerting to the computer desktop instantly through rich features such as text crawls, RSS integration, audio/video (live or taped), web links, and graphical alerts. Offered by BIA/Kelsey, ActiveAccess has been adopted by hospitals, broadcast media companies, colleges/universities, associations and non-profits as part of their multiplatform digital strategy to engage with target audiences through multiple touch points - of which the computer desktop offers extremely high ROI for active engagement. Select clients include: Ingham Regional Medical Center, American Society of Civil Engineers, Cordillera Communications, Gray Television Incorporated, West Texas A&M, and Penn State University. Further information is available at: http://www.activeaccess.com.

About Ingham Regional Medical Center

Ingham Regional Medical Center and Ingham Regional Orthopedic Hospital of Lansing are part of McLaren Health Care, mid-Michigan’s largest health care system.

About McLaren Health Care

Headquartered in Flint, Mich., McLaren Health Care has been recognized as one of the top Integrated Health Networks in the nation by Verispan. With 11 subsidiaries, McLaren is one of the largest health care providers in the state. The system reaches nearly 35 percent of Michigan residents through more than 150 locations, 15,000 employees and 3,600 physicians. McLaren Health Care had revenues totaling more than $3.7 billion in 2006, and has experienced double-digit growth since 1989.

The nonprofit system includes eight regional hospitals: Bay Regional Medical Center and Bay Special Care Hospital in Bay City; Ingham Regional Medical Center and Ingham Regional Orthopedic Hospital in Lansing; Lapeer Regional Medical Center in Lapeer; McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint; Mount Clemens Regional Medical Center in Mt. Clemens; and POH Regional Medical Center in Pontiac. In addition to the eight hospital facilities, McLaren operates Visiting Nurse Services of Michigan, an award-winning home health, hospice and medical supplies provider; McLaren Health Plan, a licensed HMO offering benefit plans for commercial businesses and Medicaid recipients; and Great Lakes Cancer Institute, the largest cancer care network of its kind in the state.

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