MOUNT KISCO, NY–Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco has launched what it’s calling an “intelligent” toll-free number designed to provide the regional community with an easy interactive method of learning more about its quality diagnostic and treatment services.

The phone number–1-800-QUALITY– was launched through a partnership with Primary Wave Media of Pleasantville, which licenses shared use memorable 800 numbers nationwide for organizations in healthcare and other markets.

Vice President of Marketing and Communications of Northern Westchester Hospital, Mark Vincent, said, “The 1-800-QUALITY phone number will enable us to better communicate NWH’s commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care throughout the community,” adding, “When people think ‘Quality,’ we want them to think of Northern Westchester Hospital.”

The service will enable callers to request pertinent information about NWH and have it delivered via SMS text messaging directly to their phones or smart phones.

The hospital plans to utilize the new 800 service to help disseminate information to potential patients about its various programs, many of which have received accolades and achievements including their Emergency Department patient satisfaction scores that rank among the top 5% in the United States, based upon Press Ganey patient survey results and their stroke program, which achieved the Gold-Plus performance award from the American Heart Association for providing high quality stroke care.

Original article from The Daily Bedford: http://www.thedailybedford.com/wellness/northern-westchester-hospital-launches-quality

Memorable Shared-Use 800 Number is Available Regionally to Help Institutions Underscore Their Commitment to Quality Healthcare Among Consumers

Pleasantville, New York (PRWEB) September 08, 2011

Primary Wave Media, the nation’s leading provider of toll-free vanity telephone marketing programs, today announces it has established a toll-free number, 1-800-QUALITY, that it is being licensed regionally to hospitals throughout the U.S. The easily remembered shared use number enables hospitals to convey their commitment to providing quality care to the communities they serve.

The significance of the 1-800-QUALITY number goes beyond an advertising hook. Once people call the number and are routed directly to a hospital in their market, they will be privy to information that will enable them to quickly learn about an institution’s practices and specialties, emergency room assistance and quality care measurement processes.

The 1-800-QUALITY number follows two other very successful Primary Wave Media shared use 800 numbers in the healthcare space: 1-800-HOSPICE and 1-800-HOMECARE. Both have been proven to significantly increase call volumes and build the businesses of over 125 homecare and hospice organizations throughout the United States

“This new 1-800-QUALITY number, which is licensed exclusively by region or market, enables hospitals to underscore their high standards and commitment to their patients,” said Gregg Hamershlag, CEO of Primary Wave Media. “By calling this number, members of the community have the opportunity to speak to a representative or get pertinent information about an institution delivered to them via SMS text messaging to their smart phones.”

Primary Wave Media’s first licensor of the 1-800-QUALITY number is Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mt. Kisco, New York. The not-for-profit institution is banking on the memorable 800 number as a means to better communicate its highly-awarded and accredited patient-centered diagnostic and treatment services to the people of Westchester.

“The 1-800-QUALITY phone number will enable us to better communicate NWH’s commitment to high-quality, patient-centered care throughout the community. When people think ‘Quality’, we want them to think of Northern Westchester Hospital,” stated Mark Vincent, NWH’s Vice President, Marketing and Communications.

About Primary Wave Media

Primary Wave Media is a leading integrated marketing, licensing and media company that develops industry-defining, IP-based branding assets and campaigns designed for B2C companies in highly competitive, high-growth industry segments. Primary Wave Media provides unique, custom business-building marketing solutions, through the use of vanity phone numbers, to increase customer engagement and brand recognition on both a national and regional level for new and established brands. As one of the nation’s leading providers of toll-free vanity number marketing programs, Primary Wave Media licenses a wide range of shared-use 800 numbers, including 1-800-CABLE-TV, 1-800-HOME-CARE, 1-800-HURT-NOW, 1-877-WINDOWS and 1-800-WIRELESS, among others. For further information about Primary Wave Media, please visit http://www.primarywavemedia.com

Original article from Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/primary-wave-media-introduces-toll-free-1-800-090306519.html

The 2011 USA Challenge will give ION GNSS participants a chance to pick their favorite satellite navigation application from this year’s contest using eVotz, a mobile voting platform that won the competition last year.

Elliot Klein of New York developed eVotz to verify voter’s identities and location via a secure, mobile platform for location-enabled smartphones or tablets.

“eVotz is a better way to authenticate voting without paper, pencil, postage or traveling by car to polling locations and we do it using emerging mobile device Internet and hybrid GNSS technologies,” Klein said.

Five finalists will introduce their GNSS application and location-based service ideas in “fast pitch” presentations on Thursday, September 22, at 12:30 p.m. in the Portland, Oregon Convention Center where ION GNSS 2011 will be held. The USA Challenge 2011 competition was organized by Inside GNSS magazine and cosponsored by NovAtel, Inc., and the Institute of Navigation.

ION participants inside a virtual “geofence” within and around the convention center may use eVotz to select their favorite of the final five ideas. The winner will receive a bronze People’s Choice award at the Thursday event.

Mobile voting will take place using TechnoCom location technology and Intercept Networks, a joint venture between Primary Wave Media and TeleSmart Networks to enhance Intelligent Numbers with cloud-based location services and two-way messaging.

Here’s how it works: ION participants use their location-capable smartphone or other wireless device that takes them to an interactive voice option menu. Depending on the device features, they may be able to access the site by scanning a QR code. If they opt-in to receive SMS short code messages and hyperlinks, they’ll be able to cast a vote for their favorite USA Challenge finalist.

Klein said, “We apply the eVotz ‘secret sauce’ that verifies the voter’s location. We test it against the geofence–permitted postal mailing address radius to the Portland Convention Center area and confirm that it matches. eVotz allows a one-time vote and also matches the vote with other permissions in the eVotz server.”

As part of his award last year, Klein received support in developing his platform from the Position, Location And Navigation (PLAN) group at the University of Calgary. Klein said PLAN’s faculty helped him realize the potential of mobile phone sensors, including GPS and A-GPS, and using data from self-contained magnetometer, altimeter, or gyro sensors to authenticate geographical location. It was particularly useful for indoor locations, where people are most likely to use a smartphone or tablet, he said.

The USA Challenge is part of the European Satellite Navigation Competition, now a global event with competitors in 50 countries.

ION GNSS 2011 will be held from September 19 through 23 in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Original article from InsideGNSS – http://www.insidegnss.com/node/2736