Frequently Asked Questions

How does Sentrics E3 work?

The Sentrics E3 Patient Experience Platform integrates with multiple hospital platforms including HVAC, dietary, nurse call, housekeeping and EMR systems. E3 automates routine non-clinical tasks that otherwise require staff intervention, like patient meal orders, room temperature changes and housekeeping requests. The patient accesses services, entertainment and health education through the E3 interface on their room TV, bedside monitor or tablet, using the pillow speaker or keyboard.

Does Sentrics E3 come with a package of educational videos or do we need to provide our own content?

Patient education is available with E3 in a variety of ways. E3 can be provided with a package of educational videos designed to meet the needs of your specific patient population and areas of patient care. Our education packages are focused around the types of care your hospital provides to your community with a focus on core measures from The National Quality Forum, The Joint Commission, CMS and HEDIS. Optionally, you also may add your hospital’s own educational videos to E3 as well or provide your own educational video library to us for loading onto the E3 solution.

How does E3 provide patients with more of a sense of being in control?

E3 provides a wide array of options to help patients feel more in control of their care plan and their environment. Patients and their caregivers have 24/7 access to health information, the patient plan of the day, medications information, care team information and more via E3 digital whiteboard and health record updates. Patients also have greater control of their environment through meal ordering, room temperature controls, access to relaxing music, comfort requests, spiritual care programming, requests for social and transient services, and room cleaning requests.

How does Sentrics E3 help patients better prepare for discharge from the hospital?

As patients transition through their stay, E3 provides easy-to-access Care Transition planning, right from their connected device. The E3 streamlines and automates the discharge process from notifications through Discharge Checklist for patients and caregivers to use to be sure they are ready to go home. E3 asks patients if they understand their medications, if they have a ride scheduled, if they have questions about their care plan after discharge, and more. The appropriate staff are alerted if the patent needs more information, helping to improve patient knowledge of condition and reduce medication errors and unplanned readmissions. When a patient is preparing to transfer to post-acute care, E3 provides patients with care transition tools which inform patients and families of the different local options available for the patient to consider and select.

Why should I buy Sentrics E3 versus other systems on the market?

We pioneered the first interactive patient systems in hospitals in the early 1980s, and have been innovating interactive patient experience solutions ever since. We are passionate about making interactive patient engagement easy, and within the reach of all hospitals, regardless of size. Our platform is easy to implement, customize and use. Our turnkey services support your hospital, from pre-implementation consulting through on-going regular follow-up by our account success team. That is what makes us unique and why hospitals have partnered with us for four decades. We also are known for our exceptional customer support. According to our Client Delight Program which sets metrics for customer satisfaction, 98% of customers recommend our products and services to others.

Can I customize our E3 system?

Yes. Although our interactive patient experience platform offers a wide variety of services, you’re able to customize your experience and only opt for the features that your hospital needs. You won’t be required to select services you don’t need. Implement what you need now, and we can easily expand your system’s capabilities as your needs and budget dictate. Our flexibility and easy customization set us apart from other one-size-fits-all vendor options.

How long do the wearables last?

The wearables can last up to 2 years. Don’t worry about replacing them, our Infinity program will take care of that!

How does the RTLS tracking work and who is actually tracked?

Sentrics provides the tracking system through a sleek wearable device worn as a necklace, wristband, or visitor badge. Assets such as medication carts are also trackable. You can search by location, asset, or individual to determine the location and dwell time. The sensor is identified by the nearest locator device.

Why should I buy Ensure360 versus other systems on the market?

The Sentrics brand comes with decades of experience in life safety systems for seniors. Ensure360 is wireless to accommodate aging in place and to provide individualized care. The system has a wireless mesh network to provide confidence in receiving alarms. Ensure360 with location comes with contact tracing and case management. You also receive Enrich360, which analyzes thousands of data points to provide actionable reporting to help you transition from reactive to proactive care. Although Ensure360 can be purchased separately, you’ll have the capability to integrate with our Entertain360 and Engage360 solutions to provide a 360-degree resident view to improve care and enhance wellbeing.

For systems without RTLS, can the location of wearables be identified?

Communities can purchase Ensure without location. Using Ensure360 Lite, the staff will be able to see the identification of the nearest access point to the resident in need of help. Without RTLS, the team will have no access to the contact tracing or case management capabilities that are critical to preventing the spread of infectious diseases such as influenza and COVID.

How is the system updated?

Ensure360 Complete (with location) includes remote support and future-proofing. It offers the ability to evaluate and fix issues remotely. In addition, Ensure360 includes software updates completed automatically, “over the air.” This means you’ll always have the latest and greatest features.

Can we view reports and configure the system while away from the property?

Reporting and configuration tools via our Cloud are web-based and can be accessed remotely with the right credentials. View response times, add a new staff user or resident pendant, reprogram a door schedule all on-the-go.

Will the RTLS functionality be for everyone, or will it only track a certain population of people?

RTLS will be available for everyone in the community; ultimately it will be up to the operators to decide how it will be used. The integrated contact tracing and case management capabilities will be more effective if RTLS is used across the organization.

Will Ensure track the resident even when they are off the property?

The Ensure360 RTLS functionality does not support tracking off-site.

Can I run reports on nurse call alerts?

Ensure360 includes dashboard and drill-down reporting to help operators maintain or improve operational efficiency. Standard reports provide insights about average care team response time and the number of times a resident uses the nurse call system and everything in between.

What channels will we get? How does it compare to channels we have?

DirecTV powers our TV programming. We provide many options for TV packages and can just about meet or beat any package you currently have. You also can change your channel line up at any time.

What can I do to assist with troubleshooting by TV programming?

You can resolve most TV programming issues by pushing the reset button on the EGATE360. If that does now work, you can also turn off and then on the Headend component not working correctly. It is best if you do the latter with help from a Sentrics support technician over the phone.

Do you have 24/7 customer support?

Yes, we offer live technical support during regular business hours and on-call support outside of normal business for our TV programming only customers. Our automated operator will direct you to the appropriate department to leave your contact information and the nature of the issue. The on-call technicians will return your call as quickly as they receive the request.

For those customers who leverage our 3-in-1 technology with managed services, a live person in our Ohio office will answer your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, when you dial *123.

If a TV requires a cable box, how do I get one?

Sentrics can provide cable boxes, and it is often included with your TV system.

How big is the Satellite Dish Sentrics uses?

The satellite dish is approximately 32” wide, 22” high, and weighs 25 lbs.

Why do we need an internet connection if we do not have internet on our system?

The Sentrics team can access your equipment onsite for service, activations, and changes that cannot be done manually.

Can we add more channels?

Yes, you can add additional channels by either expanding your system or swapping out channels.

Where can I find a channel line up?

We offer an interactive, or scrolling, that is customized for your system.

What if the TV is not getting all of the channels on our channel line up?

Complete a channel scan to program the TV. If not all channels are received, a set-top box may be required.

What if a resident wants to record shows?

The Sentrics Gateway DVR is available at a low monthly cost.

Does everyone in the community have to use the system, or can some continue to use the service they have contracted themselves with local cable/satellite companies?

Communities have a much more significant price advantage when they provide TV programming to all apartments than any one individual can negotiate on their own. Residents can continue to source their TV if desired.

How will the existing voice infrastructure affect the community’s ability to leverage voice services?

There is minimal change to the infrastructure. We bring a new data feed into the building and then use the building’s existing wiring to provide each room data. Communities that choose to use local voice services can still use the local feed that comes into the building; we simply patch it over to the rooms that want that service.

Are the internet and voice services the same for business and residential customers?

Communities can run completely separate internet and voice services to support their administration and resident services. Depending on the size and needs of the community, the operators can choose to deliver different internet bandwidths to the residents than the office staff.

What is expanded 911 services, and why do I need it?

The Sentrics voice solution includes expanded 911 capabilities to direct emergency services right to a resident’s apartment. Most voice services include basic 911 capabilities, which are fine for single-family homes that have a distinct address. In buildings with multiple residents though, basic 911 only knows captures the street address of the building. Emergency services lose valuable time trying to figure out where a resident in need is. With expanded 911, the service associates an apartment number to the phone number, directing emergency services to the right location in no time.

Can residents port their existing phone numbers, and who completes the provisioning and setup of those numbers?

Residents can port as many phone numbers as they’d like. The Sentrics competent and highly trained staff will port and provision those numbers for the residents so your staff can focus on other activities.

How many WiFi devices can residents connect within their apartments?

Because each resident receives an internet connection into their apartment, they can connect as many WiFi devices as they want. And, because they are not sharing WiFi bandwidth, they won’t experience the typical slowdowns at peak hours that other communities have.

What is *123 and can anyone use it?

We recommend that every community take advantage of our managed services when they purchase tv, internet, and voice services from Sentrics. With managed services, communities and residents have access to a live, Ohio-based person 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a week, to answer any question they have, simply by dialing *123. The same team that answers this phone also helps ensure that your service is always on.

What is the Tech Concierge service?

A Sentrics Tech Concierge, is a technology expert who works onsite in your facility to answer any resident or staff technology question. This person is trained to work with your technology, and works regular hours that you define, so you can count on them to be there when you need them. They are also trained to work with seniors and often provide gentle guidance when helping them do anything from hanging a TV to sign on to Facebook (again).

Can you print the calendar out? Most communities add a printed version of the calendar in Elevators and other common spaces. They also included them in newsletters etc.

While the dining menu is printable, communities will not be able to print the activities calendar until a later release.

Can Family Members add calendar events to a resident's calendar?

In the first release of the Family app, family members will not be able to add events. This feature will be available in a later release.

Can a resident order a menu item from the application?

Residents can browse the dining menu to find exactly what they’re craving with robust meal filters, such as Special Meals, as well as view meal images, descriptions, nutrition facts, complementary dishes, and other information provided by the community. However, meal ordering functionality or integrations are not currently available.

How do you display the community-wide information on a TV in a Public area?

Engage360 is pre-integrated with Entertain360, which includes a Community Channel.

How easy is it for my staff to add and update information to the system?

We have designed the Engage360 Content Management System (CMS) to be intuitive and easy to use. While we will provide initial user training, the average person more than capable to use it without any training. Managing the dining menu, activities, and schedule – complete with customizable categories for special events, meals and more – allows you to spend more time engaging with residents and less time in front of a computer. The CMS also provides simple management for the Engage360 devices, locations and residents.

Do we get user data on how much our residents are using the system?

Like the entire Sentrics360 SM suite, the Engage360 platform tracks resident activity and feeds it to the Enrich360SM platform for machine learning and AI-based insights. Individual reports will be included in the solution in 2021.

Will the community staff be able to see how often and what information families are viewing?

Information shared via Engage360 between the families and residents is private. Community staff members will not have access to this information.

Does the Engage360 include voice control?

A resident can control the Engage360 platform using a remote control or Sentrics-built voice controls. Unlike other applications that require the residents to purchase Alexa or another voice control system, Engage360 has its own voice control and does not require any additional outside hardware to use it.

Does the Engage360 roadmap include Smart Home control.

We have purpose-built Engage360 to provide residents with unique access to engagement options that connect them with purpose to the community, family, friends, the healthcare ecosystem, mood-altering content, faith programming and more. The goal of Engage360 is to give residents ways to interact when they cannot or choose not to leave their apartments. That list does not include Smart Home control.

Does Engage360 gives residents the ability to link data from a wearable, like a fitness watch, heart monitor or calorie counter?

Engage360 is an interactive engagement platform that keeps residents in-tune and informed with the community and their loved ones. It currently does not provide access points to third-party wearables. Sentrics has another solution, Ensure360SM platform, which combines sensors, sophisticated eCall and a robust integrated rules engine with real time location services, contact tracing, case management and third-party solutions to help your staff anticipate and act proactively to keep residents safe, improve caregiver efficiency, and reduce the risk of adverse events, like devastating falls. It integrates with popular EMRs today, and could provide an ideal home for this type of data which ultimately feeds Enrich360 SM to provide sophisticated machine learning and AI-based insights.

Do I have to use all of the Sentrics360 platform solutions to leverage Enrich360 analytics?

Enrich360 integrates and correlates the minute data that each of the Sentrics360 solutions (Ensure, Entertain, and Engage) gather and analyzes it to find trends. You have to use at least one of the Sentrics360 platforms to use Enrich360. While you gain the most insights and predictions when you use all four platform solutions together, it is not required.

How does Enrich360 work?

Enrich360 integrates and correlates tens of thousands of data points a day from multiple platforms, analyzes them, and then applies machine learning and artificial intelligence to predict outcomes and deliver them in an easy-to-understand way caregiver knows what action to take.

Do I have to buy a separate analytics platform?

Enrich360 includes everything you need to integrate, analyze, and present the data from the Sentrics360 platforms.