CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Using a remote control, Michael Stollar, vice president of corporate communications for HMSA, shows how to access different informational videos on HMSA Now, the first interactive TV health channel in the country.

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HMSA launches
health channel

The first interactive statewide
TV comes via digital cable

The doctor says you have arthritis, lupus, an ulcer or any one of hundreds of other medical problems and you want to know more about it.

Now you can turn on your TV to get the answers.

Health information is available on HMSA Now, the first statewide interactive television health channel in the country.

The service is offered at no charge 24 hours a day on Oceanic Time Warner's Digital Cable Channel 344.

The Hawaii Medical Service Association produced the two-year pilot program with Broadband Interactive TV, Hawaii company that specializes in community-oriented interactive television channels.

"We are pleased to be the first health plan in the nation to launch this innovative health-care resource using video-on-demand digital technology," said Robert Hiam, HMSA president and chief executive officer.

"We believe everyone deserves easy access to the best health information available and are confident that using digital cable will provide an effective method to provide that and, as a bonus, make learning about health living more fun for kids and teens."

HMSA officials said they wanted to reach people who depend on television for information and they began working on the concept about 16 months ago after a successful British pilot TV health information program.

They see HMSA Now as "a town square and medical library for health-related topics."

"It's a beginning," said Michael Stollar, HMSA vice president for corporation communications, explaining that new information will constantly be fed into the programming.

There is a section on HMSA and its services, but non-HMSA members with digital cable TV also can access the health information.

With Channel 344, people don't have to wait until an office opens but can get an answer to a question in the middle of the night, Stollar pointed out.

And if they don't understand, they can replay it as many times as they want.

"The great thing is when they have a question, people can see someone talking to them," said William Tobin, HMSA enterprise development specialist.

He said they had an "open casting call" among HMSA employees to recruit people for speaking parts.

Stollar said they checked with HMSA's customer service for the most frequently asked questions. HMSA members, for example, can learn how to find a doctor outside of Hawaii and how to read an HMSA Report to Member statement.

The programming also is designed to educate residents on how health care works and the importance of "personal responsibility" to help control rising costs, Stollar said.

Videos are easily accessed from onscreen menus with a remote control. Using the arrows and A, B and C buttons, viewers can stop, pause, rewind and fast forward.

The HMSA Now channel is next to the national health channel, Discovery Health, on Channel 343.

"What's so wonderful about HMSA Now, you go to it and you pull out from the library what you want to see," said Alan Pollock, Oceanic vice president for marketing. "You're not a slave to a TV guide.

"If you're going for gallbladder surgery and you want to know about your gallbladder, in the comfort of your home you can find out about it," he said.

Oceanic has almost 400,000 customers and more than 40 percent have digital cable, Pollock said.

HMSA Now viewers have more than 200 videos to choose from in a medical library, with animated videos presenting basic information on injuries and common illnesses.

Radiation sickness, LASIK eye surgery, acne, diabetes, asthma, endometriosis and other chronic health conditions, substance abuse and general health are just a few of the topics covered.

"Patients can watch at home, over and over, with their family," Tobin said. They can learn about a procedure, such as angioplasty, that a family member is going to go through, he said.

Among HMSA Now features:

Kids also get a kick out of seeing their videos on the air, and their names are listed, he pointed out.

Community health events sponsored by HMSA and other organizations also are listed.

The playback for each video can be tracked to see what people are interested in and plan new categories, Tobin said.

Stollar said they couldn't find a lot of information specifically for seniors but more material will be added for that population as they build up the program.