Quality & Innovation
The pursuit of quality permeates the culture of UPMC.
In addition to our comittment to excellence in all we do, UPMC fully utilizes advanced information technology both to assure quality and safety in patient care and to streamline its business practices.
Innovations such as eRecord, UPMC's electronic health record system, are redefining the practice of medicine: Clinicians can access important patient information without the need to page through paper records. Because they reduce errors and costs, electronic medical records are a national priority, but UPMC began development of the technology long before it entered the national discourse. UPMC has been lauded for reaching or exceeding the first set of electronic health record goals set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Additional computerized systems track and dispense medications, transmit diagnostic images, and give people with diabetes and other chronic conditions an online portal for communicating with their doctors and accessing disease management tools.
Technological innovation improves clinical care in other ways: UPMC hosts one of the most advanced simulation centers in the country, the Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER). At WISER, clinicians train in new surgical techniques on computerized mannequins and in realistic mock scenarios, such as a bioterrorism attack or in a med-evac helicopter.
Other initiatives in UPMC’s approximately $500 million commitment to information technology include the development and systemwide deployment of systems to improve patient safety; access to care, such as appointment scheduling, registration for clinical services, and insurance eligibility management; business practices, including billing, claims, and contract management; and resource planning, such as purchasing, materials management, and payroll systems.