PITTSBURGH, July 10, 2006 — For the eighth year in a row, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) has been named one of the 100 Most Wired hospitals and health systems in the United States, according to the results of the 2006 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study by Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association.
UPMC is one of only seven organizations to make the list eight times. The survey recognizes hospitals that are using information technology to improve quality of care and patient safety, customer service, business processes and public health.
Over the past five years, UPMC has invested more than $725 million in information technology to improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency. In 2005, UPMC began an extensive effort with IBM to re-engineer its hardware, software and technology processes to make it simpler, faster and more economical to share and store data. The medical center aims to provide a seamless flow of patient information across its expansive system of 19 hospitals and more than 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices.
The latest survey found that the 100 Most Wired hospitals are increasingly helping consumers take charge of their health care by providing tools via the Internet, including online test results, health coaching and pre-registration services. UPMC has developed a patient portal called HealthTrak, now available to more than 3,300 patients, which offers access to individual personal health information as well as disease management tools for diabetes, hypertension and obesity. Patients also can use it to send routine inquiries to their physicians.
“UPMC believes that state-of-the-art information technologies serve as a bridge connecting consumers and their health care providers,” said Dan Drawbaugh, UPMC’s chief information officer. “Our innovative patient and physician portals play a critical role in improving patient care and satisfaction while lowering costs.”
“Consumers are doing everything from booking travel to managing their finances from their living rooms. The Most Wired hospitals provide the same opportunities with health care,” said Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals & Health Networks. “This will become the new house-call.”
Hospitals & Health Networks conducted the 2006 survey in cooperation with Accenture, McKesson Corp. and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives. The cover story detailing the results is available at http://www.hhnmag.com/.
With nearly $6 billion in assets and 40,000 employees, UPMC is the largest integrated health care system in Pennsylvania and one of the leading nonprofit medical centers in the country. More than 4,000 physicians have privileges at UPMC hospitals, including more than 2,150 employed physicians. UPMC spans the full spectrum of health care, including 19 hospitals, long-term care facilities, an insurance division and international initiatives.
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