Hospital president reviews accomplishments of past year, goals for new year during annual board meeting
FARRELL AND GREENVILLE, July 27, 2011– The UPMC Horizon board of directors held its annual meeting July 26, during which hospital president Don Owrey reviewed the past year’s accomplishments.
Although Fiscal Year 2011 (which ended June 30) was a challenging year for hospitals due to a continued struggling economy and significant budget issues on the state and local level, UPMC Horizon continued to build its services and improve the quality of care to patients. While inpatient activity declined, which is consistent across the hospital industry, outpatient and emergency visits both increased, as well as the number of newborns delivered at the hospital. In addition, UPMC Horizon recruited 13 physicians to the medical staff, including four primary care physicians, a neurologist, a hospitalist, a general surgeon, three anesthesiologists, a cardiologist, a pain management specialist, and an orthopaedic surgeon.
Other achievements in Fiscal Year 2011 included:
- the successful implementation of the electronic health record at both hospital campuses
- successful surveys with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, College of American Pathologists, and American College of Surgeons cancer program
- three-year reaccreditations from both the Joint Commission and the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program
- four quarters of excellence in CMS core measures for heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia, and stroke
- maximum achievement level in the Highmark QualityBLUE pay for performance program
- the addition of radiation oncology services with the opening of the UPMC Cancer Center at UPMC Horizon
- the implementation of digital mammography at the Womancare Center
- the opening of the After Hours clinic, also at the Womancare Center
- the addition of hyperbaric oxygen services through the Center for Wound Treatment and Hyperbaric Medicine
- the investment of $7.5 million to add or enhance hospital services, which along with electronic health records, the cancer center, digital mammography, and hyperbaric oxygen included a new 64-slice CT unit at the Shenango Valley campus, two new ultrasound units, surgical equipment, and various facility upgrades
- the continued expansion of the graduate medical education program to include eight residents in primary care, seven residents in general surgery, and three residents in orthopaedic surgery
In Fiscal Year 2012, UPMC Horizon will continue its mission to bring advanced care to the community and to deliver health care in the most efficient manner possible. Additional program development, including the new UPMC Urgent Care at Hermitage scheduled to open in August and expanded surgical services at the Shenango Valley campus, highlight the major initiatives for next year. The hospital will also continue to expand on the various information technology initiatives begun in 2011, including implementation of electronic medical records in many of the physician offices.
“We are very proud of our medical staff, employees and the high quality of care available at UPMC Horizon. As demonstrated this past year by numerous outside agencies, we have received high marks for our efforts in advancing quality and improving patient safety” said Mr. Owrey. “We believe we are well-positioned for continued success in the coming year. As a part of UPMC, we believe our hospital has the strength to confront the challenges currently facing the hospital industry.”