Community Citizenship
UPMC is the leading provider of health care services and the largest employer in the Pittsburgh region. UPMC is committed to giving back to and reinvesting in the community. UPMC’s contributions to the community amounted to more than $500 million in Fiscal Year 2008, based on recent Internal Revenue Service guidelines. Together with capital spending that tops another $500 million a year, UPMC’s activities are a major driver of the revitalization of the regional economy.
UPMC’s Traditionally Defined Community Benefits (in Millions)
|
|
FY 2008 |
FY 2007 |
Change |
|
Charity care and unreimbursed amounts from programs for the poor (at cost)* |
$169 |
$139 |
22% |
|
Community health programs and donations |
$99 |
$71 |
39% |
|
Support for research and education |
$250 |
$237 |
5% |
|
Total |
$518 |
$447 |
16% |
|
As a percentage of Net Patient Revenue |
13% |
12% |
|
* These amounts include some bad debt for patients estimated to be eligible for charity care, had they applied.
UPMC’s Fiscal Year 2008 traditional community support includes:
- UPMC provided more than $169 million in care for those without means to pay and to cover shortfalls in payments for those insured by Medicaid and other government programs for low-income households.
- UPMC annually provides or contributes to more than 3,000 community health improvement programs. The cost of these services, along with charitable initiatives and donations that benefit the community, amounted to $99 million.
- Supporting research and educating health professionals constitute some of UPMC’s most significant community contributions. UPMC invested a total of $250 million in research and education.
In addition, UPMC supports the community in many ways beyond the traditional definitions. The Fiscal Year 2008 Community Benefits Report examines in detail several unique initiatives by which UPMC is helping to make the region a healthier, stronger, and better place to live:
- Recognizing the potential of The Pittsburgh Promise — an initiative to make college tuition money available to all high school graduates of the Pittsburgh Public Schools — for improving the region’s economy and standard of living, UPMC donated $10 million in Fiscal Year 2008, with a commitment of as much as an additional $90 million in matching funds over the next nine years.
- A major new commitment undertaken in Fiscal Year 2008 was the merger with Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh to form UPMC Mercy, preserving the city’s last Catholic hospital and a long-term provider of charity and high-quality specialty care.
- UPMC has been taking a leadership role in electronic health record technologies, directing expansive resources toward devising and developing an interconnected electronic health record that promises to reduce errors, improve treatment coordination, and cut costs.
- UPMC has been able to leverage its expertise in fields as disparate as viral genetics, tissue regeneration, and electronic records to offer local, state, and federal officials substantial help in enhancing regional and national readiness against natural and manmade disasters.
- Through property and parking taxes and its for-profit subsidiaries, UPMC paid more than $24 million in taxes and voluntary contributions. The region's tax revenues also are bolstered by the estimated $96 million in taxes paid by UPMC's employees.
View the full report. (PDF)