University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Named One of 100 Most Wired Hospitals in the United States for the Seventh Consecutive Year

PITTSBURGH, July 12, 2005 — For the seventh 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 2005 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study, by Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association.

UPMC is one of only nine organizations nationwide that have made the list for all seven years the awards have recognized "technically savvy" hospitals, placing it among an elite group of hospitals. It is the only institution in the region to achieve this distinction.

The 2005 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study measures the nation's hospitals on their use of information technologies for quality, customer service, public health and safety, business processes and workforce issues. According to the results of the survey, the nation's Most Wired hospitals and health systems – those that have invested significantly in health information technology – have lower mortality rates than other hospitals.

UPMC has committed approximately $500 million to develop and deploy information technology initiatives. The UPMC electronic medical records initiative, called eRecord, encompasses a broad range of electronic clinical applications that give doctors, nurses and other caregivers the ability to instantly access important patient information. The goal of the initiative is to improve the quality of patient care, reduce medical errors and duplication of services and provide more cost-effective care, resulting in a reduction in mortality rates.

“UPMC believes that information technology plays a key role in both targeted safety efforts and overall systemic improvement to quality and patient safety,” said Dan Drawbaugh, chief information officer of UPMC. “The goal is to develop and implement advanced technologies to deliver health care information to providers and consumers through a linked, multifaceted information delivery and decision support system. UPMC's advanced information technology systems are designed to provide solutions that strive to meet the rigorous needs of our hospitals, clinics, physician practices, and most importantly, our patients.”

According to an outcomes analysis conducted for the magazine by Solucient, the 100 Most Wired hospitals have, on average, risk-adjusted mortality rates that are 7.2 percent lower than other hospitals, even after controlling for the size of the hospital and teaching status.

“This is the first analysis showing that the nation’s top tech hospitals also have better outcomes,” says Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association (AHA). “The Most Wired use a wider array of IT tools to address quality and safety, they have a significantly larger percentage of physicians who enter orders themselves and they conduct a larger percentage of clinical activities via information technology.”

A $5.3 billion, 39,000-employee organization, UPMC is the largest integrated health care delivery 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 about 1,950 employed physicians. UPMC spans the full spectrum of health care delivery with its network of 19 tertiary, specialty and community hospitals and 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices. UPMC operates the largest trauma center in Pennsylvania with more than 409,000 emergency department visits.

With more than 4,000 licensed beds, UPMC has 174,000 admissions per year and 3 million outpatient visits. It is the largest provider of independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing options in the region with 14 freestanding retirement and long-term care facilities. UPMC is the largest employer in western Pennsylvania. More information on UPMC is available at www.upmc.com.

Hospitals & Health Networks conducted the 2005 survey in cooperation with Accenture, IDX Systems Corporation and the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). The cover story detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.