7/8/2020
PITTSBURGH – UPMC has released its 2019-20 Community Benefits Report, showing its longstanding and sustaining commitment to meet the many diverse needs of all the communities it serves throughout Pennsylvania, western New York and western Maryland. The report details how UPMC provided $1.4 billion in IRS-defined community benefits during Fiscal Year 2019, up by $175 million from last year.
UPMC’s total economic impact of $42 billion nearly doubled in the last five years. The health system’s spending has a multiplier effect that ripples benefits through local economies. As the Commonwealth’s largest non-governmental employer, UPMC supports more than one in four hospital jobs in Pennsylvania.
UPMC’s $1.4 billion in community-focused programs last year equals nearly $4 million per day or more than 15% of net patient revenue. According to the most recent publicly available data, UPMC contributes more than any other health system in Pennsylvania; the statewide average for hospitals’ contributions is 9% of net patient revenue.
- $479 million to make care more accessible for the most vulnerable residents in our communities, including $102 million in free or discounted care to more than 20,000 patients, and $377 million in unreimbursed Medical Assistance costs and other subsidized care. The reported amounts are UPMC’s actual costs, not the price or charges that would have been billed for care. UPMC provides a disproportionate amount of charity care. While UPMC cares for 18% of patients in all of Pennsylvania, it provides 28% of the hospital charity care in the Commonwealth.
- $376 million for community health and wellness programs and charitable contributions, including more than 3,000 free and subsidized programs, such as neighborhood clinics and support groups, free medical equipment and transportation. UPMC leads the way in funding community health improvement programs, with 59% of all hospital funding in central Pennsylvania and 50% statewide.
- $548 million for medical research and education, advancing breakthrough treatments and cures while training the next generation of clinicians. UPMC funds nearly half of all hospital-funded research in Pennsylvania, and along with the University of Pittsburgh, is ranked #6 nationally in National Institutes of Health funding. UPMC has the nation’s fourth-largest medical residency program, and its four schools of nursing educate 700 nursing students each year.
UPMC cares for a disproportionate number of high-need patients throughout all the regions it serves, bringing resources within reach to:
- 8 out of 10 substance abuse patients in Allegheny County.
- 7 out of 10 Medicaid patients in Lawrence and Mercer counties.
- 7 out of 10 seniors in Bedford, Blair and Somerset counties.
- 7 out of 10 babies born to low-income families in the Erie, McKean and Venango region.
- Nearly half of pediatric patients from low-income families in the Dauphin County/Harrisburg region.
- 7 out of 10 seniors in the Susquehanna region.
Over the past five years, UPMC’s community benefits totaled $5.4 billion.
“Behind these big numbers is another big number — UPMC’s 91,000 employees who are proudly and passionately dedicated to serving their communities,” said Edward Karlovich, vice president and interim chief financial officer, UPMC. “Whether they are visibly on the front lines with community partners, directly serving patients and members across our communities or providing individual assistance during difficult times, it is their service excellence and innovation that truly drives UPMC’s community benefits.”
Follow link for the complete 2019-20 UPMC Community Benefits Report.
GRAPHIC INFO: (click image for high-res version)
CREDIT: Pipitone