EndocrinologyUniversity Of Pittsburgh Medical Center Named One Of 100 Most Wired Hospitals In The U.S. For 11th Consecutive Year
For the 11th consecutive year, 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 2009 survey by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, the journal of the American Hospital Association. UPMC is one of only five organizations to appear on the list since its inception.
According to the magazine"s survey, the economic crisis is forcing many hospitals to make tough decisions with scarce res, including delaying and scaling down information technology projects. Still, hospitals continue to invest in IT that supports quality and safety initiatives, particularly in electronic medication management.
"Even in difficult economic times, UPMC recognizes the importance of investing in IT that promotes safe, high-quality and efficient care for our patients," said UPMC Chief Information Officer Dan Drawbaugh. "With health reform on the horizon, IT will play a more critical role than ever before in reaching our goals."
UPMC has long been a leader in deploying IT to improve clinical outcomes and efficiency. Starting in 2005, UPMC began an innovative partnership with IBM to re-engineer its hardware, software and technology processes to make data sharing and storage simpler, faster and more economical. It also is working on an interoperability initiative with partner dbMotion to create a seamless system of electronic medical records, tying together a patient"s inpatient and outpatient information without replacing existing systems. Two of UPMC"s hospitals are counted among the nation"s most advanced users of comprehensive electronic medical records, according to HIMSS Analytics, a subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
"The economic slowdown is forcing hospitals to look closely at IT spending," said Alden Solovy, executive director of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. "Most Wired hospitals are doing their best to stay the course."
The 2009 survey covered 1,314 hospitals, or about 21 percent of all U.S. hospitals. The July Hospitals & Health Networks cover detailing results is available at www.hhnmag.com.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center