August 6, 2001
WIRED FOR HEALTH - UPHS NAMED ONE
OF NATION'S 100 MOST WIRED HOSPITALS & HEALTH SYSTEMS
Philadelphia,
PA - The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS)
has been named one of the nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals
and health care systems by Hospitals & Health Networks,
the journal of the American Hospital Association. This
prestigious award is based on the third annual survey,
developed in conjunction with Deloitte Consulting and
McKessonHBOC, which polled the nation's health care
systems on their use of Internet technologies to connect
with patients, physicians and nurses, payors, health
plans and employees.
"By now, almost everyone agrees that better communication
means better efficiency, productivity, and patient care,"
said Robert Martin, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of
UPHS. "A 'wired' health system facilitates the
seamless processing and retrieval of patient information
and allows our patients to feel confident in our abilities
to care for them while respecting their privacy."
Hospitals & Health Networks worked with two leading
firms-Deloitte Consulting and McKessonHBOC-to develop
an in-depth eight-page survey that was sent to every
hospital in the United States. The survey examines the
use of Internet technologies to connect hospitals with
patients, doctors and nurses, employees, payors and
health plans. Results from the survey were used to name
the 100 Most Wired. More than 280 hospitals and health
systems responded to the survey, representing 1,177
hospitals.
For the first time, the magazine took the analysis one
step further. "We took the Most Wired data and
asked if there is any benefit to being a leader,"
said Alden Solovy, executive editor, Hospitals &
Health Networks, Chicago. "Along with higher credit
ratings, the Most Wired have greater expense control
and more productivity."
The 100 Most Wired were named in the July issue of Hospitals
& Health Networks.
"Few places in the business world have not been
affected by the 'wired' technologies," said Martin,
"but it's fair to say that in no place is it more
critical than the healthcare industry - where patients
put their faith in us to use technologies appropriately
to improve our delivery of care."
# # #
The University of Pennsylvania Health System is distinguished
not only by its historical significance - first hospital
(1751), first medical school (1765), first university
teaching hospital (1874), first fully integrated academic
health system (1993) - but by its position as a major
player on the world stage of medicine in the 21st century.
Committed to a three-part mission of education, research,
and clinical excellence, UPHS has excelled in all three
areas. This year, the University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine was ranked third among all U.S. medical
schools by U.S. News & World Report. Penn ranked
second among all American medical schools that received
funds from the National Institutes of Health, perhaps
the single most important barometer of research strength.
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