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September 28, 2000

UPMC's computer technology use recognized

UPMC Health System's initiatives in using computer technology to improve health care access have been recognized by InformationWeek magazine.

UPMC is ranked 8th among health care and medical industries and ranked 224th overall in the magazine's 12th annual Top 500 listing of the most innovative users of information technology.

According to Information-Week, to make the list a company must demonstrate a pattern of technological, procedural and organizational innovation. Only parent companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenues are rated. The magazine's research entails identifying and ranking the companies after a mail, phone and fax study. Senior information technology executives at these companies were then surveyed about their organizational priorities and spending plans for the year ahead.

InformationWeek 500 companies were awarded gold, silver and bronze citations for their early adoption and creative use of technologies and business practices. UPMC was awarded a gold for its business practices, a silver for its technology strategy, a bronze for its e-business strategy and a silver for its customer knowledge.

Through its enterprise access services (EAS), UPMC is pioneering computer information technologies intended to increase the convenience and quality of health care and improve how patients interact with the health system. The EAS initiative includes plans for an expanded interactive web site enabling patients to go on-line and order prescription refills, request doctors' appointments and preregister for hospital stays. It also involves implementing a systemwide, electronic medical record to replace patients' paper charts, allowing patient information to remain confidential yet accessible.

The new Internet-based system will link UPMC's hospitals, physicians, senior living facilities, surgical centers, satellites, Health Plan and ancillary service providers onto a central information network.

UPMC also was named a CIO magazine honoree last month for the way it uses computer information technology to improve business operations and customer services.  

Filed under: Feature,Volume 33 Issue 3

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