University Times

UPMC earns 'most wired' honors again

UPMC Health System again has been named one of the 100 "Most Wired" hospitals and health systems in the United States by Hospitals & Health Networks, the journal of the American Hospital Association.

UPMC has been recognized each of the four years the magazine has been sponsoring the awards that recognize "technically savvy" hospitals.

The designation is based on a survey developed in cooperation with McKesson Information Solutions, Qwest Communications International and the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society. The survey measures the nation's health care systems on their use of Internet technologies. More than 300 health systems responded to the survey.

The centerpiece of UPMC's information technology initiative is the development of an electronic health record to be integrated across the system.

"Information technology improves patient care by increasing a clinician's access to the complete medical record," said Dan Drawbaugh, UPMC chief information officer.

Other key features of the initiative involve the development and system-wide deployment of technologies that impact access to care, such as scheduling of appointments, registration for clinical services, and insurance eligibility management; business practices, including billing, claims and contract management; and resource planning, such as purchasing, materials management and payroll.