(Philadelphia,
PA) -- The University of Pennsylvania Health System
(UPHS) has been named one of the nation's 100 "Most
Wired" hospitals and health systems by Hospitals
& Health Networks, the journal of the American
Hospital Association. The distinguished award is based
on a survey that measures the nation's health care systems
on their use of Internet technologies to connect with
patients, physicians and nurses, payors, health plans
and employees.
"One of the most important steps for improving
the delivery of healthcare is making the appropriate
information available at the right time and in the right
place," said George Brenckle, PhD, Chief
Information Officer of UPHS. "Being a wired health
system is just the first step in our efforts to collect,
store, protect and communicate the information needed
to deliver the highest quality of care."
Hospitals & Health Networks worked with two
leading firms - McKesson Information Solutions and Qwest
Communication International to develop the in-depth
survey that was sent to every hospital in the United
States. Results of the survey were used to name the
100 "Most Wired." More than 300 hospitals
and health systems responded to the survey, representing
800 hospitals.
Analysis of the data shows that large gaps exist between
services offered by the "Most Wired" and less
wired organizations. "This year's survey shows
that "Most Wired" organizations continue to
commit employees and money to their info tech investments,"
says Alden Solovy, executive editor of Hospitals
& Health Networks. "This is reflected in
the large gaps in penetration of key technologies, as
well as in communication among patients, doctors and
nurses."
The 100 "Most Wired" are named in the July
issue of Hospitals & Health Networks.
"We have only begun to access the advantages of
being a wired system," said Brenckle. " We
will continue our focus on providing appropriate information
to our clinicians, staff and patients in a timely and
reliable fashion."
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.