University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Encyclopedia
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and international ventures. UPMC is closely affiliated with its academic partner, the University of Pittsburgh
. It is considered a leading American health care provider, as it has been consistently ranked in US News & World Report "Honor Roll" of the approximately 15 to 20 best hospitals in America over the last decade. As of 2011, UPMC ranked 12th among the best hospitals in US News & World Report and ranked in 15 of 16 specialty areas, including 9 specialties for which UPMC is in the top 10. This does not include the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
which ranked in the top 8 pediatric centers in a separate US News ranking.
UPMC has its roots in the 1893 establishment of Presbyterian Hospital, which serves as the medical center's flagship facility, and the 1886 founding of the Western Pennsylvania Medical College
. Soon after its founding, the medical college became affiliated with the Western University of Pennsylvania
in 1892, and in 1908, was fully integrated into the university which that same year was renamed to the University of Pittsburgh
. Already having worked out informal agreements for teaching and staffing privileges with a number of local hospitals, Pitt and its School of Medicine
desired to establish an academic medical center, and by the mid-1920s had formed a plan with a coalition of city hospitals to have them relocate to the Oakland
neighborhood of the city that the university had itself moved to in 1909. The University provided Presbyterian Hospital, then located on the North Side, with a tract of land on its campus for construction of a new hospital which broke ground in 1930 and was subsequently opened in 1938. By the end of the 1930s, the University of Pittsburgh
had helped to form the "University Medical Center" which included Falk Clinic, Children's
, Eye and Ear, Libby Steele Magee, Presbyterian General, and Women's Hospital, as well as the planned Municipal
Hospital. In 1949, a new affiliation agreement between the University and Presbyterian Hospital established a new three-tiered mission of patient care, research, and education and by 1951, the hospital name changed to Presbyterian University Hospital in order to reflect its close ties with the University of Pittsburgh. Through the years, the University and the hospitals moved toward an ever-tightening alliance. In 1965, the University, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic which was managed by the School of Medicine, Presbyterian-University, Magee and Women's, Eye and Ear, and Children's Hospitals incorporated the University Health Center of Pittsburgh (UHCP). In 1969, Montefiore Hospital joined UHCP. In the 1970s, a new model of administration, in which clinical revenues were invested into research, was implemented at Western Psychiatric under the leadership of Thomas Detre. After guiding the psychiatric institute to become one of the largest recipients of National Institute of Health funding, Detre assumed leadership overseeing all six of the University's schools of health sciences in the early 1980s. Implementing the same administrative model in those units, the collective schools of the health sciences and medical center were ultimately transformed into one of the largest centers for biomedical research in the nation.
Beginning in 1986, members of the University Health Center including Presbyterian University Hospital, Falk Clinic, the Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
and Eye & Ear Hospital began to consolidate. The consolidated group, re-termed the Medical and Health Care Division (MHCD) and led by Detre, became closely linked administratively, although Presbyterian University Hospital remained a separate entity. In 1990, MHCD acquired neighboring Montefiore Hospital which it merged with Presbyterian University Hospital to form the entity that was then renamed as the "University of Pittsburgh Medical Center" (shortened to UPMC), which was the first time the current name of the medical center was official used. UPMC then began to form a network of affiliated specialty and community hospitals in 1994 termed the Tri-State Health System and established a for-profit health insurance division, UPMC Health Plan, which contracted with these hospitals. In 1996, UPMC had moved to acquire South Side, Aliquippa and Braddock
hospitals. Meanwhile, UPMC began to merge with several of the already affiliated Tri-State hospitals including St. Margaret Memorial
, Shadyside, and Passavant hospitals in 1997 and Magee-Womens Hospital in 1998. The acquisition and mergers of hospitals morphed the Tri-State Health System into a consolidation of hospitals that currently makes up a significant portion of the UPMC health system. Due to its immense growth of the medical center, as well as the University's concerns regarding the financial risks associated with its faculty practice plans in the face of national changes in health care reimbursements, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC restructured their relationship and legally separated in 1998 thus launching UPMC as an independent nonprofit corporation. The University consolidated its physicians' practice plans and transferred them, along with the university's hospital management functions, to UPMC, with UPMC providing ongoing financial support to the University and its academic missions in return. The result was a mutually exclusive partnership of close affiliation formalized by a series of interrelated agreements and mutual executive oversights, which includes the sharing of numerous board members. This created a collaborative and coordinated decision-making model in which UPMC oversees all clinical activity, while the University of Pittsburgh remains the guardian of all academic priorities, particularly faculty-based research.
Expansion of UPMC continued in 2001 as Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
began merging with UPMC. Since then, UPMC's growth has continued, including a merger with Mercy Hospital
in 2008, the opening of new Children's Hospital facilities in 2009, the integration of Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2011, and the continued expansion of overseas operations and for-profit business ventures. UPMC now operates approximately 20 academic, community, and specialty hospitals in Western Pennsylvania, as well as 400 outpatient sites, more than 50 facilities for physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies, and 14 retirement and long-term care site, along with its international and for-profit ventures.
Among the more renown individuals who have worked with the University of Pittsburgh's medical center through its history are Jonas Salk
who developed the polio vaccine
while at the university, and Thomas Starzl
who perfected transplant surgeries
there. It has also provided care to many celebrities, including Pennsylvania
two-term governor and 1996 Presidential candidate Robert P. Casey
for cancer, 10,000 Maniacs
guitarist and founder Robert Buck for liver disease and Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor for lymphoma.
Administratively headquartered in the top five floors of the U.S. Steel Tower
in Pittsburgh's Central Business District, UPMC operates as a complete and integrated health provider system that, although is legally separate from the University of Pittsburgh
, remains closely affiliated with the university and its Schools of the Health Sciences including the existence of mutual board memberships and subsidization of the university's academic programs. Under a collaborative and coordinated decision-making model, UPMC oversees all clinical activity, including a consolidated physicians' practice plan consisting of university faculty, while the University of Pittsburgh remains the guardian of all academic priorities, particularly faculty-based research. UPMC is composed of three major operating components: Provider Services, Insurance Services, and International and Commercial Services. The later two divisions include the for-profit health insurance company (UPMC Health Plan) and a for-profit International and Commercial Services Division that seeks to bring health care, management, and technologies to market throughout the world. UPMC is Western Pennsylvania
's largest employer, and second in the state only to Wal-Mart
.
, pharmacy
, and laboratory
), supporting foundations, captive insurance programs, and more than 2,700 employed physicians with associated practices. Hospital activity is categorized in four distinct groups: 1. academic hospitals that provide comprehensive clinical services and specialty services and that are the primary academic and teaching centers; 2. community hospitals that provide core clinical services to suburban populations; 3. regional hospitals that provide clinical core services to broader areas of the Western Pennsylvania region; and 4. pre- and post-acute care capabilities that include a network of home health services (UPMC HomeCare) and a network of senior living facilities (UPMC Senior Communities).
), UPMC Health Network (PPO
), UPMC Work Partners (workers' compensation
and disability for employers), UPMC for Life (Medicare
products), UPMC for You (HMO for Medical Assistance
beneficiaries), and Community Care Behavioral Health Organization (a non-profit behavioral health PPO for Medical Assistance beneficiaries). These products combine to offer a full range of HMOs, PPOs, and EPOs for group health insurance, Medicare, CHIP
, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services. UPMC also offers offers consumer-directed health plans like health savings account
s and health reimbursement arrangements
. UPMC's provider networks total more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,500 physicians in a 29-county region,and has over 1.46 million members making it the second-largest insurer in Western Pennsylvania. It is also ranked as one of the top commercial health plans in the United States according to U.S. News & World Report. Also included in the Health Services Division are LifeSolutions, an employee assistance program; EBenefits Solutions, a web-based human resources consulting and benefits administration services; and Askesis Development Group, a software development group for behavioral health care.
), strategic and commercial product development partnerships with companies such as IBM
and Alcatel-Lucent
, translational services, and national security and public health which includes UPMC's Center for Biosecurity
that is dedicated to improving the country’s resilience to major biological threats.
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UPMC currently operates approximately 20 academic, community, and specialty hospitals, as well as 400 outpatient sites, more than 50 facilities for physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies, and 14 retirement and long-term care site.
facilities represent the core of UPMC's academic, teaching, trauma, specialty and research-related hospitals.
's campus in the Oakland
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It also encompasses UPMC Shadyside, which includes the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
in the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. These facilities are located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Oakland-based hospitals in the adjacent neighborhood of Shadyside
. Also part of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside is the UPMC Sports Performance Complex
, located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Oakland-based facilities on Pittsburgh's South Side
.
UPMC Presbyterian is the historical and academic center of UPMC and is physically attached to primary facility of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
, Scaife Hall. Located in Oakland, the hospital has 1,602 beds and includes a Level I Trauma Center. Listed among Becker's Hospital Review 50 Best Hospitals in America, UPMC Presbyterian's specialties include organ transplantation, cardiology
, trauma
, gastroenterology
, and neurosurgery
. The School of Medicine uses UPMC Presbyterian for research and graduate programs.
UPMC Shadyside is part of UPMC's flagship medical entity and is located in Pittsburgh's Shadyside
neighborhood, with 517 beds and nearly 1,000 primary care physicians. Founded in as the Pittsburgh Homeopathic Hospital, it changed it's name to that of the neighborhood of Shadyside
on May 12, 1938. Shadyside agreed to be bought by UPMC on June 5, 1996. UPMC Shadyside is home to the Hillman Cancer Center, home of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
UPMC Eye & Ear Institute is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and is conjoined with the medical complex housing UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Montefiore, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and associated medical research towers. UPMC Ear & Eye Institute is one of a few centers in the nation dedicated entirely to the management of problems related to otolaryngology and ophthalmology
UPMC Montefiore, part of UPMC Presbyterian, was founded as Montefiore Hospital in 1908 by the Ladies Hospital Aid Society as a hospital for Jewish physicians and patients. Montefiore Hospital affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1957 and joined UPMC in 1990. It is the home to the clinical transplantation facilities originally headed by transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl
and is physically connected to UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Eye and Ear by a series of pedestrian bridges.
is a teaching and Level 1 trauma hospital located in the Bluff
neighborhood adjacent to downtown and less than two miles (3 km) from UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland. Mercy was the first chartered hospital in the city of Pittsburgh and was first hospital in the world to have been established by the Sisters of Mercy
. Mercy has retained its affiliation with the Catholic Church following its merger with UPMC in January 2008.
. Hamot offers primary medical care and a range of specialties, including its stand alone Women's Hospital providing obstetrics and gynecological services.
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
is a specialty hospital of UPMC, specializing in pediatrics
and is located two and a half miles from UPMC Presbyterian in the Lawrenceville
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Originally located adjacent to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland, it is one of four children's hospitals in the state, and its emergency department is one of only two Level I Pediatric Trauma Centers. More than 500,000 infants, children, and adolescents make trips to the hospital every year.
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC boasts 1500000 square feet (139,354.6 m²) and has 296 beds, with a 41-bed emergency department and a 36-bed pediatric intensive care unit
. A ten-story research center was constructed, with seven out of the ten floors dedicated to pediatric medical research.
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC is a UPMC specialty hospital, opened mainly for women on January 19, 1911; it has offered some services for men since the 1960s. The hospital is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh near UPMC Presbyterian, a location it has been at since its fourth year in 1915. It currently is equipped with 318 beds, an emergency room and ambulatory facilities on four floors. Since merging with UPMC in 1999 it has prided itself on being able to offer all possible services under one roof including family medicine physicians, gastroenterologists, dermatologists, rheumatologists, pulmonary specialists, orthopedists, urologists and neurologists. It boasts a staff of 2,500 of which 1,500 are medically licensed and operates a satellite hospital in the city's northern suburbs as part as the UPMC Passavant facility as well as 9 metro area imaging clinics. Plans for the facility's expansion to six floors and an increase to 360 beds (including 14 additional intensive care rooms) with a expansion in surgical and ambulatory facilities is slated to be under construction by March 2011 http://www.postgazette.com/pg/11019/1118877-437.stm. 10,000 births are performed at Magee each year, which accounts for 45 percent of all births in Allegheny County.
Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic (WPIC) is Western Pennsylvania
's largest psychiatric facility. Also serving as a clinical research center and home to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, it is located in Thomas Detre Hall in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh and is connected to UPMC Presbyterian by an underground tunnel.
), two cancer centers and Beacon Hospital in Ireland, and an emergency medical system in Qatar. UPMC is also implementing information technology solutions and assisting with the development of cancer centers in the United Kingdom, will manage a newly created health care center in Cyprus, is providing consultation services in China, and, with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
, is implementing a U.S.-style resident training program in Japan
. In addition, UPMC announced a partnership with GE Healthcare
in November 2008 to open 25 additional cancer treatment centers across Europe
and the Middle East
over the next ten years.
suburb of Dublin, Ireland
. Beacon's nine-story, 238000 square feet (22,110.9 m²) facility includes 183-beds. UPMC began managing the hospital in 2008 and took majority ownership in 2009.
) is located in Palermo
, Italy
, and serves the region of Sicily
and the Mediterranean
as a hospital designed exclusively transplants and treatment of end-stage organ failure. ISMETT is a joint public-private partnership between the Region of Sicily, through Civico and Cervello hospitals in Palermo, and UPMC, which manages and operates the facility. It is also a center for research in regenerative medicine and various international collaborations including the University of Pittsburgh
's and UPMC's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
, a National Cancer Institute
designated cancer center
and UPMC Cancer Centers. Hillman Cancer Center serves as the flagship treatment and research facility of the UPMC Cancer Centers network. The center is located in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and is connected to UPMC Shadyside via a pedestrian bridge.
is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science
, and sports medical
complex located along the shore of the Monongahela River
in Pittsburgh and is unique in that it combines training facilities for the University of Pittsburgh football team
and the Pittsburgh Steelers
NFL team in one location with an academically based sports science and medicine program. The complex consists of four centers which include the Center for Sports Medicine, Sports Training Center, Indoor Training Center, and the Fitness and Conditioning Center.
, formerly UPMC South Side hospital, is a 209000 square feet (19,416.7 m²) urgent care
and outpatient
facility serving the South Side
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It is one of several UPMC outpatient medical facilities serving various communities throughout the region.
pursue post-secondary education
, and $525 million for construction of a new Children's Hospital
. In 2009, UPMC donated $195 million for charity care and unreimbursed health care, $101 in community health programs and charitable donations, and $247 million in support for research and education.
In 2008, the administration and reporting of UPMC's living donor living transplantation program received national attention when internal studies, spearheaded by transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl
, questioned the safety of the procedure and ultimately resulted in the forced resignation of liver transplant program head, Amadeo Marcos.
In April 2009, rival West Penn Allegheny Health System
filed an antitrust
lawsuit against the UPMC and health insurer Highmark
, claiming a conspiracy to create a monopoly. The lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice. West Penn Allegheny has filed an appeal of this judgment.
In October of 2009, UPMC's administration decision to close UPMC Braddock
hospital resulted in multiple protest and lawsuits by community groups who disputed UPMC's claims that the hospital was losing money and was underutilized. The facility, now partially demolished in preparation for redevelopment, closed in January, 2010.
(2007) and Three Rivers
(2009) were largely based on UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl
Transplantation Institute. In both cases the hospitals are fictionalized, but in the later series UPMC is also specifically referred to as another Pittsburgh-area hospital.
Video
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. It is considered a leading American health care provider, as it has been consistently ranked in US News & World Report "Honor Roll" of the approximately 15 to 20 best hospitals in America over the last decade. As of 2011, UPMC ranked 12th among the best hospitals in US News & World Report and ranked in 15 of 16 specialty areas, including 9 specialties for which UPMC is in the top 10. This does not include the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the only hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the care of infants, children and young adults. Care is provided by more than 700 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric...
which ranked in the top 8 pediatric centers in a separate US News ranking.
History
Origins
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
. Soon after its founding, the medical college became affiliated with the Western University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1892, and in 1908, was fully integrated into the university which that same year was renamed to the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
. Already having worked out informal agreements for teaching and staffing privileges with a number of local hospitals, Pitt and its School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
desired to establish an academic medical center, and by the mid-1920s had formed a plan with a coalition of city hospitals to have them relocate to the Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
neighborhood of the city that the university had itself moved to in 1909. The University provided Presbyterian Hospital, then located on the North Side, with a tract of land on its campus for construction of a new hospital which broke ground in 1930 and was subsequently opened in 1938. By the end of the 1930s, the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
had helped to form the "University Medical Center" which included Falk Clinic, Children's
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the only hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the care of infants, children and young adults. Care is provided by more than 700 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric...
, Eye and Ear, Libby Steele Magee, Presbyterian General, and Women's Hospital, as well as the planned Municipal
Salk Hall
Jonas Salk Hall at the University of Pittsburgh is a Pennsylvania state and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark. The Art Deco building is named after Jonas Salk, who conducted his research on the first polio vaccine in a basement laboratory while on the faculty at the...
Hospital. In 1949, a new affiliation agreement between the University and Presbyterian Hospital established a new three-tiered mission of patient care, research, and education and by 1951, the hospital name changed to Presbyterian University Hospital in order to reflect its close ties with the University of Pittsburgh. Through the years, the University and the hospitals moved toward an ever-tightening alliance. In 1965, the University, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic which was managed by the School of Medicine, Presbyterian-University, Magee and Women's, Eye and Ear, and Children's Hospitals incorporated the University Health Center of Pittsburgh (UHCP). In 1969, Montefiore Hospital joined UHCP. In the 1970s, a new model of administration, in which clinical revenues were invested into research, was implemented at Western Psychiatric under the leadership of Thomas Detre. After guiding the psychiatric institute to become one of the largest recipients of National Institute of Health funding, Detre assumed leadership overseeing all six of the University's schools of health sciences in the early 1980s. Implementing the same administrative model in those units, the collective schools of the health sciences and medical center were ultimately transformed into one of the largest centers for biomedical research in the nation.
Merger and expansion
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute -designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
and Eye & Ear Hospital began to consolidate. The consolidated group, re-termed the Medical and Health Care Division (MHCD) and led by Detre, became closely linked administratively, although Presbyterian University Hospital remained a separate entity. In 1990, MHCD acquired neighboring Montefiore Hospital which it merged with Presbyterian University Hospital to form the entity that was then renamed as the "University of Pittsburgh Medical Center" (shortened to UPMC), which was the first time the current name of the medical center was official used. UPMC then began to form a network of affiliated specialty and community hospitals in 1994 termed the Tri-State Health System and established a for-profit health insurance division, UPMC Health Plan, which contracted with these hospitals. In 1996, UPMC had moved to acquire South Side, Aliquippa and Braddock
UPMC Braddock
UPMC Braddock Hospital, formerly located at 400 Holland Avenue, Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States, was a full-service hospital that had served over 25 Monongahela Valley communities as a primary care facility for the Steel Valley and areas part of the Woodland Hills School District...
hospitals. Meanwhile, UPMC began to merge with several of the already affiliated Tri-State hospitals including St. Margaret Memorial
UPMC St. Margaret
UPMC St. Margaret is a mid-sized community hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, located in the Waterworks area of Pittsburgh, near Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. Situated on , the hospital has 250 beds with more than 800 physicians and 1,500 clinical staff members. UPMC Saint Margaret...
, Shadyside, and Passavant hospitals in 1997 and Magee-Womens Hospital in 1998. The acquisition and mergers of hospitals morphed the Tri-State Health System into a consolidation of hospitals that currently makes up a significant portion of the UPMC health system. Due to its immense growth of the medical center, as well as the University's concerns regarding the financial risks associated with its faculty practice plans in the face of national changes in health care reimbursements, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC restructured their relationship and legally separated in 1998 thus launching UPMC as an independent nonprofit corporation. The University consolidated its physicians' practice plans and transferred them, along with the university's hospital management functions, to UPMC, with UPMC providing ongoing financial support to the University and its academic missions in return. The result was a mutually exclusive partnership of close affiliation formalized by a series of interrelated agreements and mutual executive oversights, which includes the sharing of numerous board members. This created a collaborative and coordinated decision-making model in which UPMC oversees all clinical activity, while the University of Pittsburgh remains the guardian of all academic priorities, particularly faculty-based research.
Expansion of UPMC continued in 2001 as Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the only hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the care of infants, children and young adults. Care is provided by more than 700 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric...
began merging with UPMC. Since then, UPMC's growth has continued, including a merger with Mercy Hospital
UPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
in 2008, the opening of new Children's Hospital facilities in 2009, the integration of Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2011, and the continued expansion of overseas operations and for-profit business ventures. UPMC now operates approximately 20 academic, community, and specialty hospitals in Western Pennsylvania, as well as 400 outpatient sites, more than 50 facilities for physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies, and 14 retirement and long-term care site, along with its international and for-profit ventures.
Among the more renown individuals who have worked with the University of Pittsburgh's medical center through its history are Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk
Jonas Edward Salk was an American medical researcher and virologist, best known for his discovery and development of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. He was born in New York City to parents from Ashkenazi Jewish Russian immigrant families...
who developed the polio vaccine
Polio vaccine
Two polio vaccines are used throughout the world to combat poliomyelitis . The first was developed by Jonas Salk and first tested in 1952. Announced to the world by Salk on April 12, 1955, it consists of an injected dose of inactivated poliovirus. An oral vaccine was developed by Albert Sabin...
while at the university, and Thomas Starzl
Thomas Starzl
Thomas E. Starzl is an American physician, researcher, and is an expert on organ transplants. He performed the first human liver transplants, and has often been referred to as "the father of modern transplantation."-Life:...
who perfected transplant surgeries
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
there. It has also provided care to many celebrities, including Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
two-term governor and 1996 Presidential candidate Robert P. Casey
Robert P. Casey
Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Sr. was an American politician from Pennsylvania. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 42nd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995...
for cancer, 10,000 Maniacs
10,000 Maniacs
10,000 Maniacs is a United States-based alternative rock band, which formed in 1981 and continues to be active with various line-ups.-1981–1993:...
guitarist and founder Robert Buck for liver disease and Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor for lymphoma.
Operations
U.S. Steel Tower
U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building , is the tallest skyscraper in Pittsburgh, the fourth tallest building in Pennsylvania, and the 37th tallest in the United States. Completed in 1970, the tower has 64 floors to and has of leasable space. Its original name was the U.S. Steel...
in Pittsburgh's Central Business District, UPMC operates as a complete and integrated health provider system that, although is legally separate from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, remains closely affiliated with the university and its Schools of the Health Sciences including the existence of mutual board memberships and subsidization of the university's academic programs. Under a collaborative and coordinated decision-making model, UPMC oversees all clinical activity, including a consolidated physicians' practice plan consisting of university faculty, while the University of Pittsburgh remains the guardian of all academic priorities, particularly faculty-based research. UPMC is composed of three major operating components: Provider Services, Insurance Services, and International and Commercial Services. The later two divisions include the for-profit health insurance company (UPMC Health Plan) and a for-profit International and Commercial Services Division that seeks to bring health care, management, and technologies to market throughout the world. UPMC is Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
's largest employer, and second in the state only to Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
.
Provider Services Division
UPMC's Provider Services consists of an array of clinical capabilities that includes hospitals, specialty service lines (including transplantation, behavioral health, cancer care, children's health, women's health, and rehabilitation services among other centers, institutes, and services), contract services (emergency medicineEmergency medicine
Emergency medicine is a medical specialty in which physicians care for patients with acute illnesses or injuries which require immediate medical attention. While not usually providing long-term or continuing care, emergency medicine physicians diagnose a variety of illnesses and undertake acute...
, pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
, and laboratory
Medical laboratory
A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient as pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.-Departments:...
), supporting foundations, captive insurance programs, and more than 2,700 employed physicians with associated practices. Hospital activity is categorized in four distinct groups: 1. academic hospitals that provide comprehensive clinical services and specialty services and that are the primary academic and teaching centers; 2. community hospitals that provide core clinical services to suburban populations; 3. regional hospitals that provide clinical core services to broader areas of the Western Pennsylvania region; and 4. pre- and post-acute care capabilities that include a network of home health services (UPMC HomeCare) and a network of senior living facilities (UPMC Senior Communities).
Insurance Services Division
UPMC Insurance Services, operating under the umbrella UPMC Health Plan brand, was founded in 1998 and includes various for-profit and non-profit health care financing initiatives. The integrated products of the UPMC Insurance Services Division include UPMC Health Plan (HMOHealth maintenance organization
A health maintenance organization is an organization that provides managed care for health insurance contracts in the United States as a liaison with health care providers...
), UPMC Health Network (PPO
Preferred provider organization
In health insurance in the United States, a preferred provider organization is a managed care organization of medical doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers who have covenanted with an insurer or a third-party administrator to provide health care at reduced...
), UPMC Work Partners (workers' compensation
Workers' compensation
Workers' compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her employer for the tort of negligence...
and disability for employers), UPMC for Life (Medicare
Medicare (United States)
Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over; to those who are under 65 and are permanently physically disabled or who have a congenital physical disability; or to those who meet other...
products), UPMC for You (HMO for Medical Assistance
Medicaid
Medicaid is the United States health program for certain people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. People served by Medicaid are U.S. citizens or legal permanent...
beneficiaries), and Community Care Behavioral Health Organization (a non-profit behavioral health PPO for Medical Assistance beneficiaries). These products combine to offer a full range of HMOs, PPOs, and EPOs for group health insurance, Medicare, CHIP
State Children's Health Insurance Program
The State Children's Health Insurance Program – later known more simply as the Children's Health Insurance Program – is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to states for health insurance to families with children...
, Medical Assistance, behavioral health, employee assistance, and workers' compensation products and services. UPMC also offers offers consumer-directed health plans like health savings account
Health savings account
A health savings account is a tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan . The funds contributed to an account are not subject to federal income tax at the time of deposit. Unlike a flexible spending account...
s and health reimbursement arrangements
Health Reimbursement Account
Health Reimbursement Accounts or Health Reimbursement Arrangements are Internal Revenue Service -sanctioned programs that allow an employer to set aside funds to reimburse medical expenses paid by participating employees...
. UPMC's provider networks total more than 80 hospitals and more than 7,500 physicians in a 29-county region,and has over 1.46 million members making it the second-largest insurer in Western Pennsylvania. It is also ranked as one of the top commercial health plans in the United States according to U.S. News & World Report. Also included in the Health Services Division are LifeSolutions, an employee assistance program; EBenefits Solutions, a web-based human resources consulting and benefits administration services; and Askesis Development Group, a software development group for behavioral health care.
International and Commercial Services Division
UPMC's International and Commercial Services Division (ICSD) actively manages UPMC's for-profit companies that seek to commercialize its expertise in health care, advanced technologies, and management skills to global markets. Its stated goal is "to advance UPMC’s mission of positively transforming the way health care is provided in the U.S. and abroad, while revitalizing the economy of western Pennsylvania." ICSD comprises operations in five areas: clinical services management, infrastructure consultation (with collaborations with companies such as dbMotionDbMotion
dbMotion is a vendor of health Interoperability solutions for connected healthcare that enable healthcare organizations to meaningfully integrate and leverage their information assets. dbMotion facilitates interoperability and health information exchange for health information networks and...
), strategic and commercial product development partnerships with companies such as IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent is a global telecommunications corporation, headquartered in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It provides telecommunications solutions to service providers, enterprises, and governments around the world, enabling these customers to deliver voice, data, and video services...
, translational services, and national security and public health which includes UPMC's Center for Biosecurity
Center for Biosecurity
The Center for Biosecurity is an independent, nonprofit organization of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center that is dedicated to improving the country’s resilience to major biological threats.-Mission statement:...
that is dedicated to improving the country’s resilience to major biological threats.
Facilities
Tertiary hospitals
These following tertiaryTertiary referral hospital
A tertiary hospital, tertiary referral center or tertiary care center is a term without a formal definition which in the United States generally refers to:...
facilities represent the core of UPMC's academic, teaching, trauma, specialty and research-related hospitals.
UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside
UPMC's flagship medical entity is UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside which includes UPMC Presbyterian and the physically conjoined UPMC Ear & Eye and UPMC Montefiore hospitals located in the midst of the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
's campus in the Oakland
Oakland (Pittsburgh)
Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It also encompasses UPMC Shadyside, which includes the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute -designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
in the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. These facilities are located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Oakland-based hospitals in the adjacent neighborhood of Shadyside
Shadyside (Pittsburgh)
Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
. Also part of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside is the UPMC Sports Performance Complex
UPMC Sports Performance Complex
The UPMC Sports Performance Complex is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science, and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
, located less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the Oakland-based facilities on Pittsburgh's South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
.
UPMC Presbyterian
UPMC Presbyterian is the historical and academic center of UPMC and is physically attached to primary facility of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
, Scaife Hall. Located in Oakland, the hospital has 1,602 beds and includes a Level I Trauma Center. Listed among Becker's Hospital Review 50 Best Hospitals in America, UPMC Presbyterian's specialties include organ transplantation, cardiology
Cardiology
Cardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
, trauma
Physical trauma
Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...
, gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, and neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
. The School of Medicine uses UPMC Presbyterian for research and graduate programs.
UPMC Shadyside
Shadyside (Pittsburgh)
Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
neighborhood, with 517 beds and nearly 1,000 primary care physicians. Founded in as the Pittsburgh Homeopathic Hospital, it changed it's name to that of the neighborhood of Shadyside
Shadyside (Pittsburgh)
Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
on May 12, 1938. Shadyside agreed to be bought by UPMC on June 5, 1996. UPMC Shadyside is home to the Hillman Cancer Center, home of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.
UPMC Eye & Ear Institute
UPMC Eye & Ear Institute is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh and is conjoined with the medical complex housing UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Montefiore, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and associated medical research towers. UPMC Ear & Eye Institute is one of a few centers in the nation dedicated entirely to the management of problems related to otolaryngology and ophthalmology
UPMC Montefiore
UPMC Montefiore, part of UPMC Presbyterian, was founded as Montefiore Hospital in 1908 by the Ladies Hospital Aid Society as a hospital for Jewish physicians and patients. Montefiore Hospital affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1957 and joined UPMC in 1990. It is the home to the clinical transplantation facilities originally headed by transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl
Thomas Starzl
Thomas E. Starzl is an American physician, researcher, and is an expert on organ transplants. He performed the first human liver transplants, and has often been referred to as "the father of modern transplantation."-Life:...
and is physically connected to UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Eye and Ear by a series of pedestrian bridges.
UPMC Mercy
UPMC MercyUPMC Mercy
UPMC Mercy is a main hospital facility of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and is located in the Uptown section of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, adjacent to downtown Pittsburgh and a few blocks from the Mellon Arena...
is a teaching and Level 1 trauma hospital located in the Bluff
Bluff (Pittsburgh)
The Bluff or Uptown is a neighborhood in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the southeast of the city's Central Business District. It is bordered in the north by the Hill District and just a short trip across the Monongahela River is the city's South Side, which is home to a flourishing...
neighborhood adjacent to downtown and less than two miles (3 km) from UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland. Mercy was the first chartered hospital in the city of Pittsburgh and was first hospital in the world to have been established by the Sisters of Mercy
Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
. Mercy has retained its affiliation with the Catholic Church following its merger with UPMC in January 2008.
UPMC Hamot
UPMC Hamot is 404-bed, tertiary care teaching medical center with a Level 2 trauma center located in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. Hamot offers primary medical care and a range of specialties, including its stand alone Women's Hospital providing obstetrics and gynecological services.
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the only hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the care of infants, children and young adults. Care is provided by more than 700 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric...
is a specialty hospital of UPMC, specializing in pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
and is located two and a half miles from UPMC Presbyterian in the Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville (Pittsburgh)
Lawrenceville is one of the largest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located northeast of downtown, and like many of Pittsburgh's riverfront neighborhoods, it has an industrial past. Lawrenceville is bordered by the Allegheny River, Polish Hill, Bloomfield, the Strip District and...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Originally located adjacent to UPMC Presbyterian in Oakland, it is one of four children's hospitals in the state, and its emergency department is one of only two Level I Pediatric Trauma Centers. More than 500,000 infants, children, and adolescents make trips to the hospital every year.
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC boasts 1500000 square feet (139,354.6 m²) and has 296 beds, with a 41-bed emergency department and a 36-bed pediatric intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
. A ten-story research center was constructed, with seven out of the ten floors dedicated to pediatric medical research.
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
's largest psychiatric facility. Also serving as a clinical research center and home to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, it is located in Thomas Detre Hall in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh and is connected to UPMC Presbyterian by an underground tunnel.
Community hospitals
UPMC operates the following community hospitals dedicated to specific missions within their particular communities.- UPMC Bedford Memorial, located in Everett, PennsylvaniaEverett, PennsylvaniaEverett is a borough in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,905 at the 2000 census.Everett's original name was Bloody Run, after a creek which was the site of a battle between settlers and Native Americans...
. - UPMC East, a $258 million full-service hospital under construction in Monroeville, PennsylvaniaMonroeville, PennsylvaniaMonroeville is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located about east of the city of Pittsburgh, Monroeville is a bustling suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments...
which is scheduled to be completed in 2012. - UPMC Horizon, which consists of the GreenvilleGreenville, PennsylvaniaGreenville is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Located along the Shenango River, Greenville is roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Greenville is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 570,000 people...
and Shenango ValleyFarrell, PennsylvaniaFarrell is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,050 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
campuses - UPMC McKeesport, located in McKeesport, PennsylvaniaMcKeesport, PennsylvaniaMcKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
. - UPMC Northwest, located in Seneca, PennsylvaniaSeneca, PennsylvaniaSeneca is a census-designated place in Venango County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 966.-Geography:Seneca is located at ....
. - UPMC Passavant, which consists of campuses in McCandlessMcCandless, PennsylvaniaMcCandless is a municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 28,457 at the 2010 census. It was originally incorporated as a township; however, on January 1, 1975, McCandless Township adopted a new charter designating it a Home Rule Charter Municipality with the...
and CranberryCranberry Township, Butler County, PennsylvaniaCranberry Township is a township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is classified as a Second Class Township and follows the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code. The population was 28,098 as of the 2010 census.... - UPMC St. MargaretUPMC St. MargaretUPMC St. Margaret is a mid-sized community hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, located in the Waterworks area of Pittsburgh, near Aspinwall, Pennsylvania. Situated on , the hospital has 250 beds with more than 800 physicians and 1,500 clinical staff members. UPMC Saint Margaret...
, located in Pittsburgh.
International hospitals and facilities
Internationally, UPMC operates a transplant hospital in Italy (ISMETTISMETT
ISMETT, in Italian, Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione translated as the Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and High Specialization Therapies, is a center for organ transplantation located in Palermo, Italy...
), two cancer centers and Beacon Hospital in Ireland, and an emergency medical system in Qatar. UPMC is also implementing information technology solutions and assisting with the development of cancer centers in the United Kingdom, will manage a newly created health care center in Cyprus, is providing consultation services in China, and, with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
, is implementing a U.S.-style resident training program in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In addition, UPMC announced a partnership with GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare is a division of GE Technology Infrastructure, which is itself a division of General Electric . It employs more than 46,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. GE Healthcare is the first GE business segment to be headquartered...
in November 2008 to open 25 additional cancer treatment centers across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
over the next ten years.
UPMC Beacon Hospital
UPMC Beacon Hospital is privately owned full-service hospital located in the SandyfordSandyford
Sandyford is a suburb of Dublin, located in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland. A major part of Sandyford today is composed of the Sandyford Industrial Estate and related developments.- Location and access :...
suburb of Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Beacon's nine-story, 238000 square feet (22,110.9 m²) facility includes 183-beds. UPMC began managing the hospital in 2008 and took majority ownership in 2009.
ISMETT
The Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione, or ISMETTISMETT
ISMETT, in Italian, Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione translated as the Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and High Specialization Therapies, is a center for organ transplantation located in Palermo, Italy...
) is located in Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and serves the region of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
and the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Basin
In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin refers to the lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have a Mediterranean climate, with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, which supports characteristic Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub vegetation...
as a hospital designed exclusively transplants and treatment of end-stage organ failure. ISMETT is a joint public-private partnership between the Region of Sicily, through Civico and Cervello hospitals in Palermo, and UPMC, which manages and operates the facility. It is also a center for research in regenerative medicine and various international collaborations including the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
's and UPMC's McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Other major facilities
Hillman Cancer Center
The Hillman Cancer Center is the home of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer InstituteUniversity of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute is a National Cancer Institute -designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in the Hillman Cancer Center in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States...
, a National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
designated cancer center
NCI-designated Cancer Center
NCI-designated Cancer Centers are a group of approximately 66 cancer research institutions in the United States supported by the National Cancer Institute....
and UPMC Cancer Centers. Hillman Cancer Center serves as the flagship treatment and research facility of the UPMC Cancer Centers network. The center is located in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and is connected to UPMC Shadyside via a pedestrian bridge.
UPMC Sports Performance Complex
The UPMC Sports Performance ComplexUPMC Sports Performance Complex
The UPMC Sports Performance Complex is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science, and sports medical complex of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
is a multipurpose, multisport training, sports science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
, and sports medical
Sports medicine
Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise...
complex located along the shore of the Monongahela River
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
in Pittsburgh and is unique in that it combines training facilities for the University of Pittsburgh football team
Pittsburgh Panthers football
Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...
and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
NFL team in one location with an academically based sports science and medicine program. The complex consists of four centers which include the Center for Sports Medicine, Sports Training Center, Indoor Training Center, and the Fitness and Conditioning Center.
UPMC Mercy South Side Outpatient Center
The UPMC Mercy South Side Outpatient CenterUPMC Mercy South Side Outpatient Center
UPMC Mercy South Side Outpatient Center is a outpatient and urgent care facility of UPMC Mercy that provides, among other services, diagnostic imaging, same-day surgery, laboratory work, and physicians offices to the residents of Pittsburgh's South Side neighborhood...
, formerly UPMC South Side hospital, is a 209000 square feet (19,416.7 m²) urgent care
Urgent care
Urgent care is the delivery of ambulatory care in a facility dedicated to the delivery of medical care outside of a hospital emergency department, usually on an unscheduled, walk-in basis. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate...
and outpatient
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
facility serving the South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It is one of several UPMC outpatient medical facilities serving various communities throughout the region.
Community engagement
UPMC has committed to several community projects, most notably pledging $100 million to the Pittsburgh Promise, a scholarship program to help students graduating from the Pittsburgh Public SchoolsPittsburgh Public Schools
Pittsburgh Public Schools is the public school district in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and adjacent Mount Oliver.The combined land area of these municipalities is with a population of 342,503 according to the 2000 census. In August 2005, the superintendent became Mark Roosevelt. His tenure ends...
pursue post-secondary education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, and $525 million for construction of a new Children's Hospital
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, a hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is the only hospital in southwestern Pennsylvania dedicated solely to the care of infants, children and young adults. Care is provided by more than 700 board-certified pediatricians and pediatric...
. In 2009, UPMC donated $195 million for charity care and unreimbursed health care, $101 in community health programs and charitable donations, and $247 million in support for research and education.
Criticism and controversies
UPMC has been criticized for excessive profits, monopolistic practices, excessive advertising budgets, and focusing on overseas operations at the expense of domestic ones. In addition, various controversies have received significant local and national attention in recent years.In 2008, the administration and reporting of UPMC's living donor living transplantation program received national attention when internal studies, spearheaded by transplant pioneer Thomas Starzl
Thomas Starzl
Thomas E. Starzl is an American physician, researcher, and is an expert on organ transplants. He performed the first human liver transplants, and has often been referred to as "the father of modern transplantation."-Life:...
, questioned the safety of the procedure and ultimately resulted in the forced resignation of liver transplant program head, Amadeo Marcos.
In April 2009, rival West Penn Allegheny Health System
West Penn Allegheny Health System
West Penn Allegheny Health System is an academic medical center located in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. The second-largest provider of healthcare in its region, WPAHS was formed by the merger of the Western Pennsylvania Hospital , founded in 1848 as Pittsburgh's first chartered public...
filed an antitrust
Competition law
Competition law, known in the United States as antitrust law, is law that promotes or maintains market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies....
lawsuit against the UPMC and health insurer Highmark
Highmark
Highmark is a not-for-profit health insurance company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania, and through a purchase in 1996, the largest health insurer in West Virginia. As Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, it primarily serves the 29...
, claiming a conspiracy to create a monopoly. The lawsuit was later dismissed with prejudice. West Penn Allegheny has filed an appeal of this judgment.
In October of 2009, UPMC's administration decision to close UPMC Braddock
UPMC Braddock
UPMC Braddock Hospital, formerly located at 400 Holland Avenue, Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States, was a full-service hospital that had served over 25 Monongahela Valley communities as a primary care facility for the Steel Valley and areas part of the Woodland Hills School District...
hospital resulted in multiple protest and lawsuits by community groups who disputed UPMC's claims that the hospital was losing money and was underutilized. The facility, now partially demolished in preparation for redevelopment, closed in January, 2010.
In popular culture
The television medical dramas HeartlandHeartland (U.S. TV series)
Heartland was an American television drama series airing on TNT. The series was based in the high-stakes world of heart-transplant surgery at "St. Jude" hospital in Pittsburgh based largely on the transplant center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center...
(2007) and Three Rivers
Three Rivers (TV series)
Three Rivers is a medical drama, which premiered on CBS on October 4, 2009 and aired Sundays at 9 pm Eastern Time/Pacific Time. The series was set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at a fictional hospital specializing in transplants, with Alex O'Loughlin starring as a famous transplant surgeon...
(2009) were largely based on UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh's Thomas E. Starzl
Thomas Starzl
Thomas E. Starzl is an American physician, researcher, and is an expert on organ transplants. He performed the first human liver transplants, and has often been referred to as "the father of modern transplantation."-Life:...
Transplantation Institute. In both cases the hospitals are fictionalized, but in the later series UPMC is also specifically referred to as another Pittsburgh-area hospital.
Gallery
External links
- UPMC website
- UPMC Health Plan website
- Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh
- ISMETT
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
- Magee-Womens Hospital
Video