Pittsburgh-based UPMC today announced a plan to build three new specialty hospitals that it said would offer “next-generation treatments in patient-focused, technology-enhanced settings unique to healthcare.”
Backed by a $2 billion investment from UPMC, the new UPMC Heart and Transplant Hospital, UPMC Hillman Cancer Hospital and UPMC Vision and Rehabilitation Hospital will add to UPMC’s complement of advanced specialty care at Magee-Womens Hospital, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.
“At core, these digitally based specialty hospitals are the expression of our cutting-edge translational science creating treatments and cures for the most devastating diseases, said Jeffrey Romoff, president and chief executive officer of UPMC, in a release. At the announcement on Friday, Romoff was quoted as saying that UPMC "desires to be the Amazon of healthcare.” He added that "a long cue of major health providers would like to join us," and that "UPMC can double in size over the next five years."
Romoff said that Microsoft would collaborate with UPMC in designing these hospitals. “Building on our existing research collaboration with Microsoft and its Azure cloud platform, we will apply technology in ways that will transform what today is often a disjointed and needlessly complex experience for patients and clinicians,” said Romoff. “UPMC and Microsoft will have more to share in the coming months.”
The new hospitals will be situated on the campuses of UPMC’s Mercy, Presbyterian and Shadyside hospitals. Designs for the UPMC Heart and Transplant Hospital and the UPMC Hillman Cancer Hospital will be selected in an international design competition.
UPMC operates 39 hospitals and a health insurance arm with 3.2 million members.
