USAID Picks UPMC Telemedicine Platform in Italy

Nov. 2, 2020

UPMC’s platform to be deployed to care for the frailest patients, helping Italian hospitals to better manage remote visits, reduce congestion

David Raths

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The United States Agency for International Development has awarded UPMC in Italy $1.8 million to implement a telemedicine platform in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For 20 years, Pittsburgh-based UPMC has been developing an international division as it grows into a multinational health care system. It has programs in Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, and China.

Earlier this year, USAID, which leads the United States’ international development and humanitarian efforts, committed $50 million in total to support the Italian health system’s response to COVID-19.

UPMC’s proposal said its telemedicine technology would be deployed to care for the frailest patients, helping Italian hospitals to better manage remote visits, reduce congestion in healthcare facilities and decrease the risks associated with postponing routine care. Trials of the new platform will start in the first six months of 2021.

“Thanks to the support of the U.S. Government, UPMC in Italy will be able to build an integrated telemedicine platform based on the state-of-the-art practices we have developed over the course of 20 years in Italy,” said Dr. Bruno Gridelli, executive vice president of UPMC International and country manager of UPMC in Italy, in a statement. “The Italian healthcare system will benefit from an innovative tool that helps to manage this emergency and improves the flexibility of and access to health care services long term.”

Beyond the pandemic, telemedicine is applicable to many healthcare specialties, including chronic disease management, oncology and behavioral health. With this in mind, UPMC’s planned telemedicine platform is scalable and modular, designed for future expansion.“The pandemic has brought telemedicine to the forefront of healthcare, presenting us with an opportunity to protect the most high-risk patients, reduce costs, collect useful data and treat patients in the comfort of their homes,” added Gridelli. “Looking beyond the pandemic, this platform will create increasingly immediate and personalized healthcare in Italy.”