Text of Jeffrey Romoff's prepared remarks
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Good morning. I am Jeffrey Romoff, President and CEO of UPMC. Attending with me is Mr. W. Thomas McGough, Jr., UPMC's Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.
On behalf of UPMC, our Board of Directors, and our 54,000 employees, thank you for this opportunity to discuss the significant changes that are occurring in health care in Western Pennsylvania, while addressing some of the misconceptions about the nonrenewal of our contract with Highmark. Mr. McGough will then add some of the specifics.
Few would argue about the many positive contributions UPMC has made to our community.
"We are recognized worldwide for delivering among the finest health care that exists anywhere and have been named by US News & World Report to the Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals for more than a decade. There are only a handful of cities in the entire country that can claim a health system that is ranked as one of the nation's best in 15 of 16 medical specialty areas -- and Pittsburgh is one of them.
"We create thousands of jobs that give our children career opportunities in Pittsburgh and attract talent from around the globe, and with 54,000 employees we are one of the two largest employers in the Commonwealth, creating an economic benefit to the region of nearly $20 billion dollars per year.
"Last year, our direct contributions to the community -- uncompensated care, community services and support for research and education -- exceeded $560 million. Put another way, for every dollar of profit we put aside to re-invest in the finest health care, we have put two dollars to work in meeting specific community needs.
"In an effort to introduce choice and competition in a closed health insurance market, twelve years ago we created the UPMC Health Plan, which offers direct and coordinated "front door" access to our doctors and hospitals. That health plan has been nationally recognized for its innovations in forging a healthy workplace and is ranked number one in customer satisfaction in Pennsylvania by JD Power and Associates.
First Published August 25, 2011 12:17 pm
