University Of Pennsylvania Health System Expansion Taps ECRI Institute For Purchasing Guidance

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Article Date: 05 Nov 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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As construction continues on the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, consultants from ECRI Institute (http://www.ecri.org) have begun work on the equipment procurement phase for the $232 million facility. ECRI Institute's strategic technology planning experts are providing technology gap analysis as well as procurement decision support for this landmark project.

The Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, set to open in stages through December 2008, is the largest capital project undertaken in the history of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The facility will house the health system's Abramson Cancer Center, radiation oncology and cardiovascular medicine departments, and an outpatient surgical pavilion, as well as the Roberts Proton Therapy Center, a first-of-its-kind proton therapy center for the treatment of cancer.

Consultants from ECRI Institute's Applied Solutions Group are providing purchasing advice with the intention to save costs for the equipment procurement phase of the construction project, including guidance on reusing existing equipment and establishing delivery methodologies. These experts are currently assessing the best ways to reuse and procure architecturally significant equipment, such as surgical booms and lights, operating room integration systems, and the latest imaging technologies. With the industry's largest databases of healthcare technology information, including a real-time price-paid database of medical equipment purchases, ECRI Institute is uniquely qualified to provide guidance on budgeting and price negotiation.

"This project represents a significant opportunity to improve the delivery of medicine in the Philadelphia region," says Anthony Montagnolo, Chief Operating Officer, ECRI Institute. "Our technical background and real-world pricing data will allow us to help negotiate substantial cost savings for UPHS."

Backed by the research and experience of ECRI Institute's multidisciplinary staff, experts from the Applied Solutions Group address the needs of healthcare organizations by providing medical equipment planning, technology assessment, and strategic planning services to healthcare organizations, as well as consulting in the areas of health information technology, patient safety, and technology management. Recent projects include medical equipment planning, budgeting, and procurement assistance for an expansion project at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA, and for new hospital construction at the Southwest Washington Medical Center in Vancouver, WA, as well as Hamad Medical City, Doha Qatar.

For more information on the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine construction project, visit the University of Pennsylvania Health System Web site at http://www.pennhealth.com/cam. For more information about ECRI Institute's Applied Solutions Group, medical equipment planning services, or capital equipment procurement services, visit http://www.ecri.org.

ECRI Institute (formerly ECRI), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to uncover the best approaches to improving patient care. As pioneers in this science for nearly 40 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. ECRI Institute is designated a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization and an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

http://www.ecri.org