Sutter Health to invest $1.2 billion in IT

Sutter Health will invest $1.2 billion over the next 10 years in advanced information technology (IT) systems, reaching "above and beyond" the $50 million the provider already spends on present technology.

The investment specifically calls for support in standardization of quality care and patient satisfaction practices; improvement in workplace efficiency; improved management of the patient population and its data; and adoption of new critical technologies to lead the industry in patient safety.

The initiative includes a system-wide implementation of a PACS that will cost more than $10 million in technology software and hardware purchases; an inpatient electronic medical record among its 26 affiliated hospitals that will cost more than $100 million and take up to six years to complete; and an EPIC Systems technology in its affiliated care centers at the cost of approximately $50 million.

"Our goal was to stabilize our organization's IT funding to ensure long-term investments in technology upgrades that improve care," said Sutter Health President CEO Van. R. Johnson. "Patients rightfully expect advanced, quality care when they enter a hospital care center or physician's office, and a strong foundation in IT is vital to meeting or exceeding those expectations."

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