Both Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children will build a specialized minimally invasive surgical (MIS) suite.

Reinforcing Commitment to Community Care and Hospital Growth    

PHILADELPHIA, PA (July 21, 2006) – Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children announced today plans to invest $18.9 million in capital during 2006 to purchase advanced medical technology and fund patient care enhancements to support growth in a number of areas including cardiac services, minimally invasive surgery, outpatient services and programs and radiology.  Funding for these purchases and enhancements includes a supplemental capital allocation from Tenet recently made to their core hospitals across the country.            

Among the cardiac enhancements at Hahnemann University Hospital is the replacement of an electrophysiology laboratory, which will better enable complex new cardiac procedures including biventricular pacing and atrial fibrillation ablations. Also included in the plans for cardiac services are the purchase of a new cardiac 3-D ultrasound unit, a gamma camera, intra-aortic balloon pumps and new telemetry monitors.              

For St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) expansion includes approval of four sophisticated warmer bed/isolettes that can be utilized for the most critical newborn patients, five additional warmer beds that include in-bed scales and phototherapy capability, and a new advanced transport isolette capable of providing nitric therapy for those patients requiring it for airborne helicopter transport. The warmer beds will allow for smoother transitions of the extremely small, premature neonate between a warmer bed and an isolette, decreasing the stress that can be potentially placed on the infant and improving the quality of care. The NICU will also begin the construction of a ten bed continuing care nursery so parents of newborns will be able to spend one or two nights in a controlled setting to ensure care skills and ease the transition home.  

Both Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children will build a specialized minimally invasive surgical (MIS) suite enabling the hospitals’ surgery teams to perform advanced procedures on patients using smaller incisions which can result in a faster recovery and a shorter hospital stay. The Suites will include high-resolution video monitoring and a centralized control panel. St. Christopher’s MIS will be specially designed for pediatric patients.

Both hospitals are installing a picture archiving and communications system (PACS), including several high-definition video monitor stations that enable clinicians to remotely view and share medical images, enhancing patient care.  

“This is very good news for our hospitals, our affiliated physicians and our patients,” said Michael P. Halter, Chief Executive Officer at Hahnemann University Hospital.  “We recognize that ongoing capital investment in our hospitals is critical to making sure we remain competitive in the market. We’re committed to helping bring advanced medical technology and enhanced patient care to the communities we serve.”

“This capital allocation is significant and is representative of Tenet’s continued commitment to providing quality care and to the success of both Hahnemann University Hospital and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in this marketplace,” said Bernadette M. Mangan, Chief Executive Officer at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. “This supports our growth initiative, enabling us to continue to support our patients with the up-to-date care.”

Also included in Hahnemann’s capital investment plans for 2006 is the purchase of new fetal monitors, epilepsy patient monitoring equipment, and anesthesia equipment.  Renovations to several nursing units including the expansion and centralization of patient monitoring systems are also planned, and a new Pyxis medication dispensing system, allowing nurses, pharmacists and clinicians to work more efficiently and effectively as a collaborative team, was implemented earlier this month.

St. Christopher’s will begin to expand its outpatient space enabling children and their parents to take advantage of expanded clinical programs and services in a more comfortable environment. In 2006 St. Christopher’s is also installing a new 64-slice CT Scan, allowing doctors to reduce the time it takes to obtain CT images while improving the image quality and the young patients’ comfort. The hospital will also add an archival system for its cardiac catheterization and echo laboratory.

In addition to capital investments in technology, program and staff development, and campus infrastructure, Hahnemann and St. Christopher’s leadership will focus on these key elements to ensure both hospitals’ future success:

• Quality initiatives including Evidence Based Medicine and Infection Control;
• Maintaining and strengthening our commitment to our academic mission with our partner, Drexel University College of Medicine;
• Retaining our present referral base and developing new referral relationships to grow the services provided to the community;
• Continuing our focus on patient/family, employee and physician satisfaction to ensure that we are meeting the needs of each of these groups that are critical to our future endeavors.  

 “We are excited to bring advanced technology and services to our patients, our referring physicians and into our community,” said Michael Halter. “The net effect for both Hahnemann and St.Christopher’s Hospital for Children is improved care for those we serve, a commitment to quality and a plan for growth.”    

Hahnemann University Hospital is a 618-bed academic medical center at Broad & Vine Streets in Philadelphia, Pa.  The hospital is a tertiary care institution that specializes in cardiac services, heart failure and transplantation, OB/GYN, orthopedics, medical, surgical and radiation oncology, bone marrow transplantation, renal dialysis and kidney/pancreas/liver transplantation.  The hospital performed one of the city’s first kidney transplant in 1963 and one of the first bone marrow transplant in 1976.  In 1986, Hahnemann became Philadelphia’s first Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center for adults, and since then has been served by University MedEvac, an aeromedical transport program for critically ill patients.  Hahnemann is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. 

An affiliate of Drexel University College of Medicine, Hahnemann University Hospital is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes Graduate Hospital, Roxborough Memorial Hospital, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Warminster Hospital.  To learn more about Hahnemann, visit www.hahnemannhospital.com.  

St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is a 161-bed pediatric hospital located at Erie Avenue and Front Street in Philadelphia.  The hospital provides a wide range of pediatric medical and surgical specialties through its affiliation with Drexel University College of Medicine. With a medical staff of more than 270 pediatric specialists, St. Christopher's is a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center that provides programs such as kidney and liver transplantation, minimally invasive surgery, and open heart surgery for the children of the greater Philadelphia area and from around the world. The hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.  St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children is part of Tenet Pennsylvania, which also includes Graduate Hospital, Hahnemann University Hospital, Roxborough Memorial Hospital and Warminster Hospital.  To learn more about St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, visit www.stchristophershospital.com.    

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