PinnacleHealth System
PinnacleHealth System is a community-based, physician-led healthcare system serving the greater Harrisburg, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. PinnacleHealth operates three hospitals—Harrisburg Hospital, Community General Osteopathic Hospital and West Shore Hospital—as well as a network of family practice and urgent care centers.
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| Private, Non-profit | |
| Industry | Medical |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Headquarters | Harrisburg, PA |
Area served | Central Pennsylvania |
| Revenue |
 $1 billion (2013) |
Number of employees | 5,000 |
| Website | www.pinnaclehealth.org/ |
Introduction
Since its establishment in 1996, PinnacleHealth has grown to a multicounty health system that includes more than 800 primary care physicians supported by more than 4,000 skilled nurses and technicians. In the 2013 fiscal year, PinnacleHealth received more than $1 billion in revenue.
PinnacleHealth's largest facility, Harrisburg Hospital is a 400-bed teaching hospital where more than 14,500 surgical procedures, 70 kidney transplants, 588 open heart surgeries and 3,500 newborn deliveries are performed each year, making it one of the largest urban clinical institutions in the nation. It is the seventh largest employer in the Harrisburg area.
Community General Osteopathic Hospital, located in the suburbs of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is an acute-care hospital that performs 8,500 surgical procedures each year. In addition to an array of medical services and specialties, the hospital offers 24/7 emergency care, a certified stroke care center, a weight loss center, a cancer care center and a rehabilitation hospital.
PinnacleHealth’s newest facility, West Shore Hospital, opened in 2014. The 188,000-square-foot hospital offers: private patient rooms, a 12-bed intensive care unit, seven state-of-the-art operating rooms, three heart catheterization labs and 24/7 emergency care. The addition of the West Shore Hospital has made a PinnacleHealth acute care hospital and emergency department available within 30 minutes of all patients and physicians in its Dauphin, Perry and Cumberland county service area.
In addition to providing comprehensive healthcare services, PinnacleHealth supports a range of community programs, including a mammogram voucher program, the PinnacleHealth SMILES dental health program and various school supply and book drives to benefit local children. In fiscal year 2013, PinnacleHealth invested more than $14 million in community programs that served more than 1.6 million central Pennsylvania residents.
Key innovations
- Women’s Cancer Center—PinnacleHealth’s Women’s Cancer Center, located on the West Shore Campus, addresses the preventive, diagnostic, surgical, medical and chemotherapy needs of women with gynecologic cancer and other conditions of the female reproductive system. At the Women’s Cancer Center, patients have access to state-of-the-art technology, integrated electronic medical records and all prevention, treatment, education and support programs provided by the PinnacleHealth Cancer Center.
- Breast Care Center—PinnacleHealth’s Breast Care Center, located on the Community Campus, provides multidisciplinary care and access to breast specialists, including breast health surgeons, breast health nurse specialists, certified mammographers, radiologists, pathologists and physical therapists. Patients receive the most advanced, comprehensive care in a convenient location.
- Minimally invasive gynecologic procedures―PinnacleHealth currently performs more than 2,000 minimally invasive gynecologic procedures annually, including laparoscopic and robotic procedures to fit the unique needs of each patient. By using small incisions and specially designed surgical instruments, patients benefit from limited pain, reduced blood loss, fewer infections and faster recovery. In 2013, the Pennsylvania Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery was recognized as a Center of Excellence in Minimally Invasive Gynecology (COEMIG) ™ by AAGL, an internationally recognized authority in minimally invasive gynecology.
- Telemedicine―PinnacleHealth is a leader in telemedicine, which is an innovative tool that helps improve efficiency and patient outcomes when seconds count. PinnacleHealth’s Telestroke Network provides community hospitals with 24/7 access to PinnacleHealth’s acute stroke experts. Through this network, physicians are able to use robotic communication to help diagnose strokes and quickly initiate appropriate treatment.
- Health information exchange―PinnacleHealth’s health information exchange, PHS Connect, enhances communication by providing real-time test results, admission notifications and discharge reports to providers across the continuum of care. This improves patient care by expediting treatment and reduces cost by helping to eliminate duplicate testing.
- Lower-exposure diagnostic testing—PinnacleHealth has made lower-exposure diagnostic imaging the standard across its health system. Radiologists obtain clear, high-quality pictures while reducing radiation exposure by up to 30 percent.
- Cardiovascular clinical trials—Numerous clinical trials for cardiovascular care are conducted at PinnacleHealth, including trials for percutaneous valves and bioresorbable stents. At any one time, PinnacleHealth participates in an average of 50 clinical trials for cardiac care and 20 clinical trials for vascular disease. PinnacleHealth cardiovascular patients receive innovative care from nationally renowned physicians.
Facilities
Harrisburg Hospital is part of the Harrisburg Campus in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Services provided at the Harrisburg Campus include:
- Emergency Department with CT capabilities
- Heart and Vascular Institute (diagnostic and inpatient cardiovascular care)
- Medical outpatient unit
- Orthopedics
- Progressive care (respiratory)
- Neurosurgery
- Certified Primary Stroke Center
- Toxicology unit
- Medical/surgical care
- MRI and full-service imaging
- Critical care
- Women’s and children’s care (labor/delivery, maternity care, antepartum unit, women’s inpatient unit, high-volume Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and pediatric unit)
- Mammography screening
- Inpatient and outpatient surgery
- Laboratory services
- Spine Institute
- Inpatient speech, occupational and physical therapy
- Medical Sciences Building (physician offices, laboratory and blood donor center)
Community General Osteopathic Hospital is part of the Community Campus in Harrisburg. Services provided at the Community Campus include:
- Emergency Department
- Medical/surgical care
- Critical care
- Certified Primary Stroke Care Center and certified Stroke Rehabilitation Hospital and Rehabilitation Center
- Expanded orthopedic services
- Inpatient and outpatient surgery
- Inpatient oncology
- Bone density screening
- Laboratory services
- Spine Institute
- Full-service imaging center located in the Medical Sciences Pavilion (attached to the hospital)
- PinnacleHealth Cancer Center (attached to the hospital)
- Helen M. Simpson Rehabilitation Hospital (attached to the hospital)
- Bloom Outpatient Center (across from the hospital)
- Weight loss clinic (across the street from the Helen M. Simpson Rehabilitation Hospital)
West Shore Hospital is part of the West Shore Campus in Mechanicsburg. Services provided at the West Shore Campus include:
- Acute medical care
- Surgical services (West Shore Surgery Center)
- Oncology services (Ortenzio Cancer Center)
- Cardiology
- Orthopedics
- Stroke care
- Chronic disease management
- Transitional care services
- Imaging services (diagnostic, ultrasound, mammography, bone density (DXA), nuclear medicine, CT and MRI, breast MRI)
- Laboratory (blood draw) services and express testing
- Pulmonary function testing
- Rehabilitation services (physical therapy, Hand and Upper Extremity Institute of Central Pennsylvania)
- Wound care and hyperbaric treatment center
PinnacleHealth clinics and practices can be found across central Pennsylvania in Camp Hill, Dillsburg, Elizabethville, Harrisburg (several locations), Marysville, Mechanicsburg, Middletown, Millersburg, Newport and Tower City.
Location of Clinics in Pennsylvania: Camp Hill, Dillsburg, Elizabethville, Harrisburg (several locations), Marysville, Mechanicsburg, Middletown, Millersburg, Newport and Tower City
Community Programs
- Implementation of the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
Led by the Mission Effectiveness department, the CHNA was a comprehensive community-wide process that connected more than 500,000 community residents and a wide range of public and private organizations to evaluate the community’s health and social needs. Participating organizations included educational institutions, health-related professionals, local government officials, human service and faith-based organizations. The assessment used secondary data collection, interviews with key community leaders, public forums and focus groups to identify health problems and risk factors in PinnacleHealth’s service area.
- Dental Access Program—PinnacleHealth SMILES
PinnacleHealth works collaboratively with the Harrisburg Area Dental Society to provide dental care for uninsured patients with urgent dental needs. The program was initiated as a result of the findings of the Community Health Needs Assessment. Research shows that dental health impacts the overall health of an individual. With a dedicated Dental Access Coordinator, the program made a large impact in its first full year of implementation by providing $17,145 in services to 297 patients through 16 general dentists and two oral surgeons.
- Power Pack Program
Many children rely on resources such as a free or reduced-priced school breakfast and lunch in Pennsylvania. The Power Pack program is designed to meet the needs of these children at times when school resources are not available, such as weekends and school vacations. Through the Power Pack Program, students in need are given backpacks filled with nutritious foods. The goal of the program is to ensure that children return to school well-fed and ready to learn. Power Packs provide a long-term solution to end childhood hunger. In 2014, PinnacleHealth provided $29,000 worth of food to area schools, totaling 8,310 packs for children in need.
- School Supply and Book Drive
In 2014, PinnacleHealth partnered with The Foundation for Enhancing Communities in their Capital Beginnings Program, benefiting more than 700 young children. The program supports children who are not currently being served in an early childhood program, such as children on waiting lists for Head Start, families in shelters and using food pantries, stay-at-home families and families where one or both parents are incarcerated. In 2014, PinnacleHealth collected more than $4,000 worth of school supplies for children in need from donation bins in each of the cafeterias on the PinnacleHealth main campuses.
- Community Furniture Giveaway
In 2014, PinnacleHealth donated $60,000 of furniture to the community from its warehouse and facilities that otherwise may have been thrown away. Facility staff worked with non-profits, community-based organizations and congregations to distribute furniture to those in need in the community. Furniture included tables, chairs, filing cabinets, couches, beds, lamps and many other items that could be used in a typical household. By partnering with local organizations who could identify those in greatest need, this effort helped more than 20 organizations that could impact hundreds of individuals and families.
Awards and Certifications
PinnacleHealth has received numerous awards and certifications for its commitment to quality care. Some of the awards include:
- Top Performers on Key Quality Measures® by The Joint Commission
- The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval™ specialty certifications: Advanced Diabetes, Advanced Heart Failure, Advanced Primary Stroke, Spine, Stroke Rehab and Hip and Knee Joint Replacement
- Highest possible performance level in Highmark Quality Blue program: Prevention, Readmissions, Perinatal Care and Diabetes Care
- Highmark Blue Distinction Center Designation for cardiac, hip, knee and spine
- Society of Thoracic Surgeons Highest Three-Star Performance Rating
- Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
- Get With The Guidelines®—Heart Failure Gold Quality Achievement Award and Get With The Guidelines®—Resuscitation Silver Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association
- American Stroke Association Silver Plus® (Harrisburg Hospital) and Bronze (Community General Osteopathic Hospital) Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association
- PinnacleHealth Breast Care Center received National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC)
- Designated Center of Excellence for Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery
- Achieved Performance Excellence Award (APEX) by VHA Pennsylvania
- Harrisburg Magazine’s Simply the Best® designation in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Milestones
- In 1999, PinnacleHealth Heart & Vascular Institute opened, performing their first minimally invasive Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) repair and being named one of the top 100 U.S. providers of heart care, according to a study by HCIA, a Baltimore-based healthcare information and analysis company. Additionally, cryosurgery was offered for the first time in Central Pennsylvania on the PinnacleHealth Community Campus.
- In 2001, the Fredricksen Outpatient Center on the West Shore Campus was dedicated. The outpatient health and clinical services center and physician office building houses an outpatient surgery center, in addition to clinical and diagnostic testing areas.
- In 2002, PinnacleHealth established the STAT MedEvac Air Transport Service.
- In 2003, the PinnacleHealth Toxicology Center was founded.
- In 2004, PinnacleHealth established an emergency medicine residency program, in cooperation with the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, a Level I trauma center located 10 miles east of Harrisburg. Additionally, PinnacleHealth brought the National Red Dress Project to Harrisburg, educating women about heart disease and also performed the placement of the first carotid artery stent in the system.
- In 2005, PinnacleHealth began an inpatient geriatric psychiatric program, installed a fully automated laboratory robotics system—both firsts for the region—and began using the SPY® Operating System.
- In 2006, PinnacleHealth began to offer robotically assisted, minimally invasive surgery (heart bypass and prostatectomy) with the da Vinci® S™ Surgical System and PinnacleHealth nurses received Magnet designation.
- In 2007, PinnacleHealth's Bariatric Surgery Program attained the Center of Excellence designation by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.
- In 2008, PinnacleHealth achieved recognition as a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® for its cardiology program. Additionally, the first same-sitting hybrid revascularization (heart bypass surgery and stent placement) with da Vinci robot was performed. An advanced Minimally Invasive Endovascular Suite was opened. Also, PinnacleHealth began offering antibody reduction protocol to kidney transplant patients to help to reduce preformed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody levels and enhance patient compatibility with available kidneys.
- In 2009, PinnacleHealth was recognized as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission, installed the first Aquilion ONE® (volume computed tomography (CT) scanner), and performed its first kidney transplant as part of the National Kidney Registry’s (NKR) paired donor exchange program. At the time, the transplant was part of the biggest kidney exchange transplant surgery chain in the United States, which involved eight pairings of donors and recipients coast-to-coast. Over a one-week period, September 30 to October 6, 16 surgeries took place at five hospitals across the nation. The exchange had the first red-eye flight used for a transcontinental shipped kidney, the first compatible pair in a NKR swap and the oldest recipient in an NKR swap, at 83 years old.
- In 2010, PinnacleHealth’s Harrisburg Hospital was recognized as an Accredited Chest Pain Center by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Also, PinnacleHealth opened The Spine Institute to provide a multidisciplinary team approach for neck and back pain. PinnacleHealth Imaging began implementing dose-reduction software in CT Scanners in order to perform procedures with significantly less radiation.
- In April 2011, PinnacleHealth opened the PinnacleHealth-Fox Chase Cancer Center in the new Medical Sciences Pavilion at the Community Campus. The new collaborative cancer center brought a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment among medical oncologists, surgeons and radiation oncologists and has received recognition for its care.
- In October 2011, PinnacleHealth opened its new, state-of-the art Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Emergency Department at the Harrisburg Campus. The PinnacleHealth Foundation—the non-profit fundraising division of PinnacleHealth—raised over $12 million for the expansion. Improvements included more new technology for the department, more rooms to assess and treat patients and overall facility improvements. Also in 2011, PinnacleHealth opened its renovated antepartum unit, launched its Pulmonary Nodule Clinic, Cardiovascular Institute and its CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System.
- In 2012, PinnacleHealth broke ground to build the new West Shore Hospital in Hampden Township and opened a new Orthopedic and Spine Unit in Harrisburg. Additionally, Luciano DiMarco, DO, PinnacleHealth surgeon, was the first in Pennsylvania to perform da Vinci Single Site gall bladder removal. PinnacleHealth surgeons also became the first in the world to perform anterior lumbar spine surgery with da Vinci Si Surgical System.
- In 2013, PinnacleHealth formed a new partnership with Highmark to expand patient-centered medical home care efforts in central Pennsylvania. It also formed River Health ACO with other local health providers. River Health ACO is a network of healthcare providers that share the responsibility of coordinating care for Medicare Fee-for-Service patients. PinnacleHealth also formed an accountable care arrangement with health insurer Aetna. In addition, the PinnacleHealth Corporate Ambassador Resource and Employer Solutions (CARES) program was created to provide screening and wellness services to local employers to engage employees and their families in better health.
- In 2014, PinnacleHealth opened the West Shore Hospital on its West Shore Campus. The 188,000-square-foot facility includes an emergency department, a 12-bed intensive care unit, private patient rooms, seven state-of-the-art operating rooms and three heart catheterization labs.
Facts and figures
- Established: 1996
- Number of beds: Licensed for 717
- Emergency department visits: 119,775
- Number of births: 3,961
- Rehabilitation visits (physical, occupational, speech therapy): 1,189
- Medical and radiation oncology visits: 23,947
- Outpatient registrations: 703,685
- Inpatient admissions: 31,396
- Cardiac catheterization visits: 6,672 (inpatient/outpatient)
- Financial assistance: $61 million
- Medical staff: 906
- Employees: 6,167
- Volunteers: 700+
- Volunteer hours per year: 35,000+
- President and CEO: Michael A. Young, FACHE