Almost a decade ago, on April 22, 2003, Ralph Muller was named chief executive officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. According to the Penn Almanac, Muller’s top priorities included “implementing the Strategic Plan for Penn Medicine, … further strengthen[ing] the patient-focused approach to care, and explor[ing] additional opportunities for growth that are consistent with financial realities and marketplace factors.” The Daily Pennsylvanian took some time to speak with Muller about what sets UPHS apart from other local and national medical centers.
The Daily Pennsylvanian: What are the core values of Penn Medicine?
Ralph Muller: We’re a comprehensive medical center that supports patient care, teaching and research. There are others like us around the country, but we’re the pre-eminent one in Philadelphia. [We] integrate those missions in a way that serves the population of Philadelphia and beyond…. Our role is to take care of people in the immediate community … but also to serve the mid-Atlantic region.
DP: What does Penn Med pride itself on most?
RM: Being one of the leaders nationally in cancer care and cardiovascular services, and taking care of high-risk infants and having a general set of programs that serve both Philadelphia and beyond.
DP: How many local hospitals do you compete with?
RM: The eastern cities — like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago — tend to have four or five major medical centers and in Philadelphia we’re the largest, but there’s also the Jefferson system, the Temple system… and Hahnemann Hospital … Some of our patients come from all around the country and all around the world.
DP: How does Penn Med differentiate itself?
RM: We’re the biggest [medical center] because we have the most comprehensive set of programs, so patients come to us for cancer care… They bypass local hospitals when they have … cancer and they want to get into a clinical trial, they want proton therapy, if they have heart failure and want a valve replaced, if they’re a premature infant and they can’t get that care at a local hospital — and oftentimes they can’t — they come to us. So the way we differentiate ourselves is [with programs] other hospitals within one hundred miles can’t replicate … advanced medicine is our differentiator.
DP: How common is it for patients to travel far distances to come to HUP and which treatments do these patients seek?
RM: Essentially 95 percent of our patients come [from] within one hundred miles. Most hospitals have their patients come from three [or] four miles around, so having them come from one hundred miles around is a real differentiator. [They come for] cancer care, heart failure, failures of the major systems and advanced surgery they can’t get elsewhere … We do surgery on throat and neck cancer that can’t be done elsewhere. It’s forms of surgery that they can’t get at the local hospital, and clinical trial therapy. For example you may have seen recently that we have a treatment for leukemia … [and] patients [seeking that treatment] are coming from all around. That’s the most noticeable recently.
DP: What is the meaning behind “Your Life is Worth Penn Medicine”?
RM: If you’re seriously ill you should travel and come to us … don’t just look for convenience. A lot of times people choose health care like they choose a local elementary school or local supermarket … and our point is that when you’re seriously ill, take the hundred miles to travel to a place like Penn.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.