by Nancy Houser

Created on: January 12, 2009

The International ratings agency, Fitch Ratings, has given the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center an 'AA+' rating for its series 2008 bonds, which reflects the university's dominant market position in the western part of Pennsylvania. This is in addition to its strong financial 10-county regional market profile, showing a six-month increase in admissions of 85,032 - up from a previous year's similar period of 83,495.

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is housed in Pittsburgh, PA, an exceptionally large integrated health enterprise which consists of 21 hospitals, over 400 locations of its clinics, a specific insurance division of its own, and many other related venues which are primarily located in western Pennsylvania. One of the leading non-profit hospitals in the United States, it was ranked among America's Best Hospitals for 2008 in the "U.S. News & World Report" Honor Roll. An honor, it is an award that has been given only to 19 of the 5,400 eligible hospitals in the country.

The outstanding hospital offers a wide range of clinical specialties to the Pennsylvania residents, delivering exceptional patient care with the hospital ranked among the nation's best in doctors, researchers, nurses, and hospital staff. It is also ranked for excellence in fifteen specialties: cancer; ear, nose and throat; endocrinology; gastrointestinal disorders; geriatric care; gynecology; heart and heart surgery; kidney disease; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; psychiatry; rehabilitation; respiratory disorders; rheumatology; and urology.

HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH MEDICAL CENTER

Commonly referred to as "Pitt", the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was originally chartered in 1787 as the Pittsburgh Academy, where it became well-known for its superior academics in philosophy to medicine, in addition to its development of the first Polio vaccine. The university is known as one of the oldest U.S. institutions that has been continuously chartered for higher education. It is also known for its development of the Cathedral of Learning, a 42-story late Gothic Revival Cathedral which is the highest educational building in the entire western hemisphere which was commissioned in 1921 with the first class held in 1931.

DIAGNOSTIC TESTING

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center provides some of the highest laboratory and imaging services throughout the area. There are 43 locations throughout the western part of Pennsylvania, consisting of MRI, CT,

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