Sutter Health Unveils Trailblazing Annual Report

SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 12, 2007
Sutter Health has replaced its traditional, printed annual report with its first-ever Web-based, electronic and interactive report, to provide an even larger audience comprehensive information about the not-for-profit network of doctors, hospitals and other health care service providers. Sutter Health representatives say their new online annual report, accessible at http://www.sutterhealth.org/annualreport, not only helped preserve almost 11 trees but also is among the most interactive and innovative of its kind – both within and outside the health care industry.

The distinctive report features compelling video testimonials from patients, community partners and employees. It also includes interactive Web pages where visitors can view Sutter Health's advancements in clinical quality; pioneering efforts in patient safety, charity care and community partnerships; as well as financial information and vital statistics.

"Sutter Health is taking an innovative approach to delivering health care, so it makes sense to extend that transformational vision to communicating with those we serve," said Patrick Fry, Sutter Health president and CEO. "It's part of a new culture within Sutter Health where we continuously innovate, re-imagine and reinvent what we do to deliver the absolute best for our patients and communities."

Sutter Health is an innovator in this new breed of annual reports. "Our research showed that even in this era of electronic communication, surprisingly few organizations are presenting annual information to customers in a user-friendly, interactive format like this," said Bill Gleeson, vice president of Communications for Sutter Health.

Gleeson said that while in previous years Sutter Health has been limited to sharing its annual report by the number of paper copies printed, this new approach provides virtually unlimited access. "Our customers have told us they want more unique and convenient ways to obtain health care information. In addition to providing convenient, anytime access, we're now able to reach a much larger audience without additional cost and while conserving natural resources."

Sutter Health selected Sacramento-based The Idea Factory for video production and Blue River Interactive Group for Web design to help it design and build this compelling "Report to Our Communities."

Some of Sutter Health's recent achievements highlighted in the online report include:

Improved Access to Care
In 2006, Sutter Health invested $805 million in plant, property and equipment to help improve community access to quality care. The organization has a multibillion-dollar plan to improve, replace or build dozens of community-based outpatient care centers and hospitals over the next 10 years.
Advanced Technologies
Sutter Health's electronic health record investment has grown to about $450 million and is just one example of the broad range of patient safety initiatives Sutter Health is deploying to further improve clinical outcomes and enhance patient safety while reducing costs.
People
Sutter Health offers its employees a broad range of generous benefits – from expanded education and training programs to improved salaries and benefits, and a multimillion-dollar investment in patient safety technologies. The network also has invested more than $500 million in the past five plan years to the Sutter Health Retirement Plan, which is fully-funded.
Partnering with Our Communities
In 2006, Sutter Health's total investment in providing care and services for the poor and underserved and in benefits for the broader community was $483 million.
Charity Care
As a result of an expanded charity care policy implemented throughout the system in early 2004, Sutter Health's charity care contribution increased by more than 24 percent from $59 million in 2005 to a record $73 million in 2006.

"Because of our commitment to transparency, our network was among the first in the nation to share quality data online. Now we're further improving communications," said Fry. "We are leading the way in transforming health care and bringing our customers the highest levels of convenience, quality and outstanding value."