On January 1, 1997, when Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital & Outpatient Center, and Riley Hospital for Children consolidated to form Clarian Health Partners, they not only created the largest health-care system in the state, but also one of the largest systems in the nation. The number of admissions to all three hospitals that are licensed as one system is second in the nation with 66,294 inpatient days a year. In Indiana, Clarian Health accounts for eight percent of all patient admissions, twice the number of any other hospital in the state.

The numbers are equally impressive on a national scale when comparing specific clinical programs, such as organ transplantation. Because both Methodist and IU are strong in this area, Clarian Health almost immediately became a national player. In specific programs, Clarian Health ranks high in heart-lung transplants, kidney transplants, heart transplants, liver transplants and lung transplants. U.S. News & World Report has also ranked Clarian Health in the top 50 in 11 of the 17 clinical categories. While radiology was not specifically assessed by the report many other departments received national rankings in the 11th annual "2000 America's Best Hospitals Guide." Clarian Health's clinical program rankings include cancer (10th); cardiology and heart surgery (48th); digestive tract (15th); ears, nose and throat (41st); gynecology (46th); hormonal disorders (36th); kidney disease (46th); neurology (40th); respiratory disorders (47th); rheumatology (47th); and urology (14th).

Indiana University Medical Center

Consistently ranked among the nation's top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and many other guides to health care, Indiana University Medical Center (IUMC) is widely recognized for its clinical excellence in cancer, medical and molecular genetics, cardiology, pediatrics, and radiology. With a tradition of providing quality health care since 1914, IUMC is made up of the state's only comprehensive pediatric hospital, Riley Hospital for Children; the nation's second largest and the state's only medical school, Indiana University School of Medicine; and a highly specialized adult hospital, University Hospital & Outpatient Center. The Medical Center is conveniently located a mile northwest of downtown Indianapolis on the growing Indiana University-Purdue University campus.

IU School of Medicine's relationships with hospitals, physicians and managed care organizations throughout Indiana help give Hoosiers access to the highest quality care in an efficient and cost-effective way, important features in today's health care market. Continuously enhancing the quality of patient care is a system-wide priority at IUMC and has resulted in high patient satisfaction and significant cost reductions. Riley Hospital for Children and University Hospital & Outpatient Center are not state supported hospitals.

IUMC is home to the Alcohol Research Center, Alzheimer's and Related Diseases Center, Multispecialty Center for Research in Rheumatic Diseases (Arthritis Center), Otis Bowen Research Center, Coleman Center of Excellence in Women's Health, Hypertension Research Center, Walther Oncology Center, and the IU Comprehensive Cancer Center. IUMC is also home to the Indiana Diabetes Center, IU Breast Care and Research Center, IU Center for Aging, Regenstrief Institute, Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Adolescent Sexually Transmitted Disease Center (Midwest Collaborative Research Center), and the Program on Healthcare Ethics and Professionalism.

Indiana University Hospital & Outpatient Center

Since opening its doors in 1971, Indiana University Hospital & Outpatient Center has become a major referral center for adult patients, with nationally recognized programs in specialized and intensive care. The 332-bed facility is a leader in providing care to patients affected by cardiovascular, neurological, rheumatic diseases, cancer, hypertension, kidney failure, liver, and endocrine disease. University Hospital is also a major center for transplants of the heart, lung, bone marrow, kidney, liver and pancreas. Its organ transplant teams perform more transplants than any other Indiana hospital and offer seven transplantation programs for adults. To care for bone marrow transplant patients, IU Hospital & Outpatient Center has a dedicated 14-bed adult bone marrow transplantation unit. A comprehensive adult kidney program treats all forms of congenital and acquired renal disease.

Radiology
As a major diagnostic and treatment referral center, University Hospital & Outpatient Center performs approximately 113,000 radiologic procedures every year including conventional and computed digital radiography, ultrasound, mammography, computed tomography, conventional and digital fluoroscopy, angiography, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine.

University Hospital offers magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) services with two MRI units. Advanced in strength and versatility, they are capable of providing better images than many other MRI units currently used in other hospitals.

The Integrated High-Technology Imaging Center complements the other outstanding facilities by being the only facility in of its kind in Indiana with all of the high-tech modalities such as PET, CT and MRI, and is the only facility that provides high-resolution image transmission to a network of hospitals.

The department also plays an integral part in the IU Medical Center's cochlear implant program. IUMC is one of only six institutions in the country performing the implants for people who have lost all or part of their hearing. Radiology is used to pre-screen for any deformity within the ear and/or changes following an infection or injury. Computed tomography and MRI reveal scarring or congenital deformities in a tiny 1/16-inch channel, helping determine the feasibility of the implant. Radiologists provide information that helps the surgeon in determining the least complicated procedure.

James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children

Established in 1924, Riley Hospital for Children is Indiana's only comprehensive pediatric hospital and is one of the six largest pediatric oncology centers in the country. Fifty percent of Riley's patients are under the age of two (a quarter of which are under two months). With nearly 134,000 patients from all 92 counties in Indiana in 1997, Riley Hospital for Children is the largest and only intensive care children's hospital in Indiana. Riley also has the highest ratio of intensive care beds to total beds of any children's hospital in the U.S. Riley Hospital has 343 beds and includes 30 specialized ambulatory care clinics. It includes the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, a Level I Trauma Center and the only pediatric burn unit in Indiana, and the Richard E. and Pauline Klingler Special Care Unit, one of the five largest comprehensive pediatric cancer centers in the nation.

Riley Hospital also is the only hospital in Indiana providing organ transplantation for infants and children, surgery to correct cranial anomalies, and pediatric renal dialysis. Riley is the only hospital in Indiana specializing in the treatment of acute illness in children and using an advanced technique called Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) ­ a support system for newborns with serious lung disorders allowing the lungs to heal while it oxygenates the blood.

Other strengths of Riley Hospital include a pediatric bone marrow transplant unit with 10 dedicated beds to accommodate pediatric patients with cancer and blood-related disorders and a nationally recognized Automotive Safety for Children Program to improve child passenger safety. Riley Hospital also hosts one of 12 National Institutes of Health-funded Neonatal Clinical Research Centers, has the largest pediatric pulmonary program of its kind and one of the five largest pediatric cardiac programs in the nation.

Through its Parent Education and Preparation Program, Riley Hospital is a national model for parental participation and education in the care of ill children.

Radiology
Due to the complex and acute nature of its patients' illnesses, the IU Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences provides advanced radiological diagnosis and therapeutic support at Riley Hospital. The 72,500 procedures conducted at Riley per year include conventional and computed digital radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography, conventional and digital fluoroscopy, angiography, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine. MRIs are performed in an attached facility.

Methodist Hospital

Established in 1908 as a ministry of the Methodist Church, Methodist Hospital of Indiana with 760 beds has a strong history of being a leader in medical research, starting in 1922 when it worked in conjunction with Eli Lilly and Company in developing the use of insulin in treating diabetes and more recently, in 1984, it was the first hospital in the country to use an extracorporeal shock wave lithotripter to pulverize kidney stones.

Today, in addition to an array of medical and surgical services (including a full-service emergency room), Methodist offers a number of specialized care services including centers for arthritis, breast health, cancer and geriatric medicine. Methodist also has a diabetes clinic, a kidney stone institute, a heart and lung institute, an eye institute, and a behavorial care center. A Level I Trauma Care Center, Methodist also has LifeLine helicopter services to airlift critically injured patients to the hospital for immediate care. Also on-site is Methodist Children's Hospital, which specializes in pediatric medicine.

Methodist Hospital has an extensive adult and pediatric organ transplant program and was a pioneer in open-heart surgery and cardiovascular transplants. One of only six in the nation, The Methodist Heart and Lung Institute offers one of the largest unified heart and lung teams encompassing all that is required for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart and lung diseases. Methodist also includes specialized services such as the Center for Reproduction and Transplantation Immunology, the Midwest Eye Institute, the Joslin Center for Diabetes and Methodist Children's Hospital.

In an effort to decentralize delivery of services, Methodist has begun establishing health care complexes around the I-465 beltway that circles the outskirts of Indianapolis. These complexes offer such services as family practice, immediate care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, gastroenterology, orthopaedics, radiology, and sports medicine. They provide a variety of outpatient services: surgery, MRI, mammography, ultrasound, x-ray, lab services, and family life/public education. Outpatient services are provided at six Methodist Medical Plazas around Indianapolis.

Radiology
In 1909, Methodist became a leader in medical technology by installing one of Indianapolis' first x-ray machines. The Radiology Department at Methodist Hospital has continued to be a leader in technology and offers complete services for diagnostic, therapeutic and nuclear radiology. Last year there were 283,781 procedures performed at Methodist Hospital and the Methodist Medical Plazas including gastrointestinal, mammography, interventional radiology, angiography, computed tomography, ultrasound, MRI, neuroradiology and nuclear medicine.

THE RICHARD L. ROUDEBUSH VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
MEDICAL CENTER

Named for former Indiana Congressman and Veterans Administration director, Richard L. Roudebush, the VA Medical Center adjacent to the IU Medical Center serves as a designated referral center for the three VAMCs in the Indiana/Central Illinois Network. The 200-bed facility has more than 10,000 admissions annually, in addition to approximately 150,000 outpatients. Specialized treatment is provided in many areas, including: acute medical, surgical, psychiatric, neurological, and nursing home care, as well as both primary and specialized outpatient services.

Due to the large numbers of veterans needing care for cardiovascular disease, renal disease and dialysis, pulmonary function, and liver problems, the Roudebush VA Medical Center is recognized for diagnosis, treatment and research in the areas of diabetes, alcoholism, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis, and cancer.

Major research areas include chronic ischemic heart disease, rheumatology, organ transplant surgery, and liver disease. To answer increased demand for services, the VA Medical Center embarked on an ambitious expansion program in 1991, including expansion of its Radiology Department.

Radiology
Nearly 63,000 radiologic procedures are performed annually at the Roudebush VA Medical Center. They include conventional and computed digital radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography, MRI, fluoroscopy, angiography, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine.

WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

The oldest hospital in Indianapolis, Wishard, was originally known as Indianapolis City Hospital when it opened in 1866. From the beginning its primary mission has been to provide health care to the city's poor and uninsured. Since 1975 it has functioned as an autonomous component of the Indiana University School of Medicine. Wishard, the state's first hospital to attain the status of being a Level I Trauma Center and hosts the state's only Level I Pediatric Trauma Program, is also home to one of the state's foremost burn treatment units.

Today, Wishard is a full-service acute care facility with 256 staffed beds. With about 100,000 patient visits per year, its Trauma Center is part of the busiest emergency care center in the state of Indiana. Among other services, Wishard Hospital has a 13-bed adult burn treatment unit and a critical care unit offering surgical, medical and cardiac intensive care, as well as progressive care for high-risk mothers. The St. Margaret's Diagnostic Breast Center is a nationally recognized facility for breast cancer diagnosis.

The Regenstrief Health Center, operated by the School of Medicine, is the outpatient facility of Wishard, where faculty and staff provide primary and acute care in 56 specialty clinics, seeing 3,500 to 4,000 patients per week. Wishard's focus on specialty care has emerged in its Primary Care Center that provides services in adult medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics. In addition, Wishard operates the Lockefield Village Health and Rehabilitation Center, a 240-bed long­ and short-term care facility, and provides a full array of mental health services through its Midtown Community Mental Health Center.

Radiology
Wishard staff members perform 120,000 radiological procedures a year. It has comprehensive equipment for conventional and digital radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography, mammography, and nuclear medicine, along with fluoroscopic, MRI and angiography capabilities.