## PREPARING FOR CHANGE 

UHS has implemented HRUs in a number of facilities and units, including obstetrics, emergency departments and surgery. One HRU was developed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas. By improving communication between the pharmacy and NICU management, orienting new registered nurses in pharmacy operations and having pharmacists spend time at the patient’s bedside, the HRU is leading the hospital toward its goal of the total elimination of medication errors. 

UHS hospitals work to ensure that the service lines they offer meet or exceed established quality standards. By the end of 2011, 26 service lines had received Center of Excellence designation or accreditation in radiology, oncology, bariatric surgery, stroke, chest pain and asthma care. 

Nurse Toni Soto cares for the newborn child of Doris and John Hebert in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center , where UHS implemented High Reliability Unit procedures to eliminate medication errors. 

## VALUE ANALYSIS IMPROVES QUALITY, REDUCES COSTS 

UHS Supply Chain has a growing number of initiatives to help increase quality of care, improve efficiency and reduce overall costs. In its Value Analysis program, teams of corporate and hospital clinicians work together to review available products and standardize those that work best to help provide the highest quality patient care and best outcomes. After the clinical teams have determined what products should be corporate standards, Supply Chain negotiates directly with the supplier for favorable pricing, or works with the company’s hospital purchasing group to get the best terms. 

For example, the acute care hospitals once used a total of 47 different central line kits from several manufacturers for intravenous therapy. After completing the Value Analysis program, critical care clinicians were able to reduce that number to seven different size kits from a single manufacturer, ensuring that all UHS hospitals use the best products available to provide high quality care. 

