Unit-Based Teams Are Getting Results Examples of Success: Affordability May 2014

Saving the Hassle and Cost of Lost ID Cards Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Cards destroyed per quarter and associated costs FEATURED TEAM Membership Administration, Mid-Atlantic States WHAT THEY DID To improve service and capture lost revenue, this UBT reduced the number of member ID cards being sent to incorrect addresses—and ultimately destroyed. Team members: Corrected member addresses by conferring with members, employer groups and KP departments R ed original cards rather than issuing duplicates Worked with call center colleagues to prevent replacement cards from again going to an incorrect address

Colorado Couriers Save Jobs and Money Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Improved timeliness of deliveries—and savings of more than $375,000 a year. FEATURED TEAM Colorado Couriers WHAT THEY DID The Couriers unit-based team, concerned about the outsourcing of delivery services, streamlined operations by: Improving its routes and workflows Hiring an additional person to reduce reliance on contractors Using new technology to better schedule and track orders

Change in Tubing Saves $25,000 Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Reduced the cost of IV tubing by 85 percent, saving about $25,000 a year. FEATURED TEAM Oncology, Interstate Medical Office, Northwest WHAT THEY DID Team members assessed their use of supplies and switched from expensive specialized tubing to deliver certain IV medications to standardized tubing, when equally safe and effective.

Speedy Slides Boost Morale, Efficiency Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Percentage of slides distributed to pathologists by 8 a.m. FEATURED TEAM Histology, Regional Laboratory, Northwest WHAT THEY DID To improve turnaround times, reduce rework and boost morale, the team (which prepares tissue slides for review by pathologists), began: Using a display board to track turnaround times Incorporating turnaround time and quality assurance discussions in huddles Meeting weekly with sponsors and pathologists to improve communication

Smart Scheduling Reduces Waste Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. FEATURED TEAM Oncology Pharmacy, Woodland Hills, Southern California WHAT THEY DID To reduce waste of expensive medication, team members: Schedule back-to-back appointments for patients getting infusions of the same drugs, to avoid discarding unused medication Use smaller vials of two commonly used drugs RESULTS Average weekly waste of medication was cut in half, for savings of more than $114,000 a year