1. Unit-Based Teams Are Getting Results Examples of success: Affordability, efficiency and service December 2014

2. 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 Colorado Couriers Save Jobs and Money

3. Teams Collaborate to Ease Growing Workload FEATURED TEAM Molecular and Cytology Lab UBTs, Stapleton Colorado WHAT THEY DID With growing membership in the region, and increased demands for testing (especially Pap and HPV screening), the teams: Studied other labs’ practices Vetted and recommended new equipment Streamlined processes and fast-tracked training Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. Average HPV screens per month RESULTS Processing time for HPV samples fell by half, even as test volume more than quadrupled.

4. Team Saves on Outside Medical Costs Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS $113,000 savings in 10 months FEATURED TEAM Southwood Specialties Gastrointestinal Georgia WHAT THEY DID To reduce the need for expensive, outside physicians to administer anesthesia: Scheduled doctors to perform anesthesia cases only four days a week, instead of five Increased the percentage of anesthesia cases from 70 percent to at least 90 percent on the days physicians are scheduled

5. Inpatient Pediatrics Team Reduces Linen Costs Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. FEATURED TEAM Inpatient Pediatrics, Moanalua Medical Center Hawaii WHAT THEY DID This UBT reduced linen costs—while ensuring it had the right number of gowns in the right sizes— by adjusting par levels, ordering fewer linens overall but more pediatric-sized gowns. Team members also designated a secure cabinet for permanent linen storage. Their goal was to reduce laundry costs by 5 percent. RESULTS Average monthly linen cost

6. 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 save money, 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 Remailed original cards rather than issuing duplicates Worked with call center colleagues to prevent replacement cards from again going to an incorrect address

7. Simple Conversation Improves Follow-Up Care Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. FEATURED TEAM Unit Assistants, Redwood City Medical Center Northern California WHAT THEY DID To reduce costly and stressful patient readmissions, this UBT increased the percentage of follow-up appointments scheduled to take place within seven days of a patient’s discharge from the hospital. Before a patient is discharged, unit assistants speak with the patient and family about follow-up appointments and log the information, so appointments can be booked at the most convenient times. This practice spread throughout the hospital. RESULTS Percentage of follow-up appointments that occur within seven days of discharge Percentage of follow-up appointments kept by patients

8. Floor Cleaning Made Greener, Cheaper FEATURED TEAM EVS, Sacramento Medical Center Northern California WHAT THEY DID This UBT purchased new floor-cleaning equipment that does not use chemicals or large amounts of water to clean and refinish hospital and medical office floors. The team’s goal was to reduce the overall cost of floor care by reducing by 25 percent the cost of the chemicals used in the machines. Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Reduction in annual cleaning solution costs

9. Teamwork Gives Babies a Healthy Start FEATURED TEAM Health Education, Manteca Medical Center Northern California WHAT THEY DID To increase the number of new moms breastfeeding their babies, this UBT: Provided support involving health educators, lactation consultants, physicians, medical assistants and nurses Encouraged observance of the “golden hour” immediately after birth, when a newborn is placed skin to skin on the mother’s chest to promote bonding and breastfeeding Made sure mothers-to-be were asked about breastfeeding at the regular 28-week visit. Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Percentage of mothers exclusively breastfeeding their newborns Rates jumped 22 points in less than one year

10. 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.

11. Spreading Ways to Transform Care FEATURED TEAM Regional Infusion Center Northwest WHAT THEY DID Team members heard about a new, faster method for delivering Remicade, an infusion drug used to treat Crohn’s and other diseases. They gathered information from other regions using the new protocol and worked to fast-track the approval process in the Northwest. Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Infusion times dropped from 3.5 hours to 1.5 hours per patient. Up to 16 hours of patient chair time was opened up every day.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Outreach Reduces Health Disparities FEATURED TEAM Internal Medicine, Los Angeles Medical Center Southern California WHAT THEY DID To improve the rate of hypertension control among African-American members, this UBT invites members who meet specific criteria to a specialized clinic. Team members there: Take blood pressure readings Provide education about hypertension and prescribe or adjust medications for those who need it Give certificates to those who have their blood pressure under control Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS The team’s work helped close the care gap between African-American patients and those of other races or ethnicities.

15. Giving Patients a Voice FEATURED TEAM Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Downey Medical Center Southern California WHAT THEY DID To better integrate parents into the caregiving and information sharing for their newborns, this team: Created “quiet time,” when parents listen and jot down notes while the outgoing nurse updates the incoming nurse Devised a discreet signal if nurses needed to step away to discuss sensitive information out of the parents’ earshot Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS Patient satisfaction scores rose from 74 percent to 88 percent one year later.

16. Peer Education Reduces Sharps Injuries FEATURED TEAM Inpatient Nursing, San Diego Medical Center Southern California WHAT THEY DID Three frontline nurses stepped up to tackle a shared concern about needle and sharps injuries. The nurses: Travelled from unit to unit to share best practices Standardized supplies, recommending use of the same best equipment everywhere Contributed their expertise to investigations of needlestick injuries. Visit LMPartnership.org for ideas and tools for your team. RESULTS 76 percent decrease in needlestick injuries in inpatient nursing units