The Benefits of Unique Device Identification throughout the Health Care System

A pilot project to integrate unique device identifiers (UDIs) into hospital inventory systems and patients' medical records helped improve safety, enhance care quality, and support operational efficiencies. If adopted more broadly, the UDI system can benefit the entire health care system.

Joseph Drozda, MD, director of outcomes research at Mercy and leader of the UDI pilot project, explains how UDI adoption can help build an information-rich health care system that benefit patients, clinicians, hospitals, health plans, and regulators.