UDI and Hospitals: Improved Inventory Management, More Time with Patients

A pilot project from Mercy, a high-performing health system in the Midwest, integrated unique device identifiers (UDIs) into hospital inventory systems and patients' medical records. The pilot 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 Jr., M.D., director of outcomes research at Mercy and leader of the UDI pilot project, explains some of these benefits. For example, Mercy saw tremendous efficiencies in their supply chain thanks to UDI, managing to reduce their inventory by half a million dollars in just a few months.