The system will be implemented at additional  acute care hospitals throughout 2012, and is scheduled for implementation in all facilities by the end of 2013. The UHS Acute Care Division is committed to quality by improving its clinical operations and  providing better support for physicians through  systems that offer increased functionality. The implementation of UHS FUSION, an electronic  information system based on industry-leading  software from the Cerner ®  Corporation provides the technological foundation.  UHS continually works to increase efficiency in its processes and procedures by employing Lean Six Sigma management techniques. Process  Improvement teams from the corporate office and local facilities continuously evaluate hospital  operations to identify possible improvements. UHS FUSION gives physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals immediate access to an advanced medical records system, lab results and imaging. However, technology alone is not enough. Electronic Health Records (EHR)  must be used in the most effective manner to  provide the greatest benefit to patients and the  staff, a concept called Meaningful Use (MU) by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid  Services, which provides financial incentives to hospitals that use EHR. At Texoma Medical Center, throughput times in the emergency department were longer than  established benchmarks, leading to lower patient  satisfaction scores as well as lost revenue. At the  beginning of 2011, 8.6 percent of patients were  leaving the emergency room without being seen. By evaluating every step of the process and implementing a number of changes, the team was  able to reduce throughput times and cut the number  of patients who left without being treated to just 2.2 percent by the end of the year, compared to the national median of 2.6 percent. By consistently exceeding MU requirements, UHS will be able to help enhance patient safety,  improve the effectiveness of physicians and staff members by facilitating clinical integration,  increase physician functionality and provide the  advanced exchange of information that can  improve quality.  To help ensure quality of care in difficult medical environments, UHS has developed High Reliability  Units (HRU). Originally created by the military and  airline industry, where minor errors can lead to  catastrophic outcomes, the high reliability concept  creates a culture of safety within a unit. That culture  enhances the unit’s ability to prevent errors through  the use of established safety procedures, and builds awareness among all team members that  even small failures in safety protocols will not be tolerated. Phase I of UHS FUSION was successfully installed and implemented in three acute care  hospitals in Florida – Lakewood Ranch Medical  Center, Manatee Memorial Hospital and Wellington  Regional Medical Center – and was designed and tested at The George Washington University Hospital. 2011 ANNUAL REPORT 7