A blueprint for growth

UHS has a long history of finding opportunities in a changing environment. And in 1999, we found those opportunities very close to home. At a time when good values among acquisition candidates have become scarce, UHS has focused its time and resources on adding value to existing facilities. For example, we are constructing new buildings at UHS facilities where demand exceeds current capacity. We’re investing in new technologies that improve the quality of patient care while creating new revenue streams. And we’re adopting new medical specialties to capture a larger share of the market.

When a community expands, the need for healthcare expands. This simple truth is behind our company's long-term strategy and our current building program.

A proven strategy

Expansion is a time-honored strategy for UHS. For many years, we have increased the value of our company by creating new facilities or adding to existing ones.

Two recent examples are Summerlin Hospital Medical Center in Las Vegas and Edinburg Regional Medical Center in Edinburg, Texas. Both hospitals were built from the ground up, and both were completed in 1997.

Edinburg Regional Medical Center, Edinburg, Texas	Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

Within its first year, Summerlin had already become one of the leading hospitals in the fast-growing Las Vegas market, operating at full capacity. Likewise, Edinburg provided its community with a new level of advanced healthcare services, and has become one of our most productive facilities.

We have every reason to believe our current construction projects will follow a similar path to success.

A strong foundation

Our current expansion has been made possible by the unique UHS approach to hospital management. That is, we have built or bought facilities in markets with above-average population growth rates. Then, we have invested in those facilities to make them the quality leaders in their respective markets.

Now, those facilities provide a strong foundation for our future growth.

Of course, expansion also requires capital. And UHS’s sound fiscal practices have provided us with the financial resources needed to fund our current plans.

In the years ahead, we will continue to pursue good values and good prospects for growth. And as the profiles in the following pages show, many of the outstanding prospects for growth are right within UHS’s existing markets.