Optimizing OR Flow

Because surgery is a major source of hospital admissions, the Operating Room (OR) is often at the center of problems with patient flow. The OR shares (i.e., competes for) resources with many other departments and improving OR scheduling practices and re-aligning capacity with demand can be the key to managing artificial variability and improving hospital-wide operations.

Optimizing OR Flow involves a close assessment of current OR operations and applying targeted operation management (OM) strategies to solve site-specific challenges. This includes, but is not limited to separating homogenous groups (i.e., elective vs. non-elective cases) and optimally managing inpatient vs. outpatient flows in order to reduce waiting times for urgent / emergent cases, increase throughput in the operating rooms, decrease overtime, and decrease delays.

Do You Experience Any of These Issues?

Significant number / percent of urgent / emergent high acuity cases requiring rapid access to the OR
Surgeons report difficulties in accessing the OR for urgent/emergent cases
Significant number/percent of urgent/emergent cases done after prime time hours
Significant moving, bumping and delaying of elective cases to accommodate urgent/emergent cases
High OR staff turnover (representative of OR chaos and staff dissatisfaction)
Quality Assurance (QA) reports of increased waiting for the OR for urgent/emergent cases resulting in patient or family dissatisfaction or poor patient surgical outcome.
Inability to grow surgical volume because of perceived OR capacity limitation

The benefits of OR re-engineering can include:

Shorter waiting times for surgery for emergent and urgent patients
Reduced or eliminated cancellations and postponement of elective surgeries
Reduced OR overtime
Higher OR prime time utilization
Greater surgical throughput (i.e., increased overall surgical patient volume)
Reduced cost per surgical case
Reduced inpatient length of stay for unscheduled surgical patients, leading to reduced rates of hospital-acquired infections and costs
Improved patient safety and reduced mortality
Improved patient and provider satisfaction

Cost reduction through optimal patient Flow Variability Management Healthcare Cost Corner

Hospital costs can be decreased by millions of dollars annually by adopting the Institute for Healthcare Optimization’s approach to managing variability in healthcare delivery.

Learn More About Costs

Case Study

See how Cincinnati Children’s Hospital increased annual revenue by $137M, and avoided $100M in cost, while improving quality of care.

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Resources

Book Cover Mock - Optimizing Patient Flow

Joint Commission Resources Book

The IHO’s approach to managing variability in healthcare delivery is the central theme of Joint Commission Resources’ new book.

See Commission Results

Book Cover Image - Transforming Healthcare Scheduling and Access

IOM Report: Transforming Health Care Scheduling and Access

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended IHO Variability Methodology as one of the six principles to address the compelling issue of access to healthcare.

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