8% Surgical Volume Growth Without Adding ORs: UT Medical Center's Data-Driven OR Access Transformation

The University of Tennessee Medical Center, a 715-bed Level I Trauma Center, had strong surgical demand but limited visibility into available OR time, rigid block schedules, and manual workflows that made it difficult to fully use existing capacity.

In this session, Melanie Burgess, VP of Perioperative Services, will share how UT Medical Center turned OR access into a more transparent, data-driven operating system. By launching real-time OR access visibility, using objective utilization data to support block-management conversations, and introducing practical cultural playbooks around block release, UT Medical Center made existing capacity easier to see, request, release, and reuse.

Key Takeaways:

• Visibility unlocks growth: Learn how real-time access transparency helped surgeon offices identify and secure more open OR time.
• Data-driven block conversations work: See how objective utilization metrics enabled more productive discussions around block utilization and dedicated room allocations.
• Practical playbooks support cultural change: Understand how release contests, block policy tools, and transparent reporting helped normalize better release behavior and create momentum for broader optimization.