Improving OR access and visibility: Five myths, five best practices, and the importance of surgical scheduling software
Managing operating room capacity, without the support of analytics-based surgical scheduling software, is a constant challenge. Perioperative clinicians and staff are frustrated by the empty ORs and idle equipment that result from suboptimal scheduling processes and inadequate capacity metrics. While OR managers and schedulers work tirelessly to allocate surgeon time and make the most of […]
A virtual summit to unlock the OR in 2021 and beyond
Has there been a more challenging year for managing OR schedules? The COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on OR operations, as many facilities eschewed elective surgeries for months. As facilities move forward, continuing to clear surgery backlogs and maximize operating rooms is key. The upcoming Better Healthcare Through Math Virtual Conference, co-sponsored by LeanTaaS and Becker’s, is […]
How can we use the metrics typically reported in perioperative benchmarks?
Although comparing the performance of your hospital to another through benchmarks is not always as helpful as we often think, you can still glean an enormous amount of value by studying those metrics carefully. Here we will focus on the perioperative area of a hospital. Each perioperative team at any given moment in time is unique. […]
Bridging the (wide) gap between EHR data and analytics that drive optimal operating room utilization
Hospital EHR systems deliver strong capabilities around their core intent: a single source of truth for each patient and each patient visit. Because of the data collected, the EHRs are repositories from which historical usage, like key operating room performance data (turnover times, on time starts, block utilization, etc.) can be extrapolated. However, EHRs are […]
Achieving “systemness” in perioperative care
COVID-19 has taught the healthcare industry many valuable lessons. It has especially highlighted why health systems must work efficiently as “one system,” from an operational and financial perspective. Given the many challenges modern health systems face, however, this is easier said than done. Enter “systemness,” or the practice of providing consistent patient, provider and staff […]
Hospital-surgeon data transparency delivers surgeon satisfaction and hospital ROI
Hospitals across the country have been increasingly adopting technology to proactively optimize surgical capacity. By leveraging technologies to improve the accessibility, accountability and visibility of operating room time, hospitals that have implemented LeanTaaS’ iQueue for Operating Rooms have achieved impressive results including increased primetime utilization (6 percentage points, on average), increased block utilization, hospital-surgeon data transparency […]
5 solutions to maximize your OR capacity
Operating Rooms (ORs) are the economic backbone of nearly every healthcare system, and OR utilization is a key metric. It’s a perishable commodity that trades in time, and once time comes and goes, it’s an opportunity forever lost. Too many times, ORs sit unused, for a variety of reasons, ranging from the early completion of […]
“No block left behind” in operating rooms
Operating Rooms are the economic backbone of a hospital, often generating more than 50 percent of revenues and profits for the institution. A single block of Operating Room time (~500 minutes) can generate $50K – $100K+ in revenue per day, depending on the payor and case mix. ORs are also the most expensive resource to […]
Making the invisible visible: optimizing operating room access
An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Health IT News. Accessing operating rooms (ORs) has been a cumbersome, manual process often managed by history and instinct. However, today’s environment requires lean, agile, and visible access into this expensive and complex hospital resource. Flexing OR access up and down, maximizing use of open time and […]
MultiCare Reclaimed 20+ Blocks per Quarter and Millions of Dollars in Block Time
MultiCare is a not-for-profit health care organization caring for the Washington State community for well over a century. Consistently ranked as one of the nation’s Most Wired health care organizations by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine, MultiCare is committed to providing outstanding care to residents of the Pacific Northwest through its robust network of hospitals […]