Success Stories

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville Adds 4 OR Cases Per Day Per Hospital

4 Additional cases scheduled daily per hospital

46% Reduction in abandoned calls

50% Decrease in average handle time of calls

40% Reduced call volume at largest hospital

Summary

Located in the greater Jacksonville area, the Baptist Health system comprises five Magnet-designated hospitals, 74 ORs, and 14 endoscopy suites. Over 12,000 employees and 1,200 physicians serve the region through more than 40 speciality areas. The system’s 513-bed hub, Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, is central to promoting Baptist Health’s mission of providing comprehensive quality care throughout the region.

Profile

5-hospital health system

74 ORs, 14 endoscopy suites

12,000+ employees, 1,200+ physicians

513-bed hub medical center

18,529 surgical cases performed per year in medical center

Problem

To support growth targets by attracting and retaining surgeons in a competitive talent market, Baptist Health wanted to streamline their OR scheduling process. Disparate booking forms, communication channels, and workflows for submitting case information across the health system made it challenging to schedule surgeons at multiple hospitals or flex OR scheduling staff among facilities. High call volumes and wait times led clinics to schedule as many cases as possible when they did reach OR scheduling, resulting in long handle times and a high abandoned call rate. The many communication channels caused lost information and confusion among employees, leading to redundant follow-up calls and delays.

Solution

Baptist Health partnered with the iQueue for Operating Rooms product team to develop an electronic case scheduling system called Schedule to alleviate these issues at its hub, Jacksonville Medical Center. Schedule offers a single source of information on the OR schedule and allows schedulers to request OR time and submit case information for elective cases when convenient. Streamlining the whole system and standardizing processes, this single platform provided accurate and up-to-date information, reducing the need for inquiry phone calls and empowering schedulers to work efficiently across hospitals, avoiding errors and putting cases on the schedule faster.

The use of Schedule supported better employee satisfaction and noticeable results in OR scheduling efficiency.

We received real, worthwhile results from our investment in LeanTaaS and alignment of people and processes. Improving our OR operations translates to surgical growth, engaged providers, and improved patient care, all of which are helping us achieve our organizational goals.

Amy Cate Huveldt

Vice President of Performance Excellence, Baptist Health