Optimizing your operating room: or, why large, traditional hospitals don't work.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations Management
• Surgical Services Administration
• Hospital Process Improvement

Background:

• Traditional large teaching hospitals face challenges with cost containment and patient length of stay due to fragmented, specialized care.
• Current cost-cutting measures often negatively impact patient care quality and professional job satisfaction.
• This study examines the operational processes within a university operating room to identify areas for improvement applicable to all hospitals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the operational processes within a university operating room facility.
• To identify and elucidate operational shortcomings and inefficiencies in patient care pathways.
• To propose improvements for hospital operational processes, focusing on the operating room.

Main Methods:

• A step-by-step analysis of the patient's journey from consultation to discharge.
• Conducting a series of studies to pinpoint operational deficiencies and inefficiencies.
• Evaluating the impact of fragmented departmental structures and conflicting incentives on peri-operative services.

Main Results:

• Operating room peri-operative services are fragmented across multiple, administratively siloed departments.
• Fragmented goals and objectives arise from individualized and conflicting departmental incentives.
• These inefficiencies hinder effective patient care and operational efficiency.

Conclusions:

• The drive for cost containment and increased patient volume is highly evident in operating theatres.
• Radical reduction of operating room costs and increased patient throughput require re-engineering care processes.
• Long-term improvements must prioritize safe, high-quality patient care while optimizing operational efficiency.