Winning the political game of OR scheduling

At 7:30 a.m., phones in the surgery department suddenly begin ringing off the hook. The weekly operating room schedule has been announced; surgeons who do not qualify for a slot in one of the schedule's predesignated time blocks are vying for the limited remaining time. This is a familiar scene in hospitals across the country. Keeping time in a stressful situation can make OR scheduling a political battle.