Allocating operating room block time using historical caseload variability

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations Research
• Hospital Management
• Surgical Workflow Optimization

Background:

• Operating room (OR) allocation is a critical strategic decision for hospital managers.
• Traditional OR block allocation relies on average historical demand, potentially leading to inefficiencies.
• Inaccurate OR allocation can result in unmet surgical demand or costly underutilization of resources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present an algorithm for OR block allocation that incorporates demand variability.
• To address both over-utilized and under-utilized OR time in block assignments.
• To optimize OR resource allocation in non-capacity-constrained environments.

Main Methods:

• Developed a novel algorithm for OR block time allocation.
• Algorithm specifically accounts for demand variability, including over- and under-utilization.
• Evaluated the impact of turnover time on OR allocation requirements.

Main Results:

• The proposed algorithm optimizes OR block allocation by considering demand variability.
• Identified significant potential for OR time savings through improved block allocation strategies.
• Numerical experiments indicated potential savings of over 2,900 OR hours at a large healthcare provider.

Conclusions:

• Demand variability is a crucial factor in effective OR block allocation.
• The developed algorithm offers a data-driven approach to optimize OR scheduling.
• Improved OR block allocation can lead to substantial operational efficiencies and cost savings.