Sharing the Operating Room: A Descriptive Study of Combined and Collaborative Plastic Surgery Cases

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Healthcare Management
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Plastic surgery services frequently provide intraoperative assistance to other surgical specialties.
• The contributions of plastic surgery to hospitals, including improved patient outcomes and increased revenue, are often underestimated.
• Quantifying the multidisciplinary role of plastic surgery is crucial for accurate value assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the multidisciplinary involvement of a plastic surgery service within a large pediatric hospital.
• To analyze the resource utilization and financial contribution of combined and collaborative surgical cases.
• To highlight the often-undervalued role of plastic surgery in a complex healthcare setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of plastic surgery cases from 2016 to 2019.
• Categorization of multidisciplinary cases into 'combined' (separate problems) and 'collaborative' (same problem).
• Collection of data on case numbers, operating room hours, and total hospital charges billed.

Main Results:

• Multidisciplinary cases constituted 16% of total cases but used 32% of operating room hours and generated 49% of total charges.
• Collaborative cases (8% of total) accounted for 20% of operating room hours and 39% of total charges.
• Combined and collaborative cases showed a disproportionately high use of resources and revenue generation compared to cases where plastic surgery operated alone.

Conclusions:

• Multidisciplinary plastic surgery cases are resource-intensive and highly profitable.
• The value of plastic surgery in collaborative settings is significantly higher than their case volume suggests.
• Accurate assessment of plastic surgery's contribution requires consideration of multidisciplinary involvement.