Applying a Process Improvement Approach to Optimize Operating Room Turnover in Urology.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Operations
• Process Improvement
• Ambulatory Surgery

Background:

• Operating room (OR) turnover time is a critical factor in surgical center efficiency.
• Delays in OR turnover can impact patient throughput and increase costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To apply a process improvement approach to optimize OR turnover time.
• To identify specific opportunities for reducing OR turnover duration.

Main Methods:

• Defined OR turnover as the time from patient departure to room readiness.
• Observed and timed each step of the turnover process.
• Calculated potential financial implications using $1 per second as OR "rent".

Main Results:

• Baseline OR turnover times ranged from 31:45 to 42:49 minutes:seconds.
• Identified four key areas for improvement, including housekeeping coordination and setup procedures.
• Projected financial benefits of $1559 per turnover, equating to $2,025,000 annual savings per OR.

Conclusions:

• Process improvement techniques effectively identified opportunities to enhance OR turnover.
• Optimizing OR turnover can lead to substantial financial benefits for surgical centers.