Operating room efficiency is an essential component of anesthesia service management as staffing shortages, operational costs and a high demand for surgical procedures put significant pressure on physicians and administrators.
Two physicians recently joined Becker’s to discuss the ways they are optimizing their OR flow.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What is one process or initiative that has improved operating room efficiency at your facility in the last year?
Alejandro Badia, MD. Orthopedic Surgeon and Founder of OrthoNOW (Miami): The definition of OR efficiency is different now. Due to the decreasing margins at most ASCs, OR efficiency can not be discussed without including OR utilization. In collaboration with our partners at Miami Anesthesia Services, the surgeon partners have decreased the gaps in our horizontal schedule to run more vertically. This requires teamwork across all stakeholders, as we strive to fill the days from 7 a.m to 5 p.m. We have also embraced a more customized approach to anesthesia staffing models tailored to the specific cases scheduled that day. This allows for a more efficient workflow that begins in the preop area and extends through discharge.
Kevin Andryc, DO. Chief Medical Officer of University Hospitals (Cleveland, Ohio): Both of my hospitals operate as critical access hospitals, which naturally limits the breadth of surgical coverage we are able to provide. In alignment with our utilization patterns, we recently refined our anesthesia services, particularly during nighttime hours, as the demand during that period did not justify continued coverage. Our anesthesia care is delivered exclusively by a highly skilled team of certified registered nurse anesthetists, as we do not employ physician anesthesiologists at our facilities.
