The Right Way To Allocate Block Time

In the final webinar of the series, Sanjeev Agrawal discusses how OR committees can do a lot better in block allocation decisions than base them on influence or historical “tribal rules”.

Using data in the EHR, modern methods of forecasting demand based on the volume and mix of lengths of surgeries can create a far better block allocation methodology that takes into account seasonality in practices, variation in case volumes, growth, and other factors. Much like UPS and FedEx use “Bin Packing” as a way to minimize the number of trucks they need to deliver a variable number of packages each day, modern tools exist that can help OR committees decide on the right blocks to allocate the right owner the right day of the week.

After attending this on-demand webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe a data-driven methodology to forecast and allocate block time
• Create a fair and transparent block allocation process that enables more cases to be done during business hours
• Discuss the positive benefits of increased opportunities for patient access created through these techniques.