Optimizing Prime Time Utilization

Ensure Your Operating Rooms are Scheduled and Used with Minimal Unused Capacity

Overview/Description:

Getting the most out of your operating rooms (OR) during prime time hours is no easy task. Surgeons and clinics struggle to find available time to book cases, while at the same time large blocks of scheduled OR time go unused during the day. Without the ability to access the OR during the day, surgeons resort to adding on cases after business hours or seeking other facilities to accommodate their needs. This results in empty ORs, underutilized capacity, dissatisfied surgeons, lost revenue, and high overtime costs.

While low block utilization, inefficient turnovers and/or staffing challenges are often viewed as major root causes of poor prime time OR utilization, the root causes of optimal utilization include a systemic lack of accessibility into OR time; low to no accountability for how blocks are managed; and poor visibility into key operational metrics.

However, innovative hospitals and surgical centers are successfully addressing these root causes of underutilized capacity by using lean principles and advanced analytics in powerful ways. With optimized prime time utilization rates, patients get their surgeries scheduled sooner, surgical offices have more predictable schedules with fewer add-ons or re-schedules, and facilities avoid costly after-hours cases and make more informed capital budgeting decisions around expanding OR facilities.

After this on-demand webinar, attendees will know how to:

• Uncover the true drivers of poor OR utilization
• Create and communicate easy access to OR time during prime time hours
• Use credible, real-time data to manage capacity and measure performance

Speaker Bio:

Catherine Ayres, Product Implementation Specialist

Catherine is a Product Implementation Specialist for iQueue for Operating Rooms where she facilitates multiple customer implementations. Catherine has a background in healthcare consulting and has worked at hospitals across America to improve care delivery and patient throughput. Catherine holds a BS in Information Science and Health Policy & Management from UNC Chapel Hill.

Austin Trout, Product Implementation Specialist

Austin is a Product Implementation Specialist for iQueue for Operating Rooms, where he has led implementations at multiple health systems. Austin also has experience in ambulatory clinic operations management and patient access initiatives. Austin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan