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Operating Room Scheduling and Capacity Planning

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Anesthesia Informatics

Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

Managed care is placing severe financial and organizational pressures on healthcare institutions, while at the same time capitation and competition are limiting resources. In response, institutions are beginning to re-engineer themselves from revenue to cost centers. Research indicates that of the three major clinical service components that comprise the healthcare system (surgical, medical, and mental health), surgical services are among the most amenable to cost control by a systematic process of utilization review. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, more than 33 million US residents undergo surgery annually, incurring charges of more than $450 billion, or nearly 10% of the entire healthcare budget.

As cost centers, ORs must be scheduled and run efficiently because they reflect on the financial health of the institution as a whole. Admission rates, OR utilization, and hospital census depend on a mix of surgical specialties and unimpeded access to surgical facilities. 6 Utilization problems occur when a hospital begins to run at or near capacity. If scheduling is inefficient, highly elective surgeries may occupy available beds to the detriment of less-elective surgeries, resulting in a decrease in the hospital’s emergency capabilities. Conversely, if the institution preferentially allocates OR time for emergency services, elective surgeries, patient satisfaction, and access to surgical facilities may decrease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pittsburgh, The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Luis G. Vargas, Jerrold H. May & Alia Stanciu

  2. Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    William Spangler

  3. Canada Laurence Torsher, Queens University, Kingston General Hospital, Ontario, MD, USA

    David P. Strum

Authors
  1. Luis G. Vargas
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  2. Jerrold H. May
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  3. William Spangler
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  4. Alia Stanciu
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  5. David P. Strum
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Vargas, L.G., May, J.H., Spangler, W., Stanciu, A., Strum, D.P. (2008). Operating Room Scheduling and Capacity Planning. In: Anesthesia Informatics. Health Informatics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76418-4_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-76418-4_19

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-76417-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-76418-4

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