Case Study

Background

1ConsultingSolution partnered with a prestigious academic healthcare institution renowned for its advanced surgical procedures and patient care. The institution handles thousands of surgeries annually, spanning specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology, and neurosurgery. Despite its reputation, the institution faced challenges coordinating its surgical flow, which led to bottlenecks, delays, and inefficiencies, ultimately impacting the patient, provider, and staff experience.

Recognizing the need to enhance surgical operations without compromising patient outcomes or the quality of care, the healthcare institution engaged 1ConsultingSolution to implement a comprehensive optimization strategy.

Challenges

The institution’s surgical flow coordination presented several critical challenges:

1. Surgical Delays and Operating Room Inefficiencies: Operating room (OR) turnover times were higher than industry standards, leading to frequent surgical delays and schedule disruptions. Unanticipated issues such as equipment unavailability and incomplete pre-operative procedures often compounded these delays.

2. Disorganized Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Processes: The pre-operative and post-operative processes were inconsistent, with staff often struggling to coordinate between departments such as anesthesia, nursing, and surgical teams. This resulted in miscommunication, missing information, and extended patient preparation times.

3. Staff Overload and Burnout: Nurses, anesthesiologists, and surgical coordinators were overworked, frequently handling administrative tasks like verifying patient information, coordinating schedules, and preparing ORs. This multitasking not only led to burnout but also increased the risk of errors.

4. Lack of Real-Time Communication and Visibility: The institution relied on outdated communication methods such as phone calls and pagers, which often led to delays in decision-making. Without a centralized, real-time system, it was challenging for surgical teams and coordinators to receive updates on patient status, equipment readiness, or room availability.

5. Limited Data and Metrics for Performance Improvement: The institution had limited access to actionable data regarding OR utilization, turnover times, and patient throughput. Without clear metrics, it was difficult to identify the root causes of delays and inefficiencies or to measure the impact of potential improvements.

Solutions

1ConsultingSolution implemented a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach to optimize the surgical flow coordination processes. The strategy focused on technology integration, workflow redesign, and staff training to create a seamless and efficient surgical experience.

1. Implementation of a Centralized Surgical Coordination Platform: To address communication challenges and improve visibility, 1ConsultingSolution deployed a state-of-the-art surgical coordination workflow within the institution’s existing Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, allowing all surgical teams and departments to access real-time updates on patient status, room availability, and equipment readiness. The platform included instant messaging and alert features, ensuring quick and effective communication between all involved parties.

2. Redesign of Pre-Operative and Post-Operative Workflows: 1ConsultingSolution mapped out and restructured the institution’s pre-operative and post-operative workflows to ensure consistency and efficiency. This involved developing standardized checklists for patient preparation, equipment setup, and anesthesia readiness. Additionally, post-operative care processes were streamlined, allowing staff to prepare recovery rooms in advance, reducing patient transfer times.

3. Optimized OR Turnover Procedures: A key focus was reducing OR turnover time, which had been a major source of delays. 1ConsultingSolution worked with the institution to implement a “OR Turnover Optimization Protocol.” This protocol included synchronized cleaning crews, equipment technicians, and nursing staff, all coordinated through the centralized platform to minimize downtime between surgeries.

4. Staff Specialization and Training: The consultancy divided tasks among specialized teams to reduce staff overload. For example, dedicated OR coordinators were trained to manage schedules and room readiness, while nursing staff were trained on the use of the new digital platform and best practices for surgical preparation and post-operative care. Training sessions also emphasized stress management and teamwork to reduce burnout and improve staff morale.

5. Data-Driven Decision-Making and Reporting: The new platform allowed the institution to collect and analyze data on OR utilization, patient throughput, and turnover times. 1ConsultingSolution set up a performance dashboard for hospital management to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) in real-time. This data-driven approach enabled the institution to identify and address specific bottlenecks as they arose, ensuring continuous improvement.

Outcomes

The optimization of surgical flow coordination yielded significant results within the first year of implementation, demonstrating the value of 1ConsultingSolution’s approach.

1. Reduction in Surgical Delays: Surgical delays decreased by 35%, with the average time from patient check-in to incision reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. This improvement was largely due to the streamlined pre-operative processes and real-time communication, which allowed teams to prepare more efficiently.

2. Improvement in OR Turnover Times: OR turnover times improved by 45%, dropping from an average of 45 minutes to 25 minutes. The OR Turnover Optimization Protocol ensured that all required personnel were present and synchronized through the centralized platform, minimizing downtime.

3. Increased OR Utilization Rates: With fewer delays and faster turnovers, the institution increased its OR utilization rate from 70% to 85%. This allowed the hospital to schedule more surgeries per day, ultimately leading to increased revenue and improved patient access to surgical care.

4. Enhanced Patient and Provider Experience: Patient satisfaction scores rose by 20%, with patients citing shorter wait times and improved communication regarding their surgical journey as key factors. Providers also reported higher satisfaction levels, appreciating the reduced administrative burden and increased focus on patient care. Provider satisfaction scores improved by 15%, and turnover among surgical staff decreased by 10%.

5. Reduced Staff Burnout: The division of tasks and specialized roles, along with the streamlined workflows and better communication tools, led to a 30% reduction in staff-reported burnout. Employees noted that the ability to focus on specific duties and use efficient digital tools significantly improved their work experience.

6. Positive Return on Investment (ROI): The healthcare institution saw a positive ROI within 10 months of implementing the optimization strategy. The investment in the centralized platform, workflow redesign, and training programs was offset by the increase in surgical capacity, reduction in overtime costs, and decrease in patient rescheduling rates. The institution calculated a 200% ROI within the first year, with annual savings projected to exceed $2.5 Million due to improved efficiency and higher surgical volume.

Conclusion

1ConsultingSolution’s partnership with the academic healthcare institution successfully transformed the surgical flow coordination processes, resulting in significant improvements for patients, providers, and staff. By implementing a centralized coordination platform, redesigning workflows, and focusing on staff specialization and training, the institution was able to optimize its OR processes and reduce delays, enhancing the overall surgical experience. The measurable improvements in OR turnover times, surgical capacity, and staff satisfaction demonstrate the substantial impact of process optimization on healthcare delivery, ultimately contributing to a better patient journey and a strong financial return.