Tactical increases in operating room block time for capacity planning should not be based on utilization

Ruth E Wachtel; Franklin Dexter

doi:10.1213/01.ane.0000289641.92927.b9

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Tactical increases in operating room block time for capacity planning should not be based on utilization

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Tactical increases in operating room block time for capacity planning should not be based on utilization

Ruth E Wachtel and Franklin Dexter

Anesthesia and analgesia, Vol.106(1), pp.215-226

01/2008

DOI: 10.1213/01.ane.0000289641.92927.b9

PMID: 18165581

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Abstract

When a decision has been made to expand operating room (OR) capacity, the choice of surgical subspecialties to receive additional block time and fill the additional OR capacity is a tactical decision. Such decisions are made approximately once a year. Afterwards, typically a few months before the day of surgery, a second stage occurs in which operational decisions allocate OR time and determine the hours of staffing for each specialty based on its expected workload. In practice, cases are not scheduled into block time that has been planned tactically, but instead are scheduled during the second stage into the staffed time that is allocated operationally. This article reviews the literature on tactical decision-making for expansion of OR capacity. When additional OR capacity is available, it should be planned for those subspecialties that have the greatest contribution margin per OR hour, that have the potential for growth, and that have minimal need for limited resources such as intensive care unit beds. Numerous reasons are presented to explain why tactical planning of additional block time should not be based on current or past utilization of block time.

Health Care Rationing - organization & administration

Operating Rooms - utilization

Operating Rooms - organization & administration

Time Factors

Decision Making, Organizational

Humans

Models, Organizational

Personnel Staffing and Scheduling - organization & administration

Appointments and Schedules

Specialties, Surgical - organization & administration

Workload

Details

Title: Subtitle: Tactical increases in operating room block time for capacity planning should not be based on utilization
Creators: Ruth E Wachtel - Department of Anesthesia, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
Franklin Dexter
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Anesthesia and analgesia, Vol.106(1), pp.215-226
Publisher: United States
DOI: 10.1213/01.ane.0000289641.92927.b9
PMID: 18165581
ISSN: 0003-2999
eISSN: 1526-7598
Language: English
Date published: 01/2008
Academic Unit: Health Management and Policy; Anesthesia
Record Identifier: 9983806391202771

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