Surgeon profiling: a key to optimum operating room use.
OBJECTIVE
A high-efficiency Pod, composed of 3 parallel-processing operating rooms (ORs) and a dedicated 3-bed miniature postanesthesia care unit, can be filled with surgeons capable of converting time saved from parallel processing into incremental volume.


METHODS
Statistical and mathematical modeling.


METHODS
Academic medical center with 52 serial-processing ORs, 1 parallel-processing OR, and a congested postanesthesia care unit.


METHODS
Elective surgical cases (N = 58 356) performed by a single surgical service without a preoperative intensive care unit bed request from April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2006.


METHODS
Results from our parallel-processing OR (n = 1729) were extrapolated to all other cases (n = 56 627) to estimate the duration of key process time intervals as if they were performed using parallel processing. Cases that could yield incremental throughput using parallel processing were labeled "good." Total good case hours per week were then aggregated for each surgeon. Main Outcomes Measures Surgeons with 4.5 hours per week or more of good case time had a "profile" suitable for a 9-hour block in The Pod every 2 weeks.


RESULTS
Of the 352 profiled surgeons, 30 had 4.5 hours per week or more of good case time, more than filling the 15 blocks per week.


CONCLUSIONS
The high-efficiency OR Pod can fill each of its 3 ORs with case/surgeon combinations that should yield additional throughput. Surgeon profiles based on stringent efficiency targets maximize the throughput potential of The Pod's active ORs and more than compensate for the OR turned miniature postanesthesia care unit.
Sokal
Suzanne M
SM
Decision Support and Quality Management Unit and Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Chang
Yuchiao
Y
Craft
David L
DL
Sandberg
Warren S
WS
Dunn
Peter F
PF
Berger
David L
DL
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009873:Operating Rooms; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000078329:Workforce; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*