title: Productivity benchmarks for operative service units.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Easily accessible reliable information is crucial for strategic and tactical decision-making on operative processes. We report development of an analysis tool and resulting metrics for benchmarking purposes at a Finnish university hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analysis tool is based on data collected in a resource management system and an in-house cost-reporting database.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The exercise reports key metrics for four operative service units and six surgical units from 2014 and the change from year 2013. Productivity, measured as total costs per total hours, ranged from 658 to 957 €/h and utilization of the total available resource hours at the service unit level ranged from 66% to 74%. The lowest costs were in a unit running only regular working hour shifts, whereas the highest costs were in a unit operating on 24/7 basis. The tool includes additional metrics on operating room (OR) scheduling and monthly data to support more detailed analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report provides the hospital management with an improved and detailed overview of its operative service units and the surgical process and related costs. The operating costs are associated with on call duties, size of operative service units, and the requirements of the surgeries. This information aids in making mid- to long range decisions on managing OR capacity.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Helkiö
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aantaa
authors.affiliation: Hospital District of Southwest Finland, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Virolainen
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Hospital District of Southwest Finland, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tuominen
mesh_terms: D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D019985:Benchmarking; D004526:Efficiency; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000191:economics; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000191:economics*