MediViz - Perioperative Challenges

More than 40% of most modern hospital revenues are derived from surgical procedures. However, inefficiencies in resource management seriously limit Operating Room (OR) potential revenue.

A typical OR suite in a large tertiary medical center is characterized by:

OR daytime utilization is around two thirds of capacity.

Significant portion of the procedures are delayed for more than ten minutes.

Thirty percent of the procedures are scheduled at short notice.

Perioperative staff burdened by uncertainty that impairs their performance.

Excessive usage of overtime and additional resources while trying to make
current clinical activities conform to the original plan instead of adapting smoothly
to changing circumstances.

As result, OR coordinators work under great pressure, overwhelmed by new resource demands because they lack reliable and timely information about current and future resource status.

The current scheduling and decision-making processes are typically hampered by:

Outdated and inconsistent situation picture: Too often, decisions are made based on
   partial or outdated information that leads to inefficiencies and errors. Nurses on the floor
   lack the “big picture” and thus often make decisions that do not synchronize well with
   decisions made by others in the perioperative environment.

Fragmented organization: High acuity departments are comprised of various spheres of
   responsibility including personnel supporting the infrastructure of the facilities, those
   providing dedicated equipment to be utilized in specific cases, and the medical staff and
   administration. Workflows are complex, and the decision processes are unevenly
   coordinated through inefficient means such as pagers, telephones and intercoms.

Late detection of problems: Problems are often detected too late to provide adequate treatment,
preventing efficient scheduling of resources and may even compromise patient care.

Unverified decision implementation: There are no mechanisms to ensure that decisions are
indeed implemented, and, whether they are successful in their outcome.

Personnel stress related to uncertainty: The nature of high acuity areas is tense enough
without the added anxiety caused by frantic decision making often based on partial, incorrect or
late situation awareness.