1 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9
T
wo words that
strike fear in
the heart of
every OR manager:
open time. That, of
course, is when your
ORs sit silent and
empty while it's stand-
ing-room only in the
staff lounge. More
often than not, open
time stems from ineffi-
cient scheduling.
Here's how to correct that.
Collect the data. You'll want to use data to schedule more effec-
tively, but you can only do that when your staff fully uses your
facility's software. Your case history modules should tell you every-
thing you need to know about each case: from time in/out of the room
to anesthesia start/stop time to time of incision. These reports should
point you to the weak links in your scheduling. Train your staff to
input the data.
Set a block-time threshold. Block time is a privilege, not a right.
If your physicians aren't using the blocks you've given them,
you're going to have empty ORs and idle staff. A good rule of thumb: If
you're turning doctors away because you can't fit them on your sched-
1
2
Beating the Block Time Blues
4 tips to create a culture of efficient, lean scheduling.
Staffing
Ann Geier, MS, RN, CNOR, CASC
• RUNNING IDLE Better scheduling can reduce open time at your facility.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR