IDEAS
That Work
I
f you ask a surgeon why a case
was delayed on August 4
th
sometime in September when
you're reviewing the previous
month's data, the surgeon will be
hard-pressed to remember where
he operated that day, let alone
why his case started late. Instead,
send an e-mail to the surgeon the
morning the delay happened. It
shouldn't be punitive. Treat it as a
fact-finding mission while the rea-
sons are fresh in the surgeon's
mind: We saw your case didn't
start on time today. Can you
give us a comment on why you
think that happened? You might
not get a definitive answer imme-
diately, but you'll get a more accu-
rate place to start in your
attempts to find out.
Robert Foglia, MD
University of Texas
Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
robert.foglia@utsouthwestern.edu
QUICK RESPONSE
Don't Delay Investigating Case Delays
CLOCK MANAGEMENT Start asking questions immediately when surgery doesn't start on time.
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