Utilization of Lean Project Management Principles and Health Informatics to Improve Perioperative Efficiency in an Academic Vascular Surgery Practice

Abstract

Operating room (OR) underutilization from perioperative delays results in significant expense, as estimated inpatient OR cost is $150/minute. In a large academic practice, variation can create an inconsistent preoperative process. To address this, the hospital's process improvement team collaborated with a surgeon informaticist to identify major sources of delay and standardize preoperative workflows, thereby decreasing delays and cost.