Improving Operating Room Efficiency

Purpose of Review Operating rooms are critical financial centers for hospital systems, with surgical care representing about a third of all health care spending. However, not all of the costs are appropriate or necessary, as there are sometimes significant inefficiencies in how operating rooms are utilized. Recent Findings Recent innovations utilizing patient-centered data, systems principles from manufacturing industries, and enhanced communication processes have made significant improvements in improving operating room efficiency. Summary By focusing on improving communication, standardizing processes, and embracing a learning health system with innovations, significant improvements in operating room efficiency can be seen to improve outcomes and costs for the health system and patient.