Lean Six Sigma: Optimizing Operating Room Utilization at Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital.

摘要

Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital secured funding to hire additional staff members to open a third operating room on a consistent basis. According to the guidelines published in the fiscal year 2006 Medical Command funding guidance, Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital must show an increase in workload of 1,202 Relative Weighted Products (RWPs) and 12,592 Relative Value Units (RVUs) by October of 2006 to sustain this funding increase in fiscal year 2007. Despite the increase in funding, a third operating room has not consistently been scheduled or utilized and it is believed that other factors may be impacting operating room utilization. The process improvement methodology of Lean Six Sigma provides a basis for an analysis of potential factors contributing to low operating room utilization. Recommendations for achieving RVU and RWP goals include establishing a target of 80% utilization by each surgical service; data collection, monitoring, and reporting; and improving space management by shifting patient locations during phase I and/or phase II post anesthesia recovery.