Scheduling of cases in an ambulatory center.

Perhaps the most important thing for an anesthesiologist and OR manager to understand is that there are different systems for OR allocation and case scheduling. We referred to them as Fixed Hours, Any Workday, and Reasonable Time. This understanding makes the OR management literature clear and applicable to all staff members. Most ambulatory centers handle cases on the workday chosen by the patient and surgeon but strive to do the work each day as efficiently as possible. Precisely how to make OR allocation and case scheduling decisions to achieve these objectives have been worked out. Studies show that case scheduling decisions to enhance OR efficiency are practiced in many facilities. In contrast, OR allocation decisions tend to be different than what OR managers do in practice. This means that it is important to apply the statistical methods for allocating OR time.

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