Operating Room Metrics

This year’s ASA Practice Management conference focused on the knowledge and skills needed to navigate for success and stay at the forefront of anesthesia practice management, but to navigate for success you must first understand how to measure it.  So, what should you measure?  For anesthesia practices and providers, this can mean quite a few things – from understanding your practice’s financial value to improving patient satisfaction scores.

But what can be measures to help anesthesia navigate success and show value to other providers?

With anesthesiologists positioned to care for patients from start to finish in the OR, accurately monitoring OR metrics can be a valuable tool for working closely with other physicians. Bassam Kadry, M.D., an Anesthesiologist and Informatist at Stanford University of Medicine, opened day 3 of the American Society of Anesthesiologists conference with a presentation titled, “Metrics that Matter.”  Consider Dr. Kadry’s 5 key strategies.

1. Not everything that can be measured matters.
   Just because a data point is available doesn’t mean it is relevant.  Only measure and analyze data that can help you achieve your goals.
2. Context is key.
   Large datasets can be misleading. If the supporting metadata is absent, the analysis may not be accurate.  Ensure that your models include all relevant information so outcomes and outliers are clearly identifiable.
3.  Identify the diagnosis and not just the outcome.
   This strategy is written in the context of OR utilization outcomes and not clinical outcomes. For example, take the number of first case delays.  The goal should be to identify the cause of the problem and not the frequency of the outcome.  Diagnosing why the case was delayed rather than documenting the frequency will have a greater impact on efficiency.
4.  Assess the opportunity and cost to correct the problem.
   Once you identify what is causing the problem, you should perform an ROI analysis to ensure that the cost to correct the issue doesn’t outweigh the return.
5. Only measure something if there is a group commitment to fix it.
   Time is valuable and data analysis is time consuming, so don’t waste your time trying to identify a solution to a problem that your peers or administration are not interested in fixing.  Aligning your goals with other parties involved can keep everyone focused, cut down on waste and create a more collaborative environment for all.

For more highlights from the ASA PRACTICE MANAGEMENT 2018 conference, read our blog on value proposition.