Possibilities of rationalization in the perioperative period - the anaesthesiologist's view

Soaring health care costs are also forcing surgeons and anaesthesiologists to introduce practice patterns that allow more efficient use of expensive h ospital resources. Because perioperative ward expenditures account for appr oximately one-third of the hospital costs incurred for surgical inpatients, with personnel costs being a major component, interventions that decrease the length of stay can result in considerable savings without affecting the quality of care. Interventious that can reduce the length of stay are outp atient preoperative evaluation and same-day admission, improvement of OR ef ficiency and sufficient cost-effective facilities for qualified postoperati ve care.