Operating room management

The changing health care climate has triggered important changes in the man agement of high cost components of acute care facilities. By integrating an d improving manage ment of Various elements of the surgical process, health care institutions are able to rationally trim costs while maintaining high -quality services. If the results of surgery are Viewed as a product, every thing associated with surgery can be evaluated as one would a manufacturing process. All steps involved in producing the end result can and should be analyzed with the goal of producing an efficient, economical and quality pr oduct. The leadership that physicians can provide is crucial to the success of this undertaking. The role of the anesthesiologist in the management of the operating room setting (OR) has gained broad acceptance because: a) it contributes to the effort of a larger team process; b) the anesthesiologis t ordinarily practices in the OR setting;and c) the anesthesiologist can vi ew the priorities of the OR in an unbiased manner. Many of the successful c oncepts in managing an OR are just common sense. The single best opportunit y for dramatic improvement in effective resource use in Surgical Services l ies in the perioperative process. The management strategy must focus on pro cess-measurement using information technology and feedback implementing mod ern quality management tools. The impact of new treatments, drugs, devices and process changes can be assessed rationally.