Perioperative Department Is Strategic Driver of Hospital Success According to 2010 Survey of Healthcare Executives

ATLANTA, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- A newly released survey of hospital executives emphasizes the importance of optimizing the perioperative department during a time when hospitals are seeking effective ways to increase margins, reduce costs and improve patient safety and quality.  At the same time, reimbursements are decreasing and hospitals are seeking effective ways to enhance revenues.

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The independent survey of 225 hospital executives from 190 North American facilities was sponsored by Surgical Information Systems (SIS) of Alpharetta, GA.  It highlights the importance of driving immediate operational value through technology investments in the operating room that will continue to protect organizations from reimbursement changes and financial challenges.

92% of hospital executives surveyed rated the success of their perioperative departments as either Extremely Important or Important to the success of the hospital.  Responding executives indicated that they plan to combat these financial and operational challenges this year by focusing effort on the perioperative department, with 58% of respondents saying they are planning projects this year to reduce perioperative costs.

Hospital executives overwhelmingly indicated Quality and Financials as their top areas of concern for 2010, with 65% of respondents rating these as their top two concerns.  The OR is a key financial driver for the hospital, generating up to 70% of the revenue, up to 60% of the margin, and up to 40% of the supply costs.  Optimizing and meeting the unique needs of the OR is a key driver of the financial health of a hospital.

When asked to list the most important areas of financial performance in 2010, fully 50% of responding executives listed Reimbursements as their first or second response.  Costs were the second most important area of financial performance; 40% of respondents ranked it within the top two.  Two trends with the most potential to negatively impact the operational success of a hospital this year were Declining Reimbursements and Government Initiatives.

Perioperative information management systems have the capacity to facilitate improved patient safety and quality, as well as bring about financial turnarounds hospital-wide, and many healthcare organizations are choosing to automate the financial engine of the hospital.  Financial and quality turnarounds seen by hospitals implementing specialty perioperative systems include:

• Improved surgical team communications
• Decrease in cost per case
• Increase in on-time first surgical case starts and supply charge capture
• Creation of a more accurate, legible anesthesia record

The OR is a department with unique needs that cannot be met by general hospital-wide scheduling systems.  Not only does the perioperative department contribute to most of a hospital's costs and revenue, but it is also the source of 50% of hospital acquired infections.  Streamlined surgery departments utilize automated systems that map to the facility's workflow and improve communication, decrease documentation time, and increase charge capture as an automatic by-product of the care process.  This leads to significant financial turnarounds and, more importantly, a higher level of quality care.

"Healthcare executives realize that by controlling costs and maximizing revenue from the perioperative department, they can position themselves to effectively weather the current economic, regulatory and reform challenges they face," said SIS CEO Ed Daihl.  "The survey indicates that most believe government reforms are going to be a mixed blessing at best.  They are looking to streamline processes in the OR in order to support their quality goals and to bring about financial turnarounds and reduce costs.  The good news is that perioperative automation is the best thing that executives can do right now to improve the immediate and long-term financial health and success of their organizations."

About the Survey

The SIS annual survey of healthcare executives was conducted in the first quarter of 2010.  Of the 225 hospital executives who completed the survey, the majority (73%) were CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CIOs and CNOs, 22% were OR Directors and 5% listed their title as "other" hospital management.

About SIS

SIS provides software solutions that are uniquely designed to add value at every point of the perioperative process. Developed specifically for the complex surgical environment, all SIS solutions – including anesthesia – are architected on a single database and integrate easily with other hospital systems. SIS offers the only surgical scheduling system endorsed by the American Hospital Association (AHA), and a rules-based charging system that has been granted Peer Reviewed status by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

For more information visit our website, www.SISFirst.com.

SOURCE Surgical Information Systems