Reducing perioperative costs and ensuring the success of their surgical departments are top priorities of hospital executives in the midst of a changing regulatory environment, according to a survey commissioned by Surgical Information Systems, a perioperative software vendor.
About nine out of 10 executives surveyed, 22% of which were OR managers, said the success of their hospitals' perioperative departments was important or extremely important to the success of their institutions as a whole. Citing financials as their No. 2 work concern after quality, 58% of all respondents and 51% of OR managers said they planned to reduce perioperative costs in 2010.
Other key findings from the survey:
Quality is the No. 1 focus of 53% of OR directors, followed by controlling expenses and productivity.
Reimbursements and costs are the top 2 financial performance concerns of OR managers.
22% of OR directors said better physician relationships is the most positive trend impacting their operational success; 18% cited operational efficiency and 12% cited increased surgery volume as the most positive trends.
47% of OR directors said government initiatives and declining reimbursements were the top 2 negative trends impacting their operational success.
While OR managers largely rated them a negative, government initiatives were seen as a positive trend by respondents as a whole.
11% of hospital OR managers identified ambulatory surgery centers as a trend negatively affecting their operational success.
The results, based on a survey of 225 hospital executives from 190 facilities in North America, show that most healthcare executives "believe government reforms are going to be a mixed blessing at best," says SIS CEO Ed Daihl. "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."
Irene Tsikitas
