Is now the right time?

Ultimately, OR renovation decisions – including the timing of the investment—should be predicated on your answers to the following questions:

• What does hospital performance data reveal about my institution? Can quality of care and patient satisfaction scores be immediately improved by upgrading proficiency and capabilities within the surgical suite?
• Does our surgical environment contribute to attracting and retaining top talent? Do our surgeons believe they have the resources required to perform at their very best to sustain life and improve the quality of living for their patients?
• Does my hospital’s OR department meet community needs based on a current demographic and lifestyle analysis? Do patients have access to the vast majority of surgical specialties either offered within our facility or at other local and regional institutions? In turn, does an opportunity exist to enhance short- and long-term revenue by providing additional surgical services where there is an identified unmet need?
• Do our current surgical workflows and room layouts limit patient throughput and effective OR utilization? Would immediate upgrades in OR technology or room expansion boost the clinical, operational and financial performance of the surgical suite?
• Has the presence of ambulatory surgical centers in my community substantially impacted the volume of outpatient procedures performed within our hospital? Is our OR department properly resourced to compete for prospective surgical patients who can easily access and compare hospital performance data when selecting where they will schedule their surgeries?
• Is my hospital committed to performing image guided, interventional and traditional surgical procedures within a hybrid OR environment? How many Hybrid ORs have been commissioned in other local institutions? Do any of our current ORs have a large enough footprint to accommodate the additional imaging equipment, integration technology and additional staff that typically populate the Hybrid suite? If not, is funding for new construction available?