Qventus announced they have introduced a perioperative product that the company says may create additional operating room (OR) capacity and increase surgical case volumes. The new program builds on the company’s existing automation platform and expands artificial intelligence-powered solutions for inpatient, emergency department, and command center settings.
The new capabilities, according to a Qventus press release, can accommodate surgeons who request more OR time, manage blocks of time that are under-utilized and fill last-minute openings. They can orchestrate release of predicted unused blocks of time to optimize OR schedules. The product leverages machine-learning algorithms that predict up to a month in advance which blocks of time are unlikely to be used, according to the company.
The program continuously reviews cases that are scheduled and suggests cases that could be completed sooner, freeing up time weeks in advance. Machine learning identifies opportunities to shift surgical slots and rooms to optimize for robotic and non-robotic cases. The automation and intelligence can create valuable lead time to attract cases, increase utilization, and reduce surgical backlogs, the company says.
Facilities can increase case volumes by offering high-value surgeons optimal OR times and making it easier for schedulers to view and request surgical slots in real-time. Machine learning can identify the surgeon best fit for open time based on their practice patterns and past performance, according to the release.
Surgeons and their schedulers can view OR times through a reservation-like interface, without logging into an electronic health record (EHR), and can submit official case requests, bypassing the need to fill out and fax a separate form. Users can view available times in their colleagues' blocks, reducing the burden of "trading" times. This enables OR leaders to increase their case volumes, according to the company.
The program continuously monitors performance in real time, thus allowing OR teams to track case growth and understand scheduling accuracy. Perioperative leaders would be able to share insights with surgeons about efficiency improvement strategies for their practices. The tools can increase physician and staff engagement and make it easier to drive continuous improvement over time.
