How mobile RFID communications and OR workflow tech saved one hospital $1M annually

At Adventist Health White Memorial, reducing OR turnaround time by just three minutes may seem small – but at five turnarounds per day, multiplied by six operating rooms, it adds up to $974,160 per year. The primary challenge was case progression. If the first surgery of the day at the 353-bed, not-for-profit teaching hospital was delayed, it disrupted the entire schedule for the rest of the day.

This was primarily due to difficulty in communicating efficiently and in a timely manner with the various surgery teams and support staff to let them know about delays, schedule changes and other factors in the multiple phases of the patient’s care.

“It was also due to the fact that our patients could be on any one of our three floors, either having their blood drawn or having imaging or testing done, so we were not always certain of their location,” Saad explained.

“Inefficiencies and miscommunication resulted in delays and slower turnaround times in our eight operating rooms, which negatively affected the experience of patients and families, surgeons and staff, as well as increasing our costs,” he said.