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Cutting-edge efficiency
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The past four months have been a whirlwind of activity for Richard Whyte who has taken on the new role of medical director of operating room services at the hospital while maintaining his responsibilities as chief of the thoracic surgery division.
In that short time, Richard has begun making changes to improve the efficiency of the ORs and is setting a course that all employees should follow in examining how we can make hospital operations more efficient and effective.
The ORs are a logical place to start. ORs have a well-defined set of circumstances under which care is delivered - patients come in, certain "routines" take place and then the patients are transported out. The repetition of these tasks makes it possible to look for efficiencies as well as innovations to improve the quality of the care delivered there.
Additionally, the activities in the OR have a huge impact on the bottom line for the Medical Center. As physicians, we have the ability to help the hospital's finances by ensuring that OR resources are used in the most efficient, effective manner possible.
We are fortunate to have a physician of Richard Whyte's caliber in this important role. His selection shows that hospital administrators value the opinions and talents of the medical staff, and Richard is working hard to make changes that improve efficiency while maintaining the high level of care provided at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.
Among the first priorities of Richard and the OR committee has been to evaluate the use of "block time" - designated hours during which specific surgeons or departments have access to an OR. It is then up to the surgeon or department to fill that time. As a result of this evaluation, there have been reductions for those who weren't fully using their block time and additional time allotted to those who demonstrated an ability to use the time effectively. While some medical staff members have been unhappy with losing part of their block time, I believe the changes are in the hospital's best interest.
We all realize that more ORs are needed to meet the growing demand for surgical services, but relief is still several months away. New ORs will be part of the cancer center/amubulatory care pavilion now under construction, but the building won't be finished until Fall of 2003. Until then, we must be as efficient as possible with our existing OR resources.
As a member of the OR committee, which is chaired by Tom Krummel, I have been pleased with Tom and Richard's willingness to delve into tough issues such as these and come up with solutions. They have my whole-hearted support, and I would like to ask for your continued cooperation and patience as we try to solve these problems.
Additionally, I would ask you to look for ways of improving other areas of hospital operations and to engage your staffs in discussions about efficiency. Please forward your ideas to me at gaeta@stanford.edu. I will be happy to pass along your suggestions.
On another note, I wanted to extend a warm welcome to Martha Marsh, who will be joining us April 2 as the new president and CEO of Stanford Hospital & Clinics. Martha is well-grounded in the needs of academic medical centers, and comes to us from UC-Davis where she served as COO and director of the hospital and clinics.
At Stanford, the medical staff has a long tradition of providing input and counsel to the CEO, and I know Martha will continue to welcome our ideas and thoughts. Her presence will provide some much-needed stability here after the many upheavals of the past few years.
Welcome, Martha - and best of luck!
