Increasing Department of Surgery Productivity: A Study on the Effects of Adding an Ambulatory Surgery Room to Tripler Army Medical Center
Abstract
In the summer of 2005 the Army Surgeon General challenged medical treatment facilities (MTFs) to increase productivity in terms of relative value units (RVUs). Tripler Army Medical Center submitted 12 initiatives, one of which was the implementation of an ambulatory surgery room within the Department of Surgery. This study examined the structure and processes used to develop this room, and the outcomes of the initiative. Problems contracting for staff to operate the room and scheduling methodology resulted in an inefficient process. Analysis of variance was used to examine differences between the ambulatory surgery room and other rooms for RVU production. 1257 cases during the months of December 2005 and January 2006 were used in the analysis. Results showed there was a statistical significance between the rooms, F (13,573) = 3.70, p<.000. A post-hoc test revealed the room showing significance was not the ambulatory surgery room. Based on the results it is recommended the hospital look for proven ways to improve productivity before obligating money toward high risk initiatives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA473557
Entities
People
- Aristotle A. Vaseliades
Organizations
- Tripler Army Medical Center