Ten Tips in Providing Value in Operating Room Management

This article examines the impact of effective operating room (OR) management from the perspective of an anesthesiologist and is intended to update the busy practitioner on current concepts. It begins by considering the daily operational management of the OR and progresses to a broader view of tactical and strategic planning. These concepts are organized into a list of 10 tips that have evolved for two reasons: increasing numbers of hospital administrators are focusing their attention on OR profitability; and the OR is a primary source of revenue in many hospitals. In an era when more and more facilities are hiring physicians to be medical directors for the OR, anesthesiologists should be at the helm when it comes to OR management.