Baptist Health Medical Center – North Little Rock

Harrison M. Dean, FACHE
Senior VP/Administrator, Baptist Health Medical Center - North Little Rock, Baptist Health Medical Center – North Little Rock

“Surgical Directions was engaged to assist with our operating room challenges due to their expertise and track record. Key leaders of Surgical Directions have delivered results for our organization in the past. These demonstrated results were important to us since we would be working in and altering the function of the surgical suites in our hospital. Many of the Surgical Directions personnel have expertise in various areas of healthcare. As a result, their objective view enabled us to access a broad array of insights and practical solutions.

“Engaging practicing surgeons as the “Board of Advisors” regarding changes in operating processes was critical to the success of our undertaking. We did not have experience in this approach. Surgical Directions conveyed on-the-job learning with this new approach. The Surgical Services Executive Committee, which is comprised of influential physician leaders, has enabled us to achieve many improvements. These include: reductions in overtime and premium pay, better surgical suite utilization, a greater proportion of surgical services performed during a “normal work day,” and improved throughput, which has led to reductions in average length of stay for surgery patients and accommodating volume fluctuations without the necessity of adding additional staffing.

“Conservatively, financial improvements at BHMC-NLR, June 2009 through June 2010, total $2.5M+.

“Overall, staff morale and surgeon satisfaction have been stable-to-improving with the changes that have been instituted. This is in large part due to an improving ability to schedule and perform a greater proportion of surgical services during a “normal work day.” As a result, employees are able to leave at the end of their shift and surgeons are able to schedule cases in available slots/blocks during a ‘normal work day.’”