Scheduling: Optimal Block Schedule, Improving Utilization

Ambulatory surgery centers are distinct from their mixed-use counterparts because the clinical workflow is usually stable and predictable. Ambulatory surgery centers should have a competitive advantage when they are efficiently and effectively managed. Design thinking is an iterative process by which improvement is made to a dynamic system. The optimization of an ambulatory surgery center requires an approach that examines not just each component or constraint, but also considers the local environment, process, stakeholders and barriers as a dynamic system each with stressors and opportunities for improvement. Efficiency and optimization can be reached in each component using traditional metrics; however, if one does not consider the system as a whole, true optimization cannot be achieved.