Perioperative Services Physician Integration The main operating room of a respected hospital had a reputation for poor teamwork, frequent miscommunication and a high level of staff and physician dissatisfaction. MEDCO began a targeted improvement strategy that incorporated personalized leadership assessment, training, and coaching. Physician satisfaction improved, and after four months, physicians took a leadership role in the improvement effort which was essential to the implementation and staying power of the proposed changes. Prior to this time, physician involvement was totally absent. Cost Reduction The peri-operative services of a large hospital was challenged to reduce its cost per case. MEDCO designed a plan to radically redesign the department's processes and policies.  Aggressive leadership by the Chief of Surgery was sought and obtained. As a result, the department met its goals and the cost per case was reduced from a baseline of $1,040 per case to $878 per case at the end of six months. Market Development An ambulatory surgery center suffered from extremely low facility utilization, 30%, and the scheduled surgeries did not support existing hours and staffing. MEDCO facilitated a Business Development Team that identified several surgeons in the area who were believed to have a need for the services this center could provide. MEDCO staff and the Team developed a marketing plan, including facility tours and business calls on targeted physicians. As a result, case volume increased approximately 15% over a five month period. Post Anesthesia Recovery MEDCO initiated and implemented an aggressive redesign of pre-operative testing, recovery, case scheduling and supply inventory control for a large community hospital. Patient recovery time was reduced from 85 minutes to 18 minutes within three months, two 23 hour recovery rooms were set up, and pre-operative testing was reduced by 75%. The total annualized impact of this effort was $620,000 per year. Anesthesia Services The surgical services of a sole community hospital experienced a high cost per case due to employed CRNA's, frequent anesthesia delays and poor coordination for pre-operative work-ups. MEDCO initiated an operational review that developed a vision of Anesthesia Services that increased the number of Anesthesiologists, reduced CRNA staffing, and reduced the hospital's cost per case. A three year phased transition plan was developed that resulted in over $1.0 million in reduced costs, increased Anesthesiologist compensation and reduced case delays. Facility Redevelopment A surgical services department (eight rooms) had allocated funds to expand the facility. MEDCO recommended delaying the expenditure until an analysis of needs and facility use could be completed. MEDCO facilitated a team focused on materials utilization. The result after only three weeks of research and analysis was a reduction in space requirements by eliminating unnecessary supply and equipment inventory. The impact of this analysis and the resulting recommendations was a savings of $500,000 in project cost and $100,000 reduction in working capital. Back      Home      Contact Medco