The operating room is one of the highest cost centers of a hospital—it can often account for more than 40% of an organization's total expenses. As a result, planners are exploring ways to improve OR efficiency by reducing high, unnecessary costs.

In response to cost pressure, Intermountain Healthcare looked at cumulative tardiness in their operating room schedule and noticed three contributing factors: first case on-time starts, case duration, and turnover time. As a result, the organization developed a three-pronged approach to increase efficiency and improve access for both surgeons and patients.