Covid-19 Created an Elective Surgery Backlog. How Can Hospitals Get Back on Track?

Five steps healthcare providers can take right now.

by

and

Christopher G. Myers

by

and

Christopher G. Myers

August 10, 2020

HBR Staff/Pexels

Summary.

Now that most U.S. states have lifted restrictions on elective surgery, hospital leaders across the country have been rushing to implement ramp up strategies. While there are many good reasons to ramp back up quickly (health concerns and revenue shock), it is important that speed does not overtake strategy. Restarting elective surgery haphazardly may result in unintended consequences and create bottlenecks that impede overall hospital operations. Researchers suggest five strategies that healthcare leaders can employ today to meet their clinical objectives, while aiming for better operational efficiency and equity in access to care: Develop consistent, transparent, and bias-aware algorithms for surgical prioritization; expand surgical capacity by transitioning to outpatient care; form dedicated teams to improve operating room efficiency; think beyond the traditional five-day work week; focus on simplifying patients’ surgical care experience.

Covid-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in health care systems across the United States and world. To reduce infectious risk to patients and providers, and conserve critical resources — such as personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and intensive care (ICU) beds — most states in the U.S. enacted a temporary ban on elective surgery from March through May 2020.

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Amit Jain is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an orthopaedic surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. His research focuses on value-based spine care, cervical myelopathy/stenosis, spinal degeneration with aging, and minimally invasive spine surgery. Follow him @AmitJainSpine.
Tinglong Dai is an Associate Professor of Operations Management and Business Analytics at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, School of Nursing, and Institute for Data Intensive Engineering and Science. His research examines healthcare analytics and modeling, issues arising in the interfaces between marketing and operations, and how human beings interact with AI. Follow him @TinglongDai.
Kristin Bibee is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a dermatological surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her research seeks to understand cutaneous malignancies in the solid organ transplant population, and the business side of dermatological surgery. Follow her @KPBisMe.
Christopher G. Myers is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University on the faculty of the Carey Business School, School of Medicine, and Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety & Quality. His research explores interpersonal processes of learning, development, and innovation in health care and other knowledge-intensive work environments. Follow him @ChrisGMyers.

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Covid-19 Created an Elective Surgery Backlog. How Can Hospitals Get Back on Track?

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