Saving and improving the lives of patients will never be cheap. In a hospital setting, operating rooms often have the most expensive operating costs. A 2018 study found that the mean cost of one minute of OR time is $36 to $37, but some estimates place that number as high as $60 or even $100, depending on what’s included in the estimate and the variable rate of expenses.

As a result, cost cuts in the OR are sometimes abrupt and indiscriminate, and OR nurses often find themselves working in understaffed, under resourced situations. If saving money in the OR is something on your agenda, the first step is identifying why your OR is so expensive.

Operating Room Expenses

OR expenses generally break down like this:

• Salaries – You need to staff your OR with educated and experienced doctors and nurses; and you need enough of them on duty to ensure patient safety
• Supplies – You need top quality medical supplies so that medical procedures are safe and effective, and to maintain sterility
• Equipment – It’s critical to have cutting edge technology installed so that procedures are innovative, effective and safe
• Facility space – You need sufficient well-lit, temperature controlled, accessible space to encompass all of the above
• Environmental cleanup – Even after all sanitary precautions have been exhausted, it’s still important to sanitize your facility regularly

All of these line items are costly, but they are also mission critical. This means you can’t simply eliminate or cripple any of them without negative (and expensive) consequences.

Operating Room Savings

When it comes to saving money in the OR, it’s helpful to look at each expense in depth rather than making massive, uniformed cuts. In the case of supplies and equipment, facilities can undertake an audit to make sure they are getting the most competitive prices available. Negotiating new pricing and considering other vendors are two possible alternatives to exorbitant supply and sanitary costs.

In some cases, you’ll need to spend money to save money in the long-term. Renovating out-of-date facilities and updating equipment can help save money on utility costs.

If salaries are a big expense, it might be tempting to cut jobs. But this usually results in understaffing and burnout. Consider the 2023 nursing strike in New York City, New York when 7,000 nurses went on strike, arguing that immense staffing shortages had caused burnout and an inability to properly care for patients. In 2022, similar strikes occurred in Minnesota, California and Hawaii. In each instance, understaffing played an important role in the nurses’ decision to walk out. Strikes are certainly expensive; so is sacrificing patient safety.

Consider helping your OR team work more efficiently. AORN Syntegrity can enhance your electronic health records (EHR) software with procedures and data collection tools that streamline nurse workflows in the OR. This means you can reduce nurse burnout, increase patient safety and save on costs related to both without losing any headcount.

Learn more about AORN Syntegrity by scheduling your free demo today.