It might seem like scheduling surgical cases is easy. To estimate how long a procedure will take, schedulers simply look at how long similar cases have taken in the past, calculate an average, and determine a relatively accurate amount of time to block off on the calendar.

But what happens when those cases aren’t coded quite right?

For example, a hiatal hernia repair with Nissen fundoplication documented only as hernia repair leaves ambiguity for a scheduler, making it hard to block off OR time accurately. This means cases can run over time, or that ORs are sitting empty when they could be in use.

Listen to IMO and Caresyntax for our webinar on, The impact of your surgical procedure list on case durations and scheduling accuracy where our experts discuss:

• The financial implications of case duration inaccuracies
• The importance of a well-maintained surgical dictionary
• What poor quality surgical scheduling information looks like